Following mixed rumours on social media about how Makerere has postponed opening for the first semester, the Vice Chancellor Prof John Ddumba Ssentamu has come out to clear the air.

Speaking to the reporter of this website Ddumba said: "Because of the ongoing non-teaching staff strike, we shall open on 13 Aug and not 20 Aug as it had been rumoured." He added that both continuing and first year students will report on the same date.

Ddumba-Ssentamu also added that the non-teaching staff which has been on strike for the whole of this week will on Monday meet the Education and Sports minitster, Janet Kataha Museveni to chat a way forward.

The non- teaching staff went on strike after the Permanent Secretary Ministry Of Finance Keith Muhakanizi failed to follow a presidential directive of paying their arrears of financial year 2015/2015 totalling to Shs 28bn.

Muhakanizi also said that there was no money to pay their enhanced salaries which is a tune of Shs 28.5bn.

The Public Universities Non-Teaching Staff Executive Forum (Puntsef) chairman, Jackson Betihamah on Monday said that it was double standards for the ministry to increase salary for the teaching staff and fail to do the same for them.

He said they will not resume working until all the Shs 56.5bn they are demanding from government is paid up.

Makerere was scheduled to open for the first semester on 6 Aug for freshers and 15 Aug for continuing students.

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