BY MONICA NABIMANYA
As all academic activity at Makerere University has come to hold with every student completing their end of semester exams, custodians’ work has become cumbersome as students have adamantly refused to go to their homes. It’s not like everyone has where to go to because Forna, a finalist of land economics from a hostel in Kikoni said “I am now completely independent so I can’t go home because I have not yet got where to stay since my course can only offer contract jobs. At the moment I have nowhere to stay so I have to glue to my room till I get some place.”
When asked if she has paid any amount to the custodian, she said she makes sure she keeps away from hostel until the wee hours of the night when she is sure everyone is asleep. Winnie a custodian at Bridgeton hostel in kikoni almost broke into tears as she talked about how students are tossing her up and down without even paying either booking fee or even planning to pay the recess accommodation fee. She said the challenge comes in when the new members who have been admitted to the hostel come and bring their stuff so that they leave them behind for the holidays only to find the former occupant happily caressing their pillow and well tucked into their sheets with no plans of departure. Hahaha…..gone are the high school days when going home excited students.
Dan a resident of Olympia hostel, another hostel in kikoni said he has managed to sneak out with his key so he will keep around during recess without necessarily paying any fee. This is that time of the year when the custodians turn into security guards because they have to monitor if someone has luggage on them so they can get their room key from them. They also have to keep peeping into rooms to check if students have vacated.
