Nine students of Mountains of the Moon University were on Monday afternoon arrested by the Police in Fort Portal after they engaged in a violent strike.

The Police fired teargas and arrested the students who were moving from the university main campus found in the Northern Division of Fort Portal after they started marching in the town chanting slogans.

The students wanted the university’s registrar to explain why they have not had lectures since they reported for a new semester.

The strike comes at a time when lecturers at the same university are protesting the failure of the administration to pay their salaries for several months.

The students also attempted to raid the office of the vice-chancellor Prof. Peter Kasenene saying he is not fit to hold the office.

Fred Tumusiime, a student at the university said they have for long been complaining about the poor administration of the university and that they had spent over two months without lecturers.

Tumusiime said that the university should refund their money since they are not ready to teach them.

He said they want the administration to immediately address their grievances so that lectures can resume.

Sarah Ayebare another student said that they have been engaging university management on the issues affecting them but nothing has been addressed.

“We have been silent for about two months but nothing has changed. We wrote to the vice-chancellor through our guild president but got no response,” Ayebare said.

“We paid all the monies but we have spent over two months without being taught all the lecturers are on strike and the management doesn’t want to attend to their issues,” Ayebare said.

Vincent Twesige the Rwenzori West regional Police spokesperson said that they had no problem with the students expressing their grievances, but that they were becoming unmanageable.

Twesige said that there was no need for the students to force other offices at the main campus to close and take to the streets of Fort Portal chanting National Unity Party songs.

“The arrested students are currently being detained at Fort Portal Central Police Station as the university sorts out the issues which resulted in the strike,” Twesige said.

Twesige said Police wants to meet the students and the university’s administration to address the standoff.

By press time, efforts to get a comment from Prof. Kasenene were futile as he said they were locked in a management meeting after which a statement will be issued.