Makerere halls reel under financial crisis
May 29, 2005
It is perhaps the oldest of the 10 halls of residence at Makerere University. Hidden behind Nkrumah Hall and overweighed by its own state of disrepair, Nsibirwa’s foundation stone tells of generations gone by.
By Timothy Makokha
It is perhaps the oldest of the 10 halls of residence at Makerere University. Hidden behind Nkrumah Hall and overweighed by its own state of disrepair, Nsibirwa’s foundation stone tells of generations gone by.
Put up in 1952, the then Northcote Hall was designed to house 360 students in modest comfort. Today, this is no more.
Nsibirwa now accommodates 510 students. Some rooms have four to six students on double-decker beds to the chagrin of both students and administrators.
“I hate to see these double-decker beds,†wrote Cosmas Omara, the deputy dean of students in a circular to hall wardens.
The appaling condition of Nsibirwa Hall is a reflection of the situation in all the halls of residents in the 83-year old university.
“The situation in the halls of residence is not good,†admits John Ekudu, the dean of students.
Double-decker beds, introduced around 1986 as a short-term measure when Systems Building Services were on massive renovation of the halls, have become part of Uganda’s oldest university.
The result has been the bulging number of resident students, who now stand at close to 6,000 students in halls meant for about 3,000.
Although 5% of the internally generated fund meant for maintenance, there is little to show for it. Repairs are yet to be done on Lumumba’s weather-beaten wooden doors eaten by termites.
The bathrooms, which double as kitchen sinks, smirk of filth and muck. The restrooms are dilapidated after years of vandalism.
From broken drainage covers to malfunctioning security lights and filthy toilets, the Empire, as Lumumba residents call it, reels under a sorry state of disrepair. Students complained of broken windows covered with buvera only held in place by bricks.
Yet, Lumumba might not get a facelift soon. “We know the poor state of Lumumba, but there is little we can do now due to lack of funds,†says Ekudu.
Initially designed to accommodate 600 students, Lumumba is home to over 1,000 students today. Common rooms have been turned into places of aboard.
Mary Stuart remains a towering monument of the ladies of the university, just as it is a monument of shame.
Although structurally sound, the seven-floor tower is a ruin. Its perilous lift remains dysfunctional.
Peninah Kansiime, the hall chairlady, says students leave the tower in the morning and only get back in the evening to avoid climbing the menacing height.
Built in 1947, Mary Stuart Hall or Box, as it is known, was the first female hall at Makerere. Meant for 460 students, it is today home to 600 Boxers.
By its design, the tower suffers acute water shortages and the dining room is heavily potholed.
Nkrumah’s compound remains overgrown. Designed for 400, it accommodates 600 students. Most of its bathroom interior has been removed and parts of its roof tiles are lost.
University Hall, once with beautiful hallways, is a shadow of itself today. The window glasses are missing and walls have long-standing water damage. The hall hosts about 560 students, 180 in excess of its capacity.
Mitchell Hall, planned for 550 now accommodates 850 students.
Livingtone Hall, built in 1959 and ostensibly the most beautiful hall, is home to 600 self-styled gentlemen, 220 students above planned capacity.
Built in 1959, its neat and well-lit compound parceled in its culture is talk of the university. However, its roof tiles are defaced and dirty. Some of its rooms accommodate as many as eight students.
Ends
It is perhaps the oldest of the 10 halls of residence at Makerere University. Hidden behind Nkrumah Hall and overweighed by its own state of disrepair, Nsibirwa’s foundation stone tells of generations gone by.
Put up in 1952, the then Northcote Hall was designed to house 360 students in modest comfort. Today, this is no more.
Nsibirwa now accommodates 510 students. Some rooms have four to six students on double-decker beds to the chagrin of both students and administrators.
“I hate to see these double-decker beds,†wrote Cosmas Omara, the deputy dean of students in a circular to hall wardens.
The appaling condition of Nsibirwa Hall is a reflection of the situation in all the halls of residents in the 83-year old university.
“The situation in the halls of residence is not good,†admits John Ekudu, the dean of students.
Double-decker beds, introduced around 1986 as a short-term measure when Systems Building Services were on massive renovation of the halls, have become part of Uganda’s oldest university.
The result has been the bulging number of resident students, who now stand at close to 6,000 students in halls meant for about 3,000.
Although 5% of the internally generated fund meant for maintenance, there is little to show for it. Repairs are yet to be done on Lumumba’s weather-beaten wooden doors eaten by termites.
The bathrooms, which double as kitchen sinks, smirk of filth and muck. The restrooms are dilapidated after years of vandalism.
From broken drainage covers to malfunctioning security lights and filthy toilets, the Empire, as Lumumba residents call it, reels under a sorry state of disrepair. Students complained of broken windows covered with buvera only held in place by bricks.
Yet, Lumumba might not get a facelift soon. “We know the poor state of Lumumba, but there is little we can do now due to lack of funds,†says Ekudu.
Initially designed to accommodate 600 students, Lumumba is home to over 1,000 students today. Common rooms have been turned into places of aboard.
Mary Stuart remains a towering monument of the ladies of the university, just as it is a monument of shame.
Although structurally sound, the seven-floor tower is a ruin. Its perilous lift remains dysfunctional.
Peninah Kansiime, the hall chairlady, says students leave the tower in the morning and only get back in the evening to avoid climbing the menacing height.
Built in 1947, Mary Stuart Hall or Box, as it is known, was the first female hall at Makerere. Meant for 460 students, it is today home to 600 Boxers.
By its design, the tower suffers acute water shortages and the dining room is heavily potholed.
Nkrumah’s compound remains overgrown. Designed for 400, it accommodates 600 students. Most of its bathroom interior has been removed and parts of its roof tiles are lost.
University Hall, once with beautiful hallways, is a shadow of itself today. The window glasses are missing and walls have long-standing water damage. The hall hosts about 560 students, 180 in excess of its capacity.
Mitchell Hall, planned for 550 now accommodates 850 students.
Livingtone Hall, built in 1959 and ostensibly the most beautiful hall, is home to 600 self-styled gentlemen, 220 students above planned capacity.
Built in 1959, its neat and well-lit compound parceled in its culture is talk of the university. However, its roof tiles are defaced and dirty. Some of its rooms accommodate as many as eight students.
Ends