Security Insight: Are Makerereans Safe?

Written by: 
Mutumba Bridget

How safe are we? We can all agree that our presence at the Ivory Tower is to crown our education journey owing to it being a higher institution, but it is equally hard for me to ignore he outstanding security loopholes within it.

In this period and age when our country has been posed terrorist threats and actual attacks as well, the security at the greatest institution of leaning in Uganda is alarming. First and foremost, we are inherently grateful for the police officers deployed at the main gate that sit and look on as everyone who wants to access the University swiftly walks past them without any sort of surveillance. Well we give them a benefit of doubt because they are very few and it’s a public place too.

However, all the entrances are clear of any security inconvenience and we particularly appreciate this because in case am late and l do not want to be stopped, I can rush to my business. But how out unmanned small entrances near Livingstone hall, University hall? Name them!

The moments when security is taken a bit seriously like when there are important functions around campus or in case there is an alert or important guest, the officers partake in their usual habit of peeping into our bags as if they are looking for something they never get.

With due credit to current street lights installed around campus, It is also to hard ignore the light insufficiency within the university. The place is still a den of darkness especially at night. This at many times has made the campus a black spot for conmen and many still mourn loss of their valuable properties.

The halls of residence are another area of concern. These are places where students reside within campus and it is another place that anyone accesses at anytime at free will. Indeed free will earns credit for the hawkers that knock on door after door yearning to make a living at the expense of invading people’s privacy.

Furthermore, l shine a light on life security that also has a great scare facing it. We have fallen victims in the endless strikes that are a must ever semester. Makerereans; the apparent intellectuals can never solve their issues on a round table, so the only other way out is disrupting peace. They forcefully make people join their movements to make an attack on the administration over issues they disagree with. The inter-jection of keeping peace and order amidst all the commotion and confusion in strikes leaves many with criminal records.

The health security is also another issue to ponder about. This follows repercussions of our usual uprising that involves extreme violence from students like beating up fellow students that refuse to be part of the strikes and also the intense teargas that is sprayed all over the place to calm the rowdy students.

Finally, I believe students should embark on proper ways to make issues that affect us known to the concerned individuals without affecting other people we share space with and all the concerned parties to solve all the security scares so that together we build the pride of this great institution

 We Build for the Future.