Police talking to suspected ringleaders
Two students at Mukono School of Health Sciences located at Mukono Municipality have been expelled for leading protests against inadequate but also poor meals and maladministration practices.
The expelled students are Christopher Ssenungi and Ben Magala, both finalists pursuing diplomas of medical laboratory. It is allegedly said that the students started planning the protest on Wednesday night after over 50 students were denied food for failure to clear fees balances.
However, today police led by ASP Samuel Muhanguzi, the officer in charge of Wantoni police station, cordoned off the institution after learning about the plot by students to demonstrate.Although the said ring leaders have been expelled, police are still holding them at Wantoni station.
Students accuse the top school administrator, Aisha Bulya Kizito of being brutal, feeding them poor quality meals, and sometimes denying them access to the dining room.
They also complain about denial of medical services despite paying medical fees, missing lectures after the termination of lecturers by the new management as well as increasing tuition by almost 40 percent.
For instance, fees structures for medical laboratory students changed from one million shillings to 1.5million. Magala, one of the expelled students, revealed before his arrest that the medical lab students missed four days without meeting lecturers.
“Medical lab department has two lecturers handling certificate and diploma students,” Magala explains. “The pharmacy department has only one lecturer. We have missed vital instructions and guidance in the classroom.”
URN has established that the institution faced a financial crisis after the death of its director, Dr. Ismah Kizito who succumbed to COVID-19 in July 2021. His mother, Aisha Bulya Kizito, a famous trader in Mukono town took over the management as the top administrator.
Unfortunately, she terminated contracts of five lecturers including the principal Josephine Namubiru, who used to teach microbiology, but none of them was replaced. Others terminated are William Kayinda, Emmanuel Ekole, Ronald Nkonge and Jacob Onyango.
The director under the spotlight, Aisha Bulya, has declined to comment on the matter. However Hassan Mubiru, the institution director in charge of welfare says the school is determined to prevent other students from being involved in indiscipline cases.
He insists that the culprits will not be allowed to write their final papers unless the school decides otherwise.
ASP Muhanguzi, says they are holding the students pending guidance by the relevant authority on the way forward regarding their behavior.
–URN
