Makerere University Vice Chancellor, Barnabas Nawangwe is responsible for the ongoing protest against tuition increment at the institution, Joseph Ssewungu (pictured), the Kalungu East MP has said.
The lawmaker blames the VC for politicizing matters at the University.
The Makerere University strike where students are involved in running battles with Police has entered the second day after 20 students from the university were arrested on Monday for protesting 15 percent cumulative tuition increment.
This is after the university council last year approved the cumulative increment for five years. After five years, each student will be required to pay 75 percent more.
Addressing journalists today at Parliament, Ssewungu blamed Nawangwe for failing to dialogue with students and instead resorting to military, saying the students have a right to demonstrate.
“Nawangwe is politician and he is working for NRM. That is why he went to freedom square and barricaded himself with mambas. Students have a right to demonstrate. They can demonstrate day by day even for the whole year. The moment he hears students are demonstrating he calls police. The Makerere issue will be solved when Nawangwe is out. He is there intimidating on twitter, as if twitter is there to handle students’ issues,” Ssewungu, who is a member on the Parliamentary Education Committee, said.
The students kicked off their strike yesterday led by their Vice President Judith Nalukwago, who led them to match to the President’s office to petition President Museveni to scrap the policy, but their journey was cut short by police and soldiers who arrested some of the students.
Ssewungu has the mess at Makerere is a result of Nawangwe.
“The sickness at Makerere is (a result of) Nawangwe. All the time he is carrying out NRM duties. How can military police come to beat female students? Military police is supposed to deal with errant soldiers not students,” he said.
