Ugandan Government-sponsored students at Kyambogo University have resorted to using their lecture rooms as bedrooms following the government’s failure to release their food and living allowances.
Addressing the media today, Mr Edrine Wafula Kaholo, the institution’s guild president said that most of his colleagues have shifted their beddings to lecture rooms due to their failure to meet hostel dues.
“They are those sleeping in lecture rooms because they cannot afford accommodation fees simply because they have not been paid their food and living out allowances,” Mr Wafula said, adding that many of them are feeding on ‘hard cones’ for survival.
Prof Elly Katunguka, the vice-chancellor of the institution, urged students to remain calm saying they will receive their allowances soon.
“The process of uploading warrants on the system and making arrangements to pay students have commenced. Management requests the government-sponsored students to be calm as the process of remitting funds to their accounts progresses,” he said.
Prof Katunguka attributed the delays to the Covid-19 disruption that forced the university to adapt to three semesters in one year instead of the normal two semesters.
He however said that the university communicated this challenge to the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development and requested for a supplementary budget of Shs1,694,402,000 to cater for upkeep and living out allowances of 2,455 government-sponsored students for this semester.
On May 3, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development wrote a response letter to the university informing them that the government was unable to provide a supplementary budget at this time.
“However, based on the budget performance for Kyambogo University, he released an additional expenditure limit amounting to Shs1.34b against the vote 304-Kyambogo University Non-wage Recurrent budget to cater for among others upkeep and living out allowances,” Prof Katunguka added.
It is now four days since Kyambogo University students started a strike demanding among other things; waiver of surcharges on tuition fees, which they have become a heavy burden to not only students but also to parents.
The Kyambogo strike follows another strike by government-sponsored students at Makerere University over the same causes.
The Makerere University Secretary, Mr Yusuf Kiranda, in his letter dated May 5, urged students to remain patient as the university prepares to release funds within six working days from today.
