While delivering their report regarding tuition increment and student welfare at Makerere University, one of the members on the Student Leaders Committee, a one Obed Samuel made a request to the Makerere University administration following the newly introduced social media tax.
Obed suggested that Makerere University should borrow money to improve on the existing university Wi-Fi, a move he thinks will save him and other students that cannot afford the monthly Sh6,000 tax on social media.
“At least today I need to bring this to your awareness. I believe you know what is happening with the social media tax which is one of the serious issues to our students. I cannot afford to pay six thousand shillings per month to ensure that I access social media. So I would like to recommend that we improve on the Wi-Fi of Makerere University such that students in all classes have access to this with immediate effect please. However much you may not have the money at that particular moment, you can borrow from somewhere else,” Obed told Makerere University top administrative leaders including the Vice Chancellor Prof Barnabas Nawangwe as well as Council chairperson Dr Charles Wana-Etyem.
In his response, Prof Nawangwe told Obed that besides South Africa, Makerere has the best Wi-Fi in Africa but they are working hard to improve on the services. “Sam, when you went to Nairobi, I think you realized that we have the best internet services. Makerere has the best internet services aside South Africa,” Nawangwe assured Obed.
Improvement of Wi-Fi was among the suggestions Makerere student leaders made to the administration whose general response is expected to come after an emergency council meeting set to be held in a week to come.
