Makerere administration in crisis meeting over Ivory tower fire

MUK | FIRE OUTBREAK 

Makerere University Council and Makerere University Management Committee are locked up in a crisis meeting, over the Sunday (September 20, 2020) morning fire that razed sections of the main building popularly known as the Ivory tower.

The meeting is being chaired by Makerere University Council Chairperson Lorna Magara.  

They are then scheduled to address a press conference at 3:30 pm to brief the country on the resolutions they will have agreed upon.

University Vice-Chancellor Professor Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe on Sunday noted that the fire had destroyed Finance, Internal Audit, Human Resources, Central Registry, University Secretary and Public Relations departments.

He however, said that not all is lost. "We are comforted that with the modern digital era, we had digitalized most of the documents."

On wee hours of Sunday morning, a fire whose source still remain unknown, started from the roof razed down several offices in the building and the police spent close to seven hours battling it.

However, on Sunday evening at around 8:00 pm, a second wave of fire razed down the University Council room and the Vice Chancellors office in what sources say was caused by the burning residues police had failed to extinguish.

Nawangwe said that the biggest task before all the stakeholders is to rebuild this icon of knowledge.

With respect to its unique architectural masterpiece, we are planning to rebuild it, without changing its original beauty.

He conveyed sympathies to the leadership, staff, students, alumni and all friends of Makerere University and reassured them that the university administration was going to do everything necessary to restore the Main Building to its original state.

"I thank H.E Yoweri Kaguta Museveni the President of the Republic of Uganda and Visitor of Makerere University for his support throughout this devastating period.

In the same spirit, I thank the First Lady who is also the Minister of Education and Sports Hon. Janet Museveni who came immediately this morning (Sunday) upon receipt of the sad news to assess the damage. I acknowledge her efforts to rebuild the Ivory Tower to its original form," Nawangwe said.

Meanwhile acting University Secretary Yusuf Kiranda on Sunday told the New Vision that the University did not lose data in the Sunday fire incident.

Kiranda noted that they had been able to salvage key documents from his office and that of the Vice Chancellor including the Universities land titles, key legal documents that were in safe.

He also noted that most of the University data had been backed up and stored in servers located in different parts of the University with the biggest server at the Ministry of Science and Technology.  

Police is currently carrying out investigations over the fire the incident.