After receiving admission to university, a student has to find a place to stay. However, whether you chose a hall of residence or hostel, you will meet colleagues who will give you a memorable or dreadful experience.

Some roommates can be terrible and extremely toxic to get along with. Imagine dealing with an irrational neat freak, party animal, drug addict or loud chatterbox. 

Irene Mutoni, a fresh graduate from Makerere University shares her experience;

I was robbed and thrown out.

All was well with me, but hell broke loose in 2022, which is the year my mental health deteriorated. I was living in a rented room in Makerere Kikoni near the University.

I suffer from endometriosis, a condition that causes me unbearable pain during my period. It's very expensive and traumatizing to live with endometriosis. I try as much as possible to relieve my parents of some burdens reason I moved from a hostel and joined my friend (names withheld) in her rented room.

All was well until one day, my roommate woke up early to do laundry, leaving the door open. Thieves sneaked in and stole our phones, laptops and my small bag which had money for my medical bills. I had an appointment with my doctor the next day.

The robbery happened while I was sound asleep. It’s hard to believe that I did not hear anything. My roommate was also my coursemate. 

That day, she went on the class WhatsApp group to raise some money for me but without disclosing my name. When students inquired who she was fundraising for, she abused them dragging in their parents whom she accused of not raising their children well.

That was her character and in a way, the class was used to her. The next day, when I reported for lectures, my friends played for me her audios which were in WhatsApp group. Remember I had no phone.

I apologized to the class, little did I know that my apology irked her. 

She scolded me, accusing me of not taking her side yet she was raising money for me. My explanation fell on deaf ears. That night, she threw me out of her room yet I had paid three months upfront, but she said she would use that rent to buy new padlocks because I had connived with the thieves to break them. 

She kept shouting at me and people gathered, but I remained silent. I asked kind students to accommodate me because I had no coin on me.

That semester, I had been recovering from a heartbreak, then I was robbed and became homeless, yet I was still battling endometriosis. Fortunately, the roommate who took me in became the best friend I never had.

I advise freshers to choose roommates carefully. Take your time and be at your best behaviour if you are to accommodate different personalities.

Dickson Tumuramye, a parenting counsellor, advises to speak up because your roommate might not know that her actions are irritating you. But do it in a polite way and also listen to them as this will help you to understand their perspective and come to a compromise.