Makerere lecturers under their umbrella body, the Makerere university Academic Staff Association -Muasa have declared a strike over little pay and sufficient budget allocations by government.
The academic staff faults the university council for not harmonizing arrears of all academic staff in the 2018/2019 Financial plan.
Dr Deus Muhwezi Kamunyu, the Muasa chairman said the academic staff members have worked hard and under terrible conditions to raise the standards of Makerere University but their pay has for many years remained down because of unjust polices.
“Staff of Makerere University, for a long time because of our unfair policies inside the institution, have been disadvantaged but we don’t mind we can raise the standard, Makerere can raise the standard, but we are saying as staff that when you raise the standards, your pay must also be commensurate to those standards,” he said.
The previous financial plan allocated Shs12 billion for academic staff, Shs38 billion short of what they required to do their academic work.
The minister for Education and Sports, Ms Janet Museveni pledged to incorporate their demand in the 2018/2019 Financial budget, however according to Kamunyu Muhwezi, the promise was not fulfilled.
“What we have seen so far is an allocation of only Shs33b, and that’s for all categories of staff, as the academic staff we only, expected Shs50 billion plus Shs38 billon which is Shs88 billion approximately,” the Muasa chairman said.
With their promise unyielding, lectures are left with one option
“Come July without the concerns of the people addressed, a strike is eminent.” He declared.
President Museveni in November 2016 ordered for an immediate closure of Makerere University and instituted a committee to probe the institution as well as the cause of strikes at Uganda’s oldest high institution learning.
However, five months into this year, the institution has been hit by one scandal after the other.
The sandals include sex for marks, draconian polices, strike for students and now lecturers among others.
