A section of government-sponsored students at Kyambogo University on Wednesday staged a strike to protest the delayed payment of their first-semester food and living out allowances.
According to the students’ leaders, more than 400 students are affected most of whom are first-year students.
The government pays each student who resides in the university halls of residence Shs476,000. Students, who stay in hostels are given Shs733,000.
“We have run out of patience and that is why we mobilised ourselves and stormed the administration block so that they can tell us what was going on,” a student, who preferred anonymity to speak freely, said.
In an interview with the Monitor yesterday, the government-sponsored students’ representative on the guild council, Mr Twaha Pangoli, said they have been engaging the university on the matter.
“We wrote a letter on January 11 addressed to the university secretary. Unfortunately, we did not get any feedback from them. So we decided to engage the deputy bursar a week ago. He assured us that he had finished everything, its only payment pending and promised us that by Thursday of last week, students will be getting their money. Unfortunately, Thursday reached and we got nothing,” he said.
He added: “The bursar again told us that the money will be sent on Tuesday this week but nothing happened. So when we mobilized ourselves and went back to the bursar on Wednesday. The only response we got from them is that the administration has done its part and it’s only the Ministry of Finance that is remaining.”
Mr Edrine Wafula, the newly-elected guild president, said there is nothing he can do because he has not been sworn in yet.
“I was supposed to swear-in after seven days from the elections but nothing has happened and what I say now can’t be taken serious,” he said.
When contacted on the matter, Mr Reuben Twinomujuni, the university spokesperson, said the institution has done its part and the next one is for the Minister of Finance.
“When the students approached the bursar on Wednesday, the university called someone in the ministry of finance to authorize payments. Today (yesterday) being a public holiday, they are most likely to get their money either today (Friday) or next week,”
