Makerere students arrested
Apr 09, 2004
TEN Makerere University students were arrested and taken to Wandegeya Police Station on Thursday night as heavily armed Anti Riot Police fought running battles with the rioting students for close to three hours
By F. Ahimbisibwe
AND Pidson. Kareire
TEN Makerere University students were arrested and taken to Wandegeya Police Station on Thursday night as heavily armed Anti Riot Police fought running battles with the rioting students for close to three hours.
Police at Wandegeya said yesterday two students were still in their custody. The Dean of Students, John Ekudu, said calm had returned to the campus, which had been torn apart by strikes by the non-teaching staff and lecturers.
On Thursday night hundreds of teargas canisters were fired to disperse over 5,000 students who had gathered at the Freedom Square and threatened to kidnap university administrators who were attending a University Council meeting in the Ivory Tower.
University Council chairman Gabriel Opio said,
“We thought the students were in the guild campaigns but we got scared when we heard the noise coming towards the main building. We had to run for safety under the tables.â€
The lecturers’ strike entered its fifth day yesterday as the lecturers insisted on having their grievances addressed before resuming work.
One female student was injured in the scuffle that engulfed the university in the late hours of Thursday evening.
Over 200 policemen were deployed at the university to stop the riots and escort some administrators to safety.
The students accused the administration of failure to communicate to them as the lecturers’ strike dragged on.
“Nobody has come to explain what is happening. We only rely on newspapers and radios,†outgoing Guild President Yusuf Kiranda said.
Students threw stones and bottles at the Police who fired back hundreds of teargas canisters in most halls of residence.
There was heavy deployment at the Main Building, Senate Building, Lumumba and Mitchell halls throughout the night.
Many students and staff members fled as chaos extended to the halls of residence where students had regrouped to fight the Police.
In Complex and Nkrumah halls, students fainted from the teargas fired into the corridors. Many were injured.
“The Police was called in when the students became violent. There is now some relative peace although most students have gone for the Easter holidays,†Ekudu said.
Opio said the staff union had rejected their offer of 30% increment.
“The university does not have any more money to offer them. We have set up a committee to go and negotiate with government,†he said.
George Ogang, a strike committee member, said they would not accept less than sh1.8m for a professor and a minimum salary of sh930,000 for a lecturer.
AND Pidson. Kareire
TEN Makerere University students were arrested and taken to Wandegeya Police Station on Thursday night as heavily armed Anti Riot Police fought running battles with the rioting students for close to three hours.
Police at Wandegeya said yesterday two students were still in their custody. The Dean of Students, John Ekudu, said calm had returned to the campus, which had been torn apart by strikes by the non-teaching staff and lecturers.
On Thursday night hundreds of teargas canisters were fired to disperse over 5,000 students who had gathered at the Freedom Square and threatened to kidnap university administrators who were attending a University Council meeting in the Ivory Tower.
University Council chairman Gabriel Opio said,
“We thought the students were in the guild campaigns but we got scared when we heard the noise coming towards the main building. We had to run for safety under the tables.â€
The lecturers’ strike entered its fifth day yesterday as the lecturers insisted on having their grievances addressed before resuming work.
One female student was injured in the scuffle that engulfed the university in the late hours of Thursday evening.
Over 200 policemen were deployed at the university to stop the riots and escort some administrators to safety.
The students accused the administration of failure to communicate to them as the lecturers’ strike dragged on.
“Nobody has come to explain what is happening. We only rely on newspapers and radios,†outgoing Guild President Yusuf Kiranda said.
Students threw stones and bottles at the Police who fired back hundreds of teargas canisters in most halls of residence.
There was heavy deployment at the Main Building, Senate Building, Lumumba and Mitchell halls throughout the night.
Many students and staff members fled as chaos extended to the halls of residence where students had regrouped to fight the Police.
In Complex and Nkrumah halls, students fainted from the teargas fired into the corridors. Many were injured.
“The Police was called in when the students became violent. There is now some relative peace although most students have gone for the Easter holidays,†Ekudu said.
Opio said the staff union had rejected their offer of 30% increment.
“The university does not have any more money to offer them. We have set up a committee to go and negotiate with government,†he said.
George Ogang, a strike committee member, said they would not accept less than sh1.8m for a professor and a minimum salary of sh930,000 for a lecturer.