President Yoweri Museveni orders close of Kampala’s Makerere University over protests

Makerere University, one of Africa’s oldest and most prestigious universities, has been closed by Uganda’s president Yoweri Museveni over protests. It follows weeks of student protests and a month-long strike by lecturers who say the government hasn’t paid their allowances since February.

The presidential directive issued on Tuesday evening (Nov. 1) said the university was closed “with immediate effect, until further notice, in order to guarantee safety of persons and property.”

Students started vacating the campus after heavy security was drafted in following Museveni’s orders for the university’s closure on Tuesday (1 November).

The move follows intense clashes between police and students, who were protesting a lecturers’ strike.

Lecturers have been on strike for a week now as they claimed they had not received salaries for eight months, and have vowed to remain on strike until they receive unpaid allowances worth UGX32bn (£7.53m). Students were protesting for their return.

Security forces used tear gas and water canon to disperse the crowds. The government, on Tuesday evening, said the shutdown was “to guarantee the safety of persons and property”.

Kiiza Besigye’s opposition say

Opposition leader Kizza Besigye has encouraged the university’s 40,000 students to defy the vacation orders, but critics accused him of “politicising academic issues”.

Students have started leaving the main campus, which is the one facing the most disruption. For many students the directive is unjust and vacating the campus at short notice is an issue. Simon Kabuye, a student of telecom engineering told the press: “We have been given little time to vacate the premises yet most of us come from very far.”

Land survey and geomatics student, Isaac Okello, also told journalists he was from Northern Uganda and did not have transport. “What can I do? Why don’t they use the money they are wasting on all these policemen to pay the lecturers so that we remain at school?”

Another student, Kenneth Odong who is training to become a vet, said: “Most of us have already paid our tuition, now will government refund our money? This is an unjust decision by the president.”