Makerere Guild President calls for additional hall of residence for female students

KAMPALA, UGANDA | THE INDPENDENT | Makerere University Guild President, Lubega Vincent Nsamba, has urged the Minister of Education and Sports, Janet Museveni, to consider constructing an additional hall of residence for female students to address what he described as an “accommodation imbalance.”

In his remarks, Nsamba highlighted that despite the increasing number of female students at Makerere University—currently accounting for 52% of the graduates compared to 48% for male students—no measures have been taken to expand accommodation facilities for women.

He made the call during the First Lady’s visit to the university, where she laid the foundation stone for the ongoing construction of the School of Graduate Studies building. The visit also included the official opening of the new School of Law building and the refurbished Lumumba Hall.

The $8 million Graduate Studies building is a donation from the late Hasmukh Patel, a former industrialist and chairman of Tororo Cement, who passed away on August 29, 2024. The building will feature lecture and seminar rooms, smart classrooms, laboratories, an innovation space, a conference hall, offices, and other facilities.

Nsamba noted that despite the growing number of female students, the university still has only three halls of residence designated for women, compared to six for male students. These halls were built during colonial and post-independence times when there were fewer female students. He stressed that this imbalance in accommodation should be addressed.

Currently, Makerere University has nine halls of residence: Lumumba, University Hall, Complex, Mitchell, Nsibirwa, Nkrumah, Livingstone, Mary Stuart, and Africa Hall. Of these, only Complex, Mary Stuart, and Africa Hall are for female students, while the remaining halls house male students.

Nsamba emphasized the urgent need to invest in an additional hall of residence for female students and proposed that the First Lady support the construction of the new hall, potentially naming it in her honor to recognize her contributions to Uganda’s education sector.

Nsamba’s remarks came just months after the university transferred female students from Mary Stuart Hall to Lumumba Hall, a male student’s residence, to accommodate the girls during renovations to Mary Stuart Hall.

In her speech, Minister Janet Museveni said that the construction of the new Graduate Studies building would enhance access to postgraduate education and contribute to Makerere’s goal of becoming a research-led institution.

She praised the donation by the Patel family as an act of patriotism, urging leaders to raise awareness about the importance of patriotism in Uganda’s development.

The Minister also celebrated the renovation of halls of residence, including the commissioning of the refurbished Lumumba Hall, acknowledging the poor condition of the halls in previous years.

“I remember taking a tour of the halls of residence in this University and Kyambogo University during the thick of the COVID-19 pandemic. My heart bled when I saw the state of the halls. Like Nehemiah, I took my burden to the Lord, and now see what the Lord has done!” she said.

She also highlighted ongoing projects, including the renovation of Mary Stuart Hall, the construction of the School of Dentistry, the perimeter wall, and improvements at the University Hospital, including the establishment of an operating theater and ICU.

In his comments, Makerere University Vice Chancellor, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe, expressed gratitude to the Minister for prioritizing the renovation of the university’s halls of residence, which had been in a dilapidated state for years.

“When you inspected the halls of residence in 2021, I could see the frustration in your eyes, looking at the dilapidated state of the halls, especially Lumumba, part of which had been condemned for two years,” he said. He also noted that the academic buildings were in a similarly poor state, referencing the School of Law buildings, which are used to train Uganda’s judiciary.”

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