Kyambogo University closes two halls of residence
Sep 08, 2015
Two halls of residence at Kyambogo University have been closed due to poor sanitation. They are Uganda and Brea halls, which are sub sections of the Mandela hall.
By Clare Muhindo
Two halls of residence at Kyambogo University have been closed due to poor sanitation. They are Uganda and Brea halls, which are sub sections of the Mandela hall.
Jackson Betihama, the Warden for Mandela, their mother hall, said there is only one hall left within Mandela hall, as the others were taken over by administration.
"Brea hall was closed two years ago and is now undergoing renovation, whereas Uganda hall was closed two weeks to the opening of the new semester. Generally Mandela hall will soon be extinct," he says.
He says that some of the residents of these halls were given living out allowance, whereas others were distributed to other halls of residence, such as Kulubya, Nanziri and North hall.
But he adds that the halls to which they were shifted are now congested.
Paul Nkamwesiga, a former resident under the private sponsorship scheme said that he received a call from the hall warden asking him to look for a hostel outside the university, since his residence status was no more.
"The university policy says that students under the private sponsorship scheme are supposed to reside outside the university, and so the university could not distribute us to other halls," he said.
Nkamwesiga applauded the University for closing the halls, saying that their sanitation was in a deplorable state and not good for students' health.
However, according to Prof. Elly Katunguka, the University's acting Vice Chancellor; the buildings would be renovated and later used as learning facilities.
"The University received a fund from African Development Bank last year, to develop infrastructure, and we plan to start construction in November," he said.
He added that many members of staff at the university occupy buildings that are going to be demolished once construction works kick off.
"Staff members occupying these building would have nowhere to go, therefore we agreed to relocate them to that place after it has been refurbished," he said, adding that the two halls would later be used for academic purposes.
"We want that place to be largely academic and not for accommodation because the policy of the university is that going forward, we should stop accommodating students and feeding them.
He adds that in the next two or three years, all hall services will be outsourced to external service providers, following University council guidelines.
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