MAK Dons threaten strike over public universities fund

If the 2018/19 budget for public university’s does not meet the demands of Makerere academic staff, the lecturers vow to strike soon.

The Makerere University Academic Staff Association (MUASA), chairperson Deus Kamunyu says the shs.33 billion allocated to public universities is not sufficient to address the needs of public university staff.

“As academic staff, we expected 38 billion shillings plus 50 billion shillings which is approximately 88 billion shillings. But in the 2018/19 budget, all categories of staff are allocated 33 billion shillings which is far less than what we expected,” Kamunyu said.

The Previous financial plan allocated Shs.12 billion for the academic staff,  Shs38 billion short of what they required. The minister for Education Janet Museveni pledged to incorporate their demand in the 2018/19 financial budget, but that promise was not met.

Makerere University staff fault the university council for not harmonizing the arrears of all levels of staff in the 2018/19 financial plan.

“Makerere Staff for a long time because of unfair policies inside the institution, have been disadvantaged. Makerere can raise the standards, we don’t mind but we as staff are saying when you raise the standards, your pay should also be commensurate to those standards,” Kamunyu said.

With their promise unyielding, lecturers are left with one option.

Kamunyu said; “come July, without the concerns of the people addressed, a strike is eminent”.

“The salary struggles have assumed otherwise the immediate institution worries like land grabbing. Management argues that the problem of Makerere is land funding but is land grabbing also an issue of funding? It is a sign of incompetence,” Kamunyu said.

It is one crisis after the other at the country’s flagship education tower and in recent time’s industrial action takes immediate response to solve any disagreements.