The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga has directed government to quickly intervene and rescue starving students in different hostels and halls of residence who are currently stranded without food due to the COVID-19 lockdown.
In March, President Yoweri Yoweri Museveni closed education institutions and announced a lockdown to prevent the spread of the virus.
Due to a ban on public and private transport by the President in his directives, a number of students especially in universities remained stuck with no means to return home.
In her communication to Members of Parliament this afternoon, Speaker Kadaga noted an appeal made to her office by the Uganda National Students Association (UNSA) who reported that 1,750 national and international students all over the country are stranded in hostels, rentals, halls of residence and other accommodation places.
She said that the inability to anticipate the end of the lockdown means the students cannot go home. Kadaga added that also the government sponsored students are equally stuck in their hostels and unable to sustain themselves.
The Speaker adds that it is unfortunate that the students have not been categorized as vulnerable and therefore the students are not able to access the necessities of life.
Kadaga asked the Prime Minister Ruhakana Rugunda to pick interest into the matter and help the stranded students.
This week, URN learnt that dozens of students at Uganda Christian University (UCU) in Mukono are stuck in off-campus hostels and in dire need of relief food.
Majority of the students say that they opted to stay when the university announced plans to administer examinations and complete the academic semester online which would be difficult for them due to lack of internet and computers back home.
The student guild has so far registered more than 160 of the estimated 300 students spread in 28 private hostels and rentals in need of food relief. Boss John Bruce, the UCU Guild Electoral Commission Chairperson who led the registration of the affected students says they want to be considered under the government food distribution program targeting vulnerable people.
Besides UCU, other university leaders from Makerere University, Kyambogo University and other institutions have reported stranded students in the hostels and halls of residence.
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