Smoking shisha causing rampant strikes in Universities- Police

The Uganda Police under the Narcotics department have claimed that the recent rampant strikes in Universities is directly corresponding to the high rates of shisha smoking among university students and the youth.

Detective Assistant Commissioner of Police, Halima Namatovu made the statements while addressing over 100 youth that had gathered at Centenary Park, in Kampala.

The gathering followed a charity walk aimed at sensitising youth to stop drug abuse. The walk was organised by youth power, an Non Government Organisation .

Addressing the students, Namatovu claimed that students are smoking Shisha which in the end provides them agitation and energy to aggressively confront the police.

She said that university students are moving away from smoking alcohol and they have developed new methods of taking drugs.

"The root causes of endless strikes in universities according to our finding indicate that you take Shisha and that's why whenever, there is a strike, you fight with police without any fear,” she said.

Namatovu disclosed that university students always connive with gate keepers both at their hostels and school gates to sneak in the deadly drug which makes them ‘high’.

According to statistics, at least one or two universities conduct strikes in every semester with the recent strike at Kyambogo where a student lost his hand in the process of throwing back a Teargas canister to police.  However, Makerere university tops the lists of students who conduct strikes, and at least 20 students have been arrested and hundreds wounded as a result of confronting with police in running battles.