Makerere closes its Fort Portal campus, dragged to court

Makerere University has officially closed its Fort Portal campus and relocated both its students and staff to the Jinja and Kampala main campuses.

In a July 15th circular, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe, the Makerere University deputy chancellor in charge of finance and administration, stated that students from the Fort Portal campus were to be relocated to Makerere main campus and Jinja campuses with effect from the 2016/2017 academic year. 

The letter also stated that the university management had already started arrangements to incorporate the students' leadership at Fort Portal campus into the main students' guild administration. 

The closure of the Makerere University Fort Portal campus comes after the university secretary, John Barugahare wrote to the vice chancellor Prof. Ddumba Ssentamu on May 30^th expressing the position of the University Council on its inability to manage the branch due to financial constraints. 

The Fort Portal campus was meant to serve students from Hoima, Bundibugyo, Bushenyi, Kasese, Kyenjojo, Kamwenge and Ibanda districts.  

Some of the courses that were being taught at the campus include Bachelor of Agribusiness Management, Bachelor of Agriculture Extension, Bachelor of Commerce, Bachelor of Business Statistics and Bachelor of Public Administration. 

However a section of students have now dragged the university to court challenging the move to relocate them. 

The students led by one Moses Mugisa argue that the university did not make consultations at all with the stakeholders before resolving to relocate the campus. 

"This campus came to Fort Portal upon the resolution of the district council. But the university authorities have now not involved the district, more so we the students have not been consulted yet we have a three year contract with the university" Mugisa said. 

The students are seeking a court order to block the university from relocating.