The salary disputes that have not been handled have finally thrown Makerere University into a staff strike, which has paralyzed the academic activities at the university. The strike has forced a high-handed statement from the university’s Guild President, Lubega Nsamba, who has tasked the university’s top management to expedite efforts toward an amicable resolution.
In the October 11, 2024, letter, Nsamba expressed deep concern about the effect of the strike on students, who have gone without lectures since Tuesday. He called upon the university’s management and the joint staff associations to find alternative ways of resolving the standoff without compromising student services. “The students pay full fees to receive education, which they are being denied,” said Nsamba in his letter.
The dialogue option was further nudged by Nsamba, who noted that management has always encouraged student leaders to resolve conflicts through peaceful discussions – a treatment, he said, which should be applied to the current impasse between staff and administration. “There is not a single issue that has occurred amongst the students’ fraternity that management didn’t encourage us to address through dialogue,” Nsamba pointed out.
The Guild President warned that the patience of the students is running out, and unless the matter gets sorted out as soon as possible, the student body might take to the field. Nsamba added that something needs to be done as soon as now to avoid further disruption of the academic calendar and called upon management to value the wellbeing of both staff and students.
With the strike showing no signs of end, tensions are high in Makerere as students await any response from the administration.
