Makerere seeks to hike housing, feeding fees

By Innocent Anguyo

Makerere University management has asked the university council to raise accommodation and feeding fees with effect from August.

The management recommends that the fees for feeding and accommodation in halls of residence be raised by 100%.

This means that Ugandan students will be required to pay sh880, 000 instead of sh440,000 per semester for accomodation. The cost of feeding in the halls of residence for Ugandans be hiked by 100% from sh240, 000 to sh480, 000 per semester.

Meanwhile, the management wants international students to pay 100% more for accommodation. The proposed rates are sh1,920,000 up from the current sh960,000 per year. It also proposes a 100% increase on feeding fees for international students from sh480,000 to sh960,000 per semester.

The proposal to hike feeding and accommodation rates follows a benchmark study undertaken by the university’s management on the cost of feeding and accommodation in other universities across the country.

The study revealed that Makerere’s rates were far below the market rates. For example, it found out that Uganda Christian University, Mukono charges sh600,000 for accommodation and sh1,000,000 for feeding per a student per year. It also discovered that Mbarara University of Science and Technology, a public university, charges sh1,000,000 for accommodation and sh1,000,000 for feeding per student each year.

Currently Makerere charges sh2,000 to feed a student everyday. The money is expected to provide break tea, lunch and supper.

“With the revised rates, the university will be in position to keep the halls of residence in good shape,” reads the report from the benchmark study.

According to Makerere University’s senior public relations officer Ritah Namisango, last academic year, despite the university receiving sh2,000 to feed each student daily, it was forced to add sh1,938 per student daily because of increasing prices of food.

“The university had to squeeze her resource envelope to top-up the feeding rates. This resulted in delayed payments to suppliers. Most of the suppliers have threatened to withdraw services due to delayed payments,” she noted.

Namisango said the suppliers have to keep their businesses afloat and therefore cannot continue to supply food and beverages without timely payment.

“Everyone who runs a home or buys break, lunch and supper will appreciate the fact that you cannot provide them at a paltry cost of sh2,000 as is expected of Makerere University,” she explained.

The management noted that the hike in accommodation fees was important due to the increasing cost of electricity, water, internet, cleaning and renovation services, required in operating the halls of residence.

After receiving management’s proposal, the students’ affairs and disciplinary committee, which deals within all student matters, however, revised it to suit the economic standing of the students.

During its meeting recently, the committee resolved that fees for accommodation in the halls of residence be increased by 50% from sh440,000 to sh660,000 per semester for Ugandans. It also proposed a uniform hike on feeding fees for both Ugandan and international students from sh240,000 to sh480,000 per semester. It also seeks to hike the accommodation fees for post graduate students from sh70,000 and sh100,000 per month for double and single rooms respectively, to sh105,000 and sh150,000 for double and single rooms. The proposal awaits endorsement by the university council.