University strikes again
The students of Lugazi University in Mukono district on Tuesday morning protested for the second time following an unfulfilled promise by the chancellor.
By John Semakula
The students of Lugazi University in Mukono district on Tuesday morning protested for the second time following an unfulfilled promise by the chancellor.
A week before, Prof. George Kirya, had promised to pay the lecturers their salaries as they had boycotted teaching. This was after the students demonstrated peacefully saying their lecturers had not taught since the new semester started on August 18.
The Inspector General of Police, Maj. Gen. Kale Kayihura, led a group of 30 anti-riot Police officers to the university to quell the strike. Kayihura was accompanied by the regional Police commander, Richard Mivule and the Lugazi Police operations chief, Kokas Omuria.
The students had locked the offices and blocked the road leading to the campus with barbed wire. The university vice-chancellor, Godfrey Okoth, confirmed that lecturers had not been paid for the last 18 months.
He, however, said the university would have cleared the arrears by yesterday (Wednesday). Kayihura told the students that he would oversee the payment and vowed to charge the university's heads if they failed to fulfill their promise.
The students also blamed the proprietor of the university, Alfred Higenyi, saying he employs his relatives who are under- qualified.
The students told the Police chief that they had no computers and essential textbooks in the library, much as the university has been operating since 2007.
The students of Lugazi University in Mukono district on Tuesday morning protested for the second time following an unfulfilled promise by the chancellor.
A week before, Prof. George Kirya, had promised to pay the lecturers their salaries as they had boycotted teaching. This was after the students demonstrated peacefully saying their lecturers had not taught since the new semester started on August 18.
The Inspector General of Police, Maj. Gen. Kale Kayihura, led a group of 30 anti-riot Police officers to the university to quell the strike. Kayihura was accompanied by the regional Police commander, Richard Mivule and the Lugazi Police operations chief, Kokas Omuria.
The students had locked the offices and blocked the road leading to the campus with barbed wire. The university vice-chancellor, Godfrey Okoth, confirmed that lecturers had not been paid for the last 18 months.
He, however, said the university would have cleared the arrears by yesterday (Wednesday). Kayihura told the students that he would oversee the payment and vowed to charge the university's heads if they failed to fulfill their promise.
The students also blamed the proprietor of the university, Alfred Higenyi, saying he employs his relatives who are under- qualified.
The students told the Police chief that they had no computers and essential textbooks in the library, much as the university has been operating since 2007.