Makerere orders for arrest of people loitering inside University

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The management of Makerere University has asked officers of the Uganda Police Force to start arresting individuals accessing and idling around the main campus.

Professor William Bazeyo, the acting Deputy Vice Chancellor (Finance and Administration) made the stern warning and announcement to all staff and students on Tuesday evening.

According to Professor Bazeyo, the order was to be implemented effective midnight of Tuesday March 24, 2020.

In his address to staff regarding the security at Makerere University campus, Professor Bazeyo says the security operatives at the institution have continuously encountered “a number of different people loitering around our buildings/offices at different times of the day without identification.”

“We have requested for security beef up which has been done and operation coded “Visibility” netted many others today and they are being interrogated by the Crime Investigation Department,” said Professor Bazeyo in an email sent to staff.

Among other stringent measures, the University has ordered closure of all entrances to the University with exception of the main gate. “This applies to both motorized and Non-Motorized (vehicles and walking on foot). Please Note; There will be no exceptions. You are all advised to comply for security purposes of our University. Anybody entering by any other route will immediately be arrested without any further warning,” he said.

The University authorities say the order will remain in force until the lock-down is over because of the COVID -19 or the University is re-opened.

Makerere University closed on March 20, 2020 following a Presidential directive to close schools, tertiary institutions and universities as a preventive measure to curb the spread of COVID -19.

According to the closure guidelines issued by Professor Barnabas Nawangwe, the university Vice Chancellor, asked all staff to go home, with a exception of a few.

Among the staff that remained working during the closure include those that would help fulfill the institution’s administrative functions including financial administration and reporting, preparations of admissions for academic year 2020/2021 and maintenance of the University Estate, security, legal advisory and University Hospital services.

The staff categories include; all staff at the University Hospital, all custodians of buildings that have remained open during the period, all Security Personnel, five staff in the Office of the Dean of Students and four staff in the Directorate of Legal Affairs.

Others are 3 staff in the Directorate of Information and Communications Technologies (DICTS), seven staff in the Directorate of Internal Audit, five 5 staff in the Directorate of Human Resources and 15 staff in the Department of Finance.

Also working are the staff responsible for students’ Admission processes in the department of the academic registrar and the Directorate of Research and Graduate Training (DRGT) as well as all faculty with ongoing research projects and those required to upload students’ results on the AIMS system.

Others are all 20 both Principals and Deputy Principals of Colleges, all the 29 Deans of Schools, 10 College Bursars and all 18 Members of Central Management along with their secretaries and drivers.

URN has also learnt that all international students who have been residing in the University Halls of residence and were unable to travel back to their home countries were provided with accommodation in Livingstone Hall for males and Africa Hall for females.

URN has however established that there are currently only four international students, two in Africa Hall and another two in Livingstone.

But Heritier Mufano, the Guild External Affairs Minister says majority of international students have been staying in hostels outside the university. However, following the presidential directive, Mufano says the students continue to be harassed as the hostel owners asked them to vacate.

“There are a considerable number estimated around 30 students’ majority girls who have nowhere to go. On parental grounds, I am kindly requesting these students to meanwhile be allowed in the designated Halls of Residence,” says Mufano, in his March 23, 2020 letter to the Vice Chancellor, Professor Nawangwe.

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URN