As Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) activists led by Kizza Besigye prepare to take their fundraising drive for Makerere University staff salaries into a second week, the institution’s Vice Chancellor has warned the opposition not to interfere in the university’s affairs.
Speaking to The Observer over the weekend, after Police swatted the opposition fundraiser, Prof John Ddumba-Ssentamu said Makerere University does not welcome the opposition’s efforts because they won’t solve any of the institution’s problems.
“I am wondering who told Besigye that Makerere was closed because of lack of money. It was closed because of the many strikes that were at the university,” he said.
“We are not party to that fundraiser as management… What could the money he was to collect solve? Would it pay the salary arrears?” he wondered.
The Makerere University Academic Staff Association (Muasa) also spoke out against the opposition fundraiser, saying the effort continues a pattern of trivializing the university staff’s course and portraying them negatively before the public.
“This is to categorically state that we in Muasa disassociate ourselves from any political activity professed under the support of our cause. The issues that led to our sit down strike are well laid before the Makerere University Council,” said a December 2, 2016 statement jointly signed by the Muasa chairman, Dr Muhammad Kiggundu Musoke, and the public relations officer, Dr Deus Kamunyu Muhwezi.
Besigye, the country’s most revered opposition politician, who has stood for president four times, gave the government a 10-day ultimatum on November 22, saying he would organise a mass protest if the government did not open the country’s oldest and largest university.
That deadline expired on Friday, December 2. However, by then Besigye and group had altered their strategy to fundraising for the university’s teaching staff, saying they did so after seeking advice from the staff.
Efforts to speak to Besigye about the Makerere University leadership’s stand on their fundraising efforts proved futile, as he had not replied our phone calls and messages by the time we went to press.
However, the other senior FDC leaders who participated in the aborted fundraising drive insisted that they will continue with their activities this week.
Speaking to The Observer on Saturday, the FDC Secretary for Mobilisation, Ingrid Turinawe said attempts by the Police and others to stop them from accessing the Makerere University campus would not discourage them.
“The struggle to reopen Makerere is on because clearly you can see that it was not closed for lack of money. We want to understand the real reason why Makerere was closed because if it was for lack money people are willing to come up and offer what they have but we were stopped,” she said.
The FDC deputy secretary general, Harold Kaija, said the moves to bar them from accessing Makerere to fundraise were part of calculated moves by the government and the university’s leadership to frustrate efforts to find a quicker solution to the problem at the institution.
“We were not stopped from going to Isingiro to give food to the hunger stricken people because the regime acknowledged there was a problem. What we would expect the regime to do is to tell us that they are giving the money to the lecturers but when you stop us and don’t give an alternative it means that there is another reason other than money for closing Makerere University,” Kaija said.
DISAGREEMENTS
President Museveni closed Makerere University on November 1 due to the strikes that had gone violent. By then, lecturers had laid down their tools over failure by the university management to pay their salary arrears that had accumulated from February to October this year, totalling to Shs28bn.
Museveni then appointed a visitation committee led by Dr Abel Rwendeire to investigate the alleged mismanagement of the University’s finances, which has led to nearly 10 strikes over the least five years.
Opposition figures such as Besigye, however, believe that effort is a waste of money because the government ignored a report by committees, including one prepared and completed by Prof Francis Omaswa in 2014.
On Friday, as Besigye transported a bull from his Kasangati home to auction at the fundraiser, Police blocked him from leaving his residence. They arrested 11 other opposition leaders, including Turinawe, MP Mubarak Munyagwa, KCCA Councilors Doreen Nyanjura and Muhammad Ssegirinya, as well as student leader Simon Wanyera.
The spokesperson of Kampala metropolitan police, Emillian Kayima, said they will never allow politicians to access Makerere because it was closed.
“They got involved in unlawful assembly and we can’t create any other charge other than that. We had communicated to them and told them that they will not have the fundraising at Makerere,” he said.
According to Kayima, the opposition politicians do not have any serious business at Makerere, beyond trying to take advantage of the university’s closure to grab attention.
“Their intention was not to fundraise but to get the limelight. They came and got it like they wanted. If their files are sanctioned by the DPP at an appropriate time we will cancel their bond and take them to court,” Kayima said.
COVERT ATTACK
Despite Prof Ddumba’s warning, the opposition politicians say they plan to return to the university this week, although they will not publicise their plans this time round.
KCCA councilor Ssegirinya, one of those arrested on Friday, said the decision to keep their plan under wraps is to ensure that it is not foiled by Police.
“We will go back to Makerere but next time we will not announce because we have realised when we announce, we find police already deployed to refuse us yet we had written to them,” Ssegirinya said.
“FDC can do something much better. If they fundraise this month, then how about the next one? I am [for] a permanent solution to Makerere’s woes,” he said.
Mayombwe added that MPs who flanked Besigye wouldn’t have pushed for the fundraiser, but would have served the nation better if they had used their positions and powers to revise the Public Universities’ Act so as to increase funding to the institution.
tusiimechris20@gmail.com
bakerbatte@gmail.com