Universities heighten security levels after recent bomb attacks

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | There is an increase in the security measures around universities following two bomb explosions in the country.

Institutions of higher learning will reopen next week after months of closure following the outbreak of Covid-19.

Despite universities being potential targets for terror attacks given the high concentration of students, there has been lax security at public universities in Kampala. There were nobody checks at the entrances of Makerere, Kyambogo and Makerere University Business school-MUBS. The security officers also casually checked motor vehicles entering the university.

However, following the recent bomb incidents, security has been heightened. At Kyambogo University, URN observed security checks at the main entrance in Banda.

The police asked the motorists entering the university to not only open their car doors but also the boot before continuing to the parking lot. The pedestrians were asked for their identifications and were told to walk through the metal detector.

Reuben Twinomujuni, the Senior Public Relations Officer at Kyambogo University says that given the number of students there, security will remain heightened.

At Makerere University, all the entry points used by students were locked out except the university’s main gate. The gate was manned by armed military policemen who thoroughly checked vehicles and pedestrians accessing the university.

In addition, a police van was also seen patrolling different parts of the university, while at Freedom Square, there was deployment of policemen.

However at Makerere University Business School-MUBS, there was no checking for people walking in at both the small and main gates when our reporter visited.  The officers only checked vehicles entering the university.

According to Simon Peter Odoki, the spokesperson of Makerere University Business School, the MUBS security team together with the Uganda police and Uganda Peoples Defense Forces (UPDF) are handling all activities at the entrance and exit of the institution.

The situation was not different at Uganda Christian University and Ndejje University where URN reporters observed a lax in security. Despite the presence of private security guards, they were no checking visitors entering both universities.

About a week before the two bomb attacks, the UK government had warned its citizens in Uganda of a likely terrorist attack.

*****

URN