Mak Students Design Device to Fight Violent Crime

Written by: 
Abraham Jesse Lukwago

 

A group of Makerere University students have created an electric device they have named the SAFE BUNGLE to help curb down violence crimes in the country.

Following a series of kidnaps and a number of numerous acts of violence against women in Uganda this year, these students have engineered a device that can help people acquire immediate help in case they fall victim to violence.

Terridon Wamboga, one of designers of this device says that the safe bungle device is going to be paired to mobile phones and incase the bearer of the device is in danger he or she just needs to  press the emergency button on this bungle like device and it will automatically send text messages requesting for help to the various phone numbers of any other users of the device in a given area. This message will reveal the actual location of the person in danger  and this way help will reach him or her easily.

Kamya Ambrose, another member of the team that created the device told Journalism@Mak that this device is going to be user friendly and affordable once its out on the market next year.

“The safe bungle is going to have a very long lasting battery that will work up eight hours. It’s as well going to be sold at a fee of 20,000 shillings which is so affordable," he said.

Dorothy Ankunda, also part of the team, said that it took her and her team nine months to formulate the device to the stage it is at now.

“We have been working on this device from the start of March this year and by next year hopefully we shall fixed the few details pending on the safe bungle," she said

She also added that she was very grateful to have worked along with Resilient Africa Network that funded this whole project from the start.

Agutti Maurine, a second year student at Makerere applauded the creators of the device and thanked them for their great contribution towards the fight against violence related crimes in Uganda.

“I think this safe bungle device is going to be of great importance in the big fight against violence related crimes in uganda , the creators of this device are heroes," Agutti said.

Several cases of theft, assault are reported in Makerere daily. Between 2013 and 2017, according to police records, at least 78 laptop computers were stolen from Makerere University students and staff. Many of these were snatched students as they walked back home, to their hostels or to the halls of residence within the university.