Makerere Students’ Leader Kateregga Sets Conditions for Talks with Administration

Makerere University’s student leadership has sought concessions from the administration before responding to a request for talks, Chimp Corps report.

Acting Vice Chancellor Umar Kakumba on Sunday wrote to Guild President Julius Kateregga to attend a meeting with the “university central management” slated for today Monday at the Senior Common Room, Main Building.

Kakumba further expressed management‘s concern over the students’ “unrest that disrupted teaching and learning in a few colleges between Tuesday October 22 and Friday October 25.”

However, Kateregga said in response that management must create a level ground for talks.

“Prior to any engagement, we demand the following as a show of commitment to the engagement. Revocation of the warming letters and unfair suspension of all the students that were part of the peaceful demonstration,” said Kateregga.

“The meeting shall not constitute Mr Murangira Gordon and Prof Elias Hisaali,” he added.

It remains unclear why Kateregga doesn’t want the two individuals to attend the meeting.

But Kateregga could be tactfully cresting leverage before talks commence.

The controversial student leader didn’t indicate his next move if the administration rejected his demands.

Kakumba had told Kateregga to “accord this (meeting starting today at 2:00pm) the urgency it deserves and keep time.”

By Monday morning Kakumba was yet to respond to Kateregga’s concerns.

The police and military remain heavily deployed at Makerere University where days or rioting have sowed seeds of anarchy.

The military was caught on video clobbering protesting students while forcing them out of their halls of residence.

This has attracted condemnation from people of all walks of life.

The videos also showed students pelting stones at soldiers and also setting bonfires in the middle of the campus roads.

The students are protesting the 15 percent cumulative tuition increment.

In consultation with the Guild President, the university council in 2018 passed the cumulative increment for five years.

After five years, each student will be required to pay 75 percent more.

The students say this policy discriminates the poor.

Kateregga today said the University Council is the policy making body of the university, “thus management doesn’t not hold the jurisdiction to halt the tuition increment policy and degazette the students’ electoral reforms on its own.”

He added: “In that regard, the university council must form part of the engagement since it is the policy making body with powers to alter policies, and that the university council confirms its presence in writing.”

Failure to resolve the students’ concerns could keep the campus in a vicious cycle of violence.