One of the things that will raise your eyebrows once you step in Makerere now is the breakneck speed at which the famous Guild Canteen, which is a stone's throw from Senate building, is being demolished. By yesterday, some walls had already been hammered down.

But one would wonder, why all the rush? Why during absence of students? Well, the answer to this is lies with in the moves by university management and clique of senior administrative staff who have been swift in quickening the process of flattening the canteen to their advantage.

An Insider source has told this website that no one will ever hear a word like Guild canteen in Makerere, again. What is taking place below the school of Music is a rehabilitation of Staff canteen.

Efforts to get a comment from the university engineer from the estates and works department were futile as he is part of the striking staff, but  our source told us that when the move to demolish the canteen was advanced, there was no other place allocated for construction of a new facility for students.

HOW IT STARTED

It all started two months ago when the estates department asked Jesh Nuwasasira the proprietor of Jesh Limited, a company that was running the canteen, to relocate and give space to construction of a leisure park for the yet to be completed magnificent four storeyed building opposite school of social sciences.

A source that opted for anonymity also told us that when the senior staff of Makerere heard about the then pending razing of the canteen, they rushed to Jesh Nuwasaira and asked her to drop plans of shifting the canteen with it's services and the name to another place within the university.

The estates and works department adamantly asked Nuwasasira to move away from behind the construction site but never informed her about another site, even when her contract was still running.

The staff advanced reasons like their members were uncomfortable while eating and using services with students in the Guild Canteen, since theirs had dilapidated buildings and never attracted customers.

Additionally,  they claimed that the ramshackled staff Canteen that was located in the same place below School of Liberal and Performing Arts (SLPA), was not yielding enough profits for them, a reason they wanted to hire the place to Nuwasasira on condition she renovates it and names it Staff Canteen.

When contacted, Nuwasasira said: "Our contract with the University was still running and we are remaining with three years. However, when we were asked to give the space to the construction of the [Leisure] park, the senior staff association said that we can now work with them. They are the ones who gave us this place at a cost on condition that we make it more comfortable for the dtaff members.

"We going to design this place very well, put a bar that was not seriously working the other side, put other services like Nyama choma, barbeque because the staff has the money." She added that all their existence in Makerere now is premised on their dealings with the senior staff and not the university.

Nuwasasira said that they don't think they will construct any place other place to name it Guild canteen, even though they have a running contract, since they are working for a wider market composed of lecturers, non-teaching staff and students who will manage paying for the services.

With this deal at hand, it's safely concluded that students now remain with the only option of using the micro canteens attached to the halls of residence or within various schools and colleges.

The demolished Guild canteen used to provide relatively cheaper services to students especially breakfast and lunch. Because it was for students, some would gather and revise books from there, make guild functions like Freshers ball. Most students' associations would hold meetings from there, activities that may not easily be shifted to the now Staff canteen.