War is about to break out at the Ivory tower if lecturers do not return to work by Midday of Friday January 25, 2019, students leaders at Makerere University have given warned.
Management has 48-hours to end their squabbles with staff and lecture the students, while security officers have also been warned to stay away from campus if peace is to prevail. Police recently said it was closely monitoring the situation at the strike prone university after staff withdrew their labour on Friday January 18th 2019.
The staff and management fighting over what the Vice Chancellor Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe terms as indiscipline. The VC suspended the chairperson of Makerere University Academic Staff Association - MUASA Dr Deus Kamunyu Muhwezi. In a letter dated January 17, 2019, Dr Kamunyu is accused of inciting staff and indiscipline.
Nawangwe also argues that despite the various warnings, Dr Kamunyu has continued to engage in acts that amount to misconduct, hence the suspension.
But during an emergency Makerere University Special Guild Sitting in the Main Building Senior Common Room on Wednesday afternoon, students’ leaders decided that these cat and mouse games needed to end.
Guild Speaker Isaac Kwagala, convened the Special sitting to discuss the current staff disputes and management. The meeting further rejected the newly gazetted students' regulations to guide the guild elections.
The students argued that the continued injustices meted on them by the university management including suspending of students, intimidation through heavy military deployments on campus, and lack of lectures and continued mudslinging of the media that has been reporting about the issues.
According to the gazetted new Makerere University Guild Elections regulations, rallies in Halls of residence are banned, campaign days restricted and they also tag financials as requirement for standing for leadership positions.
The Makerere University Guild President Salim Were, alias Papa, issued an ultimatum to university management and council to repel the guild electoral guidelines and cause for lectures by Mid-day on Friday, failure of which he will mobilise students to take the streets.
He warns all members of University management not to be tempted to issue any letter of warning or suspension to students during this period.
