Isaac Kwagala, the Makerere University Guild speaker, has been arrested for calling an emergency student’s General Assembly.
Kwagala was picked up by Military Police from Pool Road between Mitchell Hall and College Of Computing And Information Sciences on Tuesday evening.
He was detained briefly at Wandegeya Police Station before he was transferred to the Central Police Station in Kampala.
According to some students, Makerere Vice Chancellor Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe and his Personal Assistant Gordon Murangira were seen driving past the students in a private vehicle shortly before Kwagala was picked up. A police source at Makerere University confirmed Kawagala’s arrest, saying he is wanted for mobilising students for the Assembly scheduled for this morning at Freedom Square.
Kwagala had invited the students in his capacity as Guild Speaker to chart a way forward on the staff strike, which has been on for over two weeks. University staff laid down their tools on January 18 protesting the ‘irregular’ suspension of their leaders for alleged insubordination and inciting staff.
Makerere University student leaders have faulted management for the current stalemate between staff and administration. The stalemate has seen students go without lectures for more than two weeks now ever since the lecturers laid down tools on January 21.
Kwagala expressed the students’ dissatisfaction in a statement issued on Monday.
“The students’ guild has noted with grave concern the manner in, which the university management has approached and reacted to this issue,” he said.
“It is regrettable that the university management has deliberately chosen to deny the existence of a strike, and to misrepresent the true state of affairs at the university by consistently misleading the general public that lectures are happening in the university, whereas not,” Kwagala stated.
The striking staff is protesting the suspension of their association leaders; Bennet Magara, the chairperson of Makerere Administrative Staff Association (MASA), his secretary general Joseph Kalema and Dr Deus Kamunyu Muhwezi, the chairperson Makerere University Academic Staff Association (Muasa). Vice chancellor Prof Barnabas Nawangwe accuses the trio of misconduct and violation of the terms of their employment.
