Court halts relocation of Makerere's Fort Portal campus

The Fort Portal High Court Judge Justice David Batema has issued an injunction halting all activities of closing and relocating Makerere University Fort Portal branch.

This after Moses Mugisa, a second year student of Bachelors of Business Administration at the Fort Portal campus has dragged the institution to court for breach of contract.

On Monday, Makerere University officially closed the campus which was set up in 2010 on the premise that the community in Fort Portal had not embraced the institution given the low turn up of students.

In a July 15^th circular, Makerere University deputy chancellor in charge of finance and administration Prof Barnabas Nawangwe, said that the students and staff from the campus are to be relocated to the Kampala and Jinja campuses with effect from the 2016/17 academic year.

In his suit, Mugisa accuses the university of illegally closing the campus without carrying out any consultations with the students who are the main stakeholders.

"The admission letter that I received from the academic registrar indicates that I will study and earn a degree from Makerere University at the Fort Portal Campus after a period of three years and not Kampala or Jinja" Mugisa said. 

Mugisa told court that relocating to Jinja or Kampala will affect his business as well as other students who work in Fort Portal to sustain themselves at the university. 

The petitioner wants court to order Makerere to maintain the campus until the current students finish their relevant courses. 

"We are only remaining with two years to complete our studies at Makerere, why can't the university give us time to complete and then they close" Mugisa said. 

But Prof Baker Nyakana the director Makerere University Jinja campus told court that 52 out of the 65 current students have accepted to relocate to Jinja campus. 

Nyakana told court that Makerere plans to start a block week modular system where lecturers will be sent on an agreed time frame to teach a few students who are particularly unable to relocate. 

"Under the block week modular system every student will study and be examined and at the end of the day the ones that pass will earn a degree from Makerere University" Nyakana told court. 

Despite all that the judge faulted Makerere University for taking what he termed as a snap decision to close the campus.

The judge also advised Makerere staff to have a meet with both the students and the student leaders and develop a common agreement. 

"Makerere University is given an injunction on all its activities of relocating the Fort Portal campus, we still consider the Fort Portal campus open and operational" Batema said before adjourning the case to 1^stAugust.