Kyambogo students protest 50% fees increment

A section of students of Kyambogo University have vowed to continue with the demonstration over what they called unfair tuition increment even when the University warned them about the harsh consequences for their actions.

More than 10 students were on September 9 arrested when police and other security agencies dispersed angry students that had staged a strike inside the University over the 50 percent fees increment.

Some of the students told Monitor that 13 of their colleagues were arrested and detained at Kyambogo Police post and Jinja Road Police station respectively.

The Kampala metropolitan deputy police spokesperson Luke Owoyesigyire said he will consult and get back to Monitor but had not provided information on the arrests by press time.

On September 9, the aggrieved students said they will not rest until the University revises the fees structure back to its old status.

“Prof Katunguka must know that we are here at Kyambogo by choice. What we are demanding is his management to rescind the fees increment they made without our knowledge,” a student said.

“No students’ leader was consulted during this increment. We just woke up to this new 50 percent increment which is illegal. Instead of addressing the challenge, they have deployed police which is beating us up, pepper spraying us and journalists covering our peaceful demonstration but we want to assure them that we won't back down,” another student added.

The University Principal Public Relations Officer Reuben Twinomujuni said the strike is motivated by the students who want to engage in politics.

“It is not an overall University tuition increment but for two schools including; school of Management and Entrepreneurship, and school of Built Environment. The rest of the courses, the fees structure has remained the same,” he said.

Adding, “Even in these schools, it is only those in first year that are affected the rest of previous years are not. The students striking are looking for political support.”

His remarks were reiterated by the University Vice Chancellor Prof. Eli Katunguka, who told NBS TV on Monday that some of the striking students will be punished.

“These students that want to engage in politics want to show their colleagues that they can fight for them. Even this issue which is not critical of moderate fees increment they want to show that it is the lead to talk about,” he said.

Adding, “What I am not happy about is the behavior of disrupting classes, where they beat and chased their fellow students and lecturers out of classes and we are going to take very stun measures on some of these students once we get them.”

The said fees increment was passed in April 2024 and communicated to students.

Monitor has however seen a July 23, 2024 letter from the Guild President Reagan Mwebesa who informed all students that his office was not notified about the fees increment.

Rallying all students to snub the lectures until a clear explanation is made by the management, Mwebesa in the same letter told his fellow students that some of the students’ portals are being closed unfairly.

“No student should attend any lecture or any university program until the university management takes back these unfair decisions. Students who go against this decision shall be treated and handled like Enemies of the General student population and will be handled accordingly,” the letter reads in part.