The start of the new academic year has not been easy for some engineering students at Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST) at the Faculty of Applied Sciences and Technology (FAST).
When FAST had its first intake in 2016, majority of the students who had enrolled for Bachelors of Biomedical Engineering were residing in Mbarara town, this prompted the administration to offer transport for these students to and from Kihumuro.
At the end of last academic year, the university management announced they will not be transporting students residing in Mbarara town to Kihumuro main campus, they had to find nearby hostels and rentals around Kihumuro.
According to sources, when students reported back in mid-January, the residential places around Kihumuro were not enough. As a result, majority that stayed in Mbarara town had to foot daily transport costs to and from Kihumuro.
Kihumuro campus is approximately 7km away from Mbarara town along Mbarara-Bushenyi road, and on average the transport fares range from UGX 4,000 to UGX 5,000 for a single route. Students raised concerns that they couldn’t afford these costs since it was becoming too expensive.
With the help of Student leaders at FAST, Jusper Wendo organized his fellow students to solicit funds and acquire a cheap means of transport. Wendo managed to lobby and bargained with a private transport company (Global Coaches) to transport students at cheaper prices for as low as UGX 1,000 for more than a month now.
“Removing the bus made life very hard for the students, they were missing lectures, I could see that from my closest friends, how they hustled to find transport means, in fact, I one time had to carry 5 people on one motorcycle. It was risky, but it was the only affordable choice besides walking 8 kilometers. Students were left alone, in the air to dry. That’s when I realized I had to do something together with my fellow students,’’ Wendo described.
Wendo mentioned that he has always believed in the power of association.
“A lot can be achieved as long as they unite, a person doesn’t need to have an office to do good things but having the office makes things easier.”
He however called for assistance to bail him out since the project he started to help his fellow students is almost collapsing. Wendo said that the money raised by the students is not enough to keep the bus available and transport them for their lectures at Kihumuro.
‘’This initiative is almost failing me because the expenses are high and all are on my side. I could no longer personally hold the strings after other stakeholders within the university failed to give a helping hand. This is therefore why I call upon the stakeholders including the Guild cabinet, administration, and others to intervene so that the students of the nation can continue to study” he appealed.
A third-year Biomedical Engineering student revealed that the situation was terrible due to the fact Kihumuro is distant and remote which most of them can’t manage.
‘’Previously, we averagely spent UGX 5,000 on transport daily. Wendo was a savior, he had helped us to solve the transport issue where we are requested to pay UGX 2,000 for transport to and from Kihumuro. It was the cheapest means ever. However, it is financially affecting him because he lacks support to supplement what he incurs, ‘’ he narrated.
‘’We are almost returning to the suffering days and as I talk, study life is just a mess. Students are missing lecturers due to lack of enough finances. If the Guild and the administration can support Wendo with maybe UGX 80,000 every day, it would ease life and our studies shall go on smoothly,’’ he requested.
According to the university plan, MUST is in the process of making Kihumuro the main campus where Faculties are transferred from town in a staggered manner.
Currently, the construction of the Faculty of Computing and Informatics is in its final stages. University halls of residence for boys and girls were built to house students studying from there but the demand surpassed the available slots.