As Makerere University students go on strike today against unfair policies, including but not limited to scrapping off hall cooked meals, their Kyambogo university counterparts have also decided not to allow the 4000 shillings proposal.
Teargas and live bullets are still rocking at the Ivory tower.
According to leaderships of these two universities, have decided that all sponsored students are given 4000 Shillings to buy own meals as opposed to hiring cooks to prepare food at halls of residencies.
Now, students believe this money is too little, considering how expensive food is in the market today. Currently, it is nearly impossible, to find a meal of 4000 Shillings in a restaurant, yet the said amount is meant to provide a student with both lunch and supper. This is logically not enough.
According to Prof. Elly Katunguka Rwakishaya, the Kyambogo University Vice Chancellor the university has provided money to a tune of Shs1.5billion in the next financial year budget to cater for terminal benefits for kitchen staff. These have over the years been preparing meals for students, and with the new policy, will have to be laid off.
The development follows the university's new policy to outsource catering services to its current student population of 25,000.
According to the new plan, effective July 2018, more than 100 kitchen staffs who include cooks, waiters and waitresses, domestic bursars numbering about 99 at Kyambogo University will be laid off following the new policy.
Prof. Katunguka says the university is considering two options including redeploying staff to other areas or paying them their terminal benefits. Adding that the staffs who still have years before retirement will be redeployed to other places after undergoing another assessment.
However, Pastor Michael Eladu, the support staff representative on Kyambogo University Council says the arrangement of providing Shs1.5billion to settle staff is false. Noting that even if it was true, the money is not enough to settle 99 staff with their terminal benefits.
Eladu argues that the staffs' fate is still uncertain since the issue surrounding their employment is not clear.
Students on the other hand insist, they will not take the proposed peanuts of allowance.
