Lockdown: Over 700 university students stranded in hostels

The Uganda National Students Association (UNSA), has revealed that more than 700 Ugandan and international university students are still stuck in various hostels across the country.

This came as a result of an extension of the lockdown and the ban on public transport to avert the spread of coronavirus.

Speaking to the media, Ezra Byakutangaza, UNSA Makerere Chapter said most students thought that schools and public transport would resume operations soon after the president suspended them on March 18th over Covid-19.

He said most of these students have run out of food and their rental fees are due to expire making their lives very difficult during this period.

"The UNSA has registered over 700 hundred students who are stranded in their hostels and rentals. We registered over 210 students in Gulu university, over 180 students around Banda, Kireka from Kyambogo university and 150 students from Makerere University around the areas of Kikoni and Wandegeya, "he said.

He called upon the ministry of Health and the Covid-19 task force to provide food relief to these students in the meantime.

John Bosco Bruce, a student leader at Uganda Christian University said: "Uganda Christian University had informed the students that they will be doing online exams. Most of the students went back home but some stayed around because of poor internet access at their homes."

Some students at Makerere University led by John Solomon Nabuyanda called upon the authority to help out their colleagues as soon as possible.

"Our nationals are stranded in various places in the country, even some girls have resorted to selling their bodies to earn a living which is not good,"he said.

He also asked the government to find a way of transporting these students back to their respective homes as they wait for the situation to normalise.