By Correspondent
Mbale town is a noisy place but when you’re on your way to Kumi, three kilometers from the famous clock tower, where Uchumi Mbale branch is now located, things change. On your left hand side, you will find a sign post that bares the name Islamic University in Uganda. From that signpost you will hardly hear any sound of a car as you follow road ahead. If you are lucky enough, you may hear the Muslim imam’s call for prayers if you checked in at a prayer time. Starting at the gate which also bears the label IUIU in big bold letters and when being opened, sounds like a train pass by because of its gigantic nature, neatly trimmed flower gardens , a hissing as if whistle sound of palm like trees’ leaves as they battle with a not so stormy wind, a variety of babes ranging from Nigerians, Rwandese, Somalis, Eritreans and several local tribes dressed in hijabs(Arabic dressing) meant to hide cleavage, for which nature usually defeats- for babes with abnormal hips and slender ones hot in their own respect, hajjis smartly in kanzus all welcome you the main campus of the only Islamic university in Uganda.
From as far as the gate, you see cars parked adjacent to a blue storied building which houses the university administration offices. These when you come closer start revealing to you that not all is well as you had thought at first entrance until when you explore what Hollywood lovers call ‘ behind the scenes’ or what Ugandans say ‘ enter in the ekintu.’ With it last raining in mid February and probably twice since the year began, there is an intermittency of water supply in the university and district at large since January due to the long dry spell and thus drop in water levels at the National Water and Sewage Corporation pump at Nabuyonga river, a situation the university housing and estate department confirmed in an apologetic notice circulated at all faculty notice boards which comes late after months of shying to comment on the matter.
ABOVE: university administration, in a memo, calls for patience and advises students to use the available water sparingly
Thus, water systems like showers, flash toilets and so on have ceased functioning in all hostels with the only reserve water in tanks economized for basic use. What does this mean to the student population? For girls, whose hostels are three namely, Kaswampa( name derived from the iron sheet fence), Annex and Juba all far from each other, only the latter with a borehole and a generator to pump water from it still has water. Thus, to make for a 7:00am lecture in time, one has to be up by 6:00am to secure a position in the long queue, a result of the combined population of the three. Others once headed to the boys’ wing when the situation was almost that of ablution with earth level (see methods ablution in Islam) in mid February before they discovered water at the education block. The situation is no different from the boys wing but instead worse where there are ten hostels with only one – Abu Mayanja also referred to as ‘Good life(because of the completely attractive conditions)’ having a stable water supply similar to that of Juba and at times and in rare occasions does it come at Kaswampa(for boys) and a tap opposite Uthman and three other hostels. The queue there in the morning and evening hours is a ‘come and see for yourself’ description. The other question, ‘is everybody willing to admit and endure the consequences, inconvenience and situation that comes with the irregularity? For the hajats, a Musoga babe who is known to have actively participated as an agent for one of the guild candidates in the recently concluded elections (see Campusbee, 3rd March 7, 2014) talked to us on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter talked to us. She says Nigerians and Somali babes with a lazy upbringing have been singled out of the many whose dose of showering has completely diminished from 4×1 previously to the reverse (1x4days) or at times nil. “But for their Hugo Boss, Nevia, Royal black, Rasis, Super Lady and the like deodorants, black hijabs and the restrictions on free male-female mixing, their boyfriends would have known this.” She disclosed to the writer as if letting him know about his too, “they aren’t familiar with free mixing with others especially Basoga girls whom hey accuse of talking animal language backbiting others in the line.” She added. I even eavesdropped a friend ask her, “Why didn’t you tell him of the other Somali who finished five days in Juba. For the boys with hostels a little nearer the mosque and majority being strong Muslim fanatics, the wash up commonly known as ablution or uthu before the five times prayers a day is the showering of the day and the fact that they are naturally adopted to this trend of living. Basing on the fact that a majority of them hail from the Eastern Uganda with December to March being generally dry, they consider the situation not far from normal. A visit to one of the rooms in Kaswampa, dry cleaned jeans and black trousers are seen hanged on window panes and a chat with one of the room occupants reveals shocking results. “When you come back from a lecture in the evening, the line at the tap area is long as everyone struggles secure water for washing and bathing, for those who want to wash plates after supper, you procrastinate hoping to do so the next morning, which situation is no different. You instead wash it in preparation for another meal the other day.” He says explaining why he hadn’t washed the plates and cups I found fermented in his room.
One may wonder whether this only affects students, lecturers’ quarters are neither spared as students residing with them are seen in the mornings and evenings struggle for positions in the same queues. By the way, props go to the university administration for at least managing to provide reserve water and at times water tank cars are seen deliver water to cafeterias. Mama Gladys and hajat Nalongo’s, both of whom cook food opposite the university gate account of the situation attracts sympathy. She says they are buying a jerry can at 1000shs ( yes I mean 1k) and it’s not only them but people in the whole Nkoma, Namakwekwe, Mbale town and Half London(home of UCU Mbale campus) as well. She no longer provides free drinking water for her customers but refers them to a one Seka’s(sheikh) shop for which you will be set back by 100shs or 1000shs incase you preferred bottled, up from 700shs. The smell of Chapa Nyota soap on the plate as you eat her food because it might haven’t been rinsed or wiped with a plate cloth just like how the kikomando and rolex guy next to her does, confirms this. Another rolex favorite of the writer shows no difference either. “chali wange… embeera mbi..” he lament continuing to clean his pan with a white turned dark brown plate cloth and adds, “tusaba gavumementi etuyambe.” Back home he says people have resorted to the nearby Nabuyonga River for household use.
As for Uganda Christianity Mbale campus which is 4km away from IUIU, only Mbale secondary school students whose hostel is opposite the university’s gate are seen wonder with jerry cans. The females are seen buying from bicycle boda-boda men while their male counterparts are neither seen nor did I seek their account of the situation. But as a talk, it’s been threatening to rain as it turns cloudy in the evenings. Hope god will come to people’s rescue.
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