Students at Makerere university have expressed dissatisfaction with the current theft trends at the hill.
Most recently, thieves break into cars and steal valuables, while others grab students’ phones, laptops, bags etc. on top of beatings.
Mr Douglas Opio, a third-year student pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Education, said he has lost several valuables to thieves.
“I was mistaken in believing that my property was safe on campus. Once, I lost a phone and a laptop in my car. I’m not sure how someone opened the car and stole my property despite the fact that I had locked it,” Mr Opio told journalists.
Ms Maureen Abaasa, a second-year student pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Communication, said she lost her phone to a thief last month while on her way to evening lectures at around 7:30 p.m. and she requested that campus security be increased.
Mr Reagan Hashaka, the university security minister, admitted that they are registering a number of theft cases, particularly car break-ins.
“Unknown people breaking into students’ cars is a common occurrence. About a month ago, someone broke into a student’s car, and he was apprehended by police and remanded to Kitalya prison,” Mr Hashaka said over the phone last week.
He went on to say that they are doing everything they can to educate students on how to be vigilant while on campus.
He also blamed some careless students for thefts on university grounds.
“Theft has also been exacerbated by students’ negligence in being duped by con men and women, as well as walking at odd hours of the night, and the majority of them do not carry identity cards,” he revealed.
Mr Hashaka also claimed that the university administration is not doing enough to ensure that enough police officers are stationed at various colleges to ensure the safety of students’ property.
The vice chancellor, Prof Barnabas Nawangwe, acknowledged in an interview that the university police had registered several theft cases, which he attributed to the university’s insufficient perimeter fence.
Thieves, he claims, use the permeable fence to gain access to the university and steal from students.
