After a four-hour meeting of Makerere lecturers under their umbrella body, Makerere University Academic Staff Association (MUASA), they have again resolved to continue with their strike that started on Wednesday last week.
“We have unanimously agreed to continue with the strike pakalast. We have been patient enough and we can’t wait any longer. We shall only return to classes after all our money is paid,” said Lawrence Mugisha the assistant general secretary, MUASA.
The lecturers are demanding the University incentive arrears of about Shs 28 billion that accumulated from the past eight months of non-payment.
However, the chairman university council, Eng Dr Charles Wana-Etyem, who was also in the meeting ,said the university currently has no money and can’t manage paying all the monies that the lecturers want at once.
“The students number has gone down, we have a challenge of cashflow. Students dont want to pay. We couldn’t draft arrears on time because the necessary information was not in place. For now I don’t want to lie you, the only money we can manage is paying only one month in November,” Etyem told a seemingly angry meeting of lecturers.
But the guild president Roy Ssembogga said if the situation remains the same, lecturers not teaching, they will meet and see a way forward.
“As leaders, we shall sit and see the best way out of this. For us we have talked to the lecturers and we beg them to return to class,” he said.
Many lecturers advanced the reason of poor financial management as the reason why they can’t call of the strike because they want the problem done away with for once and for all.
