Tear gas rocks Kabale University

Oct 20, 2016

Angry students stormed the University with placards demanding for its indefinite closure

Police in Kabale on Wednesday afternoon fired tear gas to disperse students of Kabale University who had resumed a strike.

Wednesday's strike was an extension of a similar demonstration that occurred on Friday last week where students protested demanding the registrar to explain why they have not had lectures since they reported for a new semester on September 15, 2016. The students also attempted to raid the office of the vice chancellor Professor Joy Kwesiga saying she is not fit to be in office.

They are also demonstrating against the poor state of latrines, closure of the university clinic among other issues. 

This students strike coincides with a strike from some university staff who are protesting the failure by the administration to pay them salaries for the last 8 months.

  isembo battling students Kisembo battling students

 

Angry students stormed the University with placards demanding for its indefinite closure. They accuse the university administration for deceiving the public that the university activities are operating normally yet everything is on a stand still.

Junior Ainembabazi one of the students said that all the university lecture rooms and hostels deserve to be closed with padlocks since the administration blocks are also closed with no  administrator available at the  campus. He said that there is no reason to why lecturer rooms should remain open yet lectures are not being conducted.

"What we demand from the university administration is to study. We cannot pay our money and remain in such a state of affairs," said Ainembabazi.

John Bosco Muhwezi, the University Guild President who led the demonstration said that they are dissatisfied by the way the university administration has kept a deaf ear about their issues.
He expressed concern over the delayed response from the university administration about when they shall start lectures and if no solution is offered soon, they will not give a deaf ear on the issue.

"We are greatly disturbed with the silence from our administrators. If they feel our challenges let them come out and speak or else we shall not stablise," said Muhwezi.

Attempts by anti-riot police to intercept them while closing university lecture rooms and the main gate were futile. Holding their placards and singing they walked around the Kikungiri based campus and later joined a move to the Engineering department which is located in Nyabikoni.

Police led by Henry Kisembo, the Kabale field force unit commander intercepted them at Nyakambu in Kirigime ward southern division firing tear gas which dispersed them. 

Kisembo said that although students have issues with the university, they did not ask for permission from police to hold demonstrations.

"We cannot tolerate students who want to disrupt business of other community members by holding illegal demonstrations, said Kisembo

Students later ran to the University where they were addressed by Prof. Allen Babigura, the deputy Vice Chancellor who promised them a solution to their crisis as soon as possible.

He said that they shall have their lecturers accounts cleared before the end of this week and thus their lectures shall start next week.

"Our Vice chancellor is in Kampala to find a quick solution to the most pressing challenges in the University. Keep calm we are working around the clock to have you sorted," said Babigura.

Last week, they stormed the Kabale District headquarters demanding an intervention of the Resident District Commissioner-RDC into their issues. Kabale district security officials temporarily closed the university over security concerns over the weekend and since then a heavy deployment has been at the University.

 

Further still, the graduation ceremony that was slated to take place on 29th this month was postponed  to 04th November,2016

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