Makerere lecturers under their umbrella Makerere University Academic Staff Members Association (MUASA) have given an ultimatum of up to Friday to have their salary incentive arrears of Shs 12.5 billion cleared or they lay down their tools.

Speaking to Journalists on Monday, April 11, Muhammad Kiggundu, the chairman of the association said that the university should stop relying on tuition from students, and find other means of paying their incentive arrears that have not been cleared for the past five months.

“We have families to feed and children to educate; we can’t fulfill these without our salaries being paid on time. It’s now five months without getting this money,” Kiggundu said.

However, the Vice Chancellor Prof John Ddumba Ssentamu, said that they will hold an executive council meeting today (Wednesday) to chat a way forward.

“We are aware of the situation the lecturers are going through, but we ask them to remain calm. Their money will be given to them. It’s not only MUASA that has not been getting the arrears, but also the management staff, including me,” Ddumba said.

The Non-Teaching staff members gave an ultimatum of up to July this year to have their salaries increased and their incentives and arrears paid, or they lay down their tools.

TUTION POLICY REVOCKED

After the students staging a three-day strike at the Campus, prime minister, Dr Ruhakana Rugunda requested the university to drop the policy and get another one that will mutually benefit the university administration and the students.

The University Council, chaired by Eng Dr Charles Wana-Etyem, had on Thursday, April 7, 2016 resolved that all students should pay 60 per cent of the tuition fees by the sixth week of the semester, or be stopped from doing tests on failure to clear.

In a meeting that was held on Sunday at the Prime Minister’s office in Kampala, and attended by the Vice Chancellor Prof John Ddumba Ssentamu, head of finance committee, Thomas Tayebwa and IGP Kale Kaihura, Rugunda said that the policy has totally failed to be adopted and will just keep causing strikes.

 He said:  “To our understanding, this policy has been suspended on several occasions after the unrest by the student community. This is an indication that the policy is not workable. This is therefore to request you to revoke the policy.”

On consensus, Ddumba-Ssentamu informed the students, who had planned to resume with the strike on Monday, that the university had suspended the controversial policy and therefore requested them to remain calm.

"The government is in full support of the university council's decision based on students' request that all tuition and functional fees due to the university be paid by the end of the 12th week of the semester to enable smooth administration of the examinations." Ddumba said.

He however added that beginning with next semester, which will be a new academic year, 2016/2017, the university will get another policy.

“I brought this policy on table in 2007 when I joined, and all along we have been trying to implement it. So since it has not worked, we shall engage students and other stakeholders next semester and get another policy which will favour all the students,” he said.

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