No more food for Makerere University students

Makerere University authorities have unanimously voted to stop providing meals in the halls of residence effective June this year.

The position was reached at a recent council meeting where a report from the Finance and Planning Committee of Council presented findings of the survey conducted among students.

Food is given to two categories of students, both government resident and non-residents. The university says government students' number about 6000 with about 2000 being residents at the campus.

Cyriaco Kabagambe, the Dean of Students at Makerere University told Uganda Radio Network in an exclusive interview on Saturday that in a survey, over 50 percent of students recommended that the university gives them their money to buy food.

Following the Makerere University Council Policy to outsource catering services in the University, the university in August 2014 contracted four firms to provide catering services at six serving centres.

Venus Meas Enterprises was procured to provide food to students in University Hall and Mitchel Hall, while Rema Restaurant and Take Away was providing food to Nkrumah and Nsibirwa Hall residents. Students from Complex, Lumumba and Mary Stuart Halls of resident have been getting meals prepared by Finaland Bars and Restaurant at Mary Stuart Hall, while Bbosa Institutional Catering Services has been providing food to students in Africa, LivingstoneHall and Galloway House for medical students in Mulago and agriculture students at Kabanyolo Hostel in Gayaza.

Kabagambe said that the contracts for the food service providers are ending by June this year and that the university will not enter contracts with them again under the current arrangement.

The University has been paying money directly to the companies to provide food to government sponsored students and hall residents since 2014.

Midway, the university was under pressure from the food providers to increase the money paid for each student citing the high commodity prices.

The Government valuer had determined the appropriate rental fees for kitchen space for the stipulated period of the service contracts.  Each service provider was paying between Shillings 500,000 and Shs1.5 million each month.

He however said due to the escalation of food prices, the university management in January 2017 waived off the fees pending the approval of the contracts committee.

In the contract, service providers have been providing food to students including but not limited to beef, chicken, fish, rice, beans, peas, matooke, sweet potatoes, posho, milk, bread and eggs.

The companies were supposed to provide quality affordable meals to students within the acceptable range of Shs. 2000/- per meal. Government provides Shs.4000/- per day for meals for each student. However, the university says the money insufficient.

Dr. Deus Muhwezi Kamunyu, the Makerere University Academic Staff Association - MUASA chairperson welcomed the move arguing that if well managed, it would allow the University Management to concentrate on decisions that are only related to student learning and other aspects of their life while at Black Africa's greatest academic institution.

Dr. Kamunyu however decries the Shs.4000/- per day for meals for each student saying it cannot sustain a student in Kampala. He argues that the amount can only do so and a clear cost sharing arrangement.

"If the phasing out of meals is the ultimate decision arrived at in consultation with government, I do not see the problem with it. I also think UGX 4000 is very little money for fully sponsored government students because the cost of living today makes it an incomprehensible figure. Contextually, cooking for students should be phased out and replaced by a student self-management programme," said Dr. Kamunyu.