For a body expected to be at the forefront of championing their causes in the country, many students stand disappointed over the indifference that Uganda National Students Association (UNSA) continues to show regarding their concerns.
These grievances against UNSA’s top leadership have been succinctly reduced to paper in a May 18 missive the newly-elected guild president of Nkumba University has penned to the Chairperson of UNSA’s National Executive Committee.
In his letter seen by Campusbee, Nkumba’s Byansi Henry has lambasted the national students body’s leadership for “being reduced to attending functions and taking selfies with prominent politicians in the country” instead of fighting for the common good of students in the country in fulfillment of its mandate.
The FDC-leaning guild president has expressed concern that UNSA only suffices in students spaces during the collection of subscription fees but puts its tail between its legs and disappears into oblivion shortly thereafter, despite the injustices that hapless students continue to go through in the country.
Early this month, Campusbee reported the suspension of 1000 students by the Gulu University administration after they allegedly set the university main hall aflame during a strike.
At Ndejje University, 300 were not spared, as they too were given marching orders to head back home following another strike.
In April, more than 1,200 from Bushenyi District’s Bishop Ogez Secondary School were suspended after a strike went out of hand.
Since the year began, students at UCU, MAK, Kyambogo, MUBS and other universities have also staged strikes against what they called unfair treatment by university management ranging from burdensome tuition policies to dilapidated infrastructure.
In all those incidents, UNSA has stoically maintained a deafening silence, with not a single statement issued to address the students’ concerns.
It is due to these reactions that has seen Mr. Byansi draw conclusions that UNSA’s continued inaction and silence will only exacerbate the simmering strife between students and the administration at Uganda’s institutions of learning.
Subsequently, Mr. Byansi has given UNSA’s executive committee a one-month ultimatum within which to produce a report detailing the action they have taken on the students issues that have arisen in the past as well as recommit themselves to always be there for the students whenever needed.
By press time, the UNSA leadership could not be immediately reached for a comment.
