Free WiFi provided by Makerere has had students hooked onto internet around the university campus daily.

Many students in the university are seen crowded around WiFi hot spots in the campus to access the internet. Some of these spots include Linksys inside the College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHUSS) building near the Journalism lab; near Lecture Room 6, in the Social Sciences building; MAKAIR in and around halls of residence; and WiFi at different colleges and schools.

Although this WiFi was installed to make it easy for students to make research via the internet, many of them use it for entertainment, for example watching and downloading music, and chatting on social media platforms like WhatsApp and Facebook. Some students have even gone ahead to put seats just outside Lecture Room 6 so as to access the WiFi without difficulties.

Shanitah Nalukenge, a second year journalism and communication student, says the WiFi helps her get rid of the boredom since it is free and open for everyone. "I sometimes leave hostel even when I have no lectures and come to campus just to tap WiFi because I can't waste money on buying internet data yet there is free WiFi at campus," she says.

John  Mukidi, an alumni says the habit of ‘passing time’ and students failing to buy data has not just started. "In my first year in 2012, students used to sit in Mary Stuart compound even up to midnight," Mukidi says. He adds that some students missed lectures intentionally because they were accessing WiFi.

According to Nazze Sydona, the anti-sexual harassment minister in the School of Literature, Languages and Communication (SLLC), many students can access WiFi because the moment one gets the password, he/she gives it to a friend, who also gives it to another friend. Nazze claims to have gotten the password from Elvis Lubanga, the school representative to the Guild Council. She adds that it’s not only students who find pleasure in using WiFi but the workers at the photocopiers too.

Although the biggest percentage of the students use the WiFi for accessing social media platforms, the Lumumba warden, Amos Tukamushaba, encourages students to also use it for more productive activities like doing coursework and making research. 

"Some students may not want to sleep in halls but because there is MAKAIR 24/7, they are forced to do so in order to dodge over the top (OTT) tax and reduce income expenses on data," he says.

Beginning 2018/2019 financial year, the government of Uganda introduced a monthly OTT of 6000 shillings for whoever uses social media via mobile phones.