Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Central has ordered Makerere University to hand over a detailed list of the students behind Shs66.9 billion in unpaid tuition and other fees, including those who reportedly finished their courses without clearing their balances.
The demand came on Monday, October 26, when Makerere officials appeared before the committee to answer queries raised in the Auditor General’s report for the 2024/25 financial year.
Committee chairperson Patrick Nsamba Oshabe, the MP for Kassanda North, directed the university to submit a schedule naming the students responsible for the debt. The list was due before the committee on Tuesday, October 27.
Oshabe questioned how the university had allowed such large arrears to build up, and why some students had apparently been allowed to complete their programmes without paying in full.
Write-off request rejected
Oshabe told the committee that Makerere had earlier asked to write off part of the outstanding balances from its books, but the Auditor General turned the request down.
Not a new problem
Unpaid fees have dogged Makerere for years. In 2019, the Auditor General reported that 32 students had appeared on the university’s January 2018 graduation list without clearing tuition arrears. (Daily Monitor)
Other public universities face the same problem, and the Auditor General has repeatedly flagged weak fee collection across the sector.
What it could mean for students
It is not yet clear what MPs plan to do with the names, or whether the university will be pushed to pursue former students who have already graduated. For continuing students, the scrutiny could mean tighter enforcement of fee deadlines, registration and clearance rules before exams and graduation.
CampusBee has asked Makerere whether the list was submitted and how the university plans to recover the money, and will update this story.
Makerere students, has fee clearance become stricter? Tell us. @campusbee.ug
