Makerere University needs up to 4 billion shillings to overhaul the dilapidated toilet facilities at the institution.
The university officials admit that the problem is appalling adding that they will start fixing them beginning from the coming financial year.
While appearing before the Social services committee of Parliament on Thursday, the university officials say they are committed to have the situation improved.
Fred Nuwagaba, the Director Estates and Works department says 4 billion shillings is required for the total overhaul and redesigning of all toilets.
According to the World Toilet Organization (WTO), the average person goes to the toilet at least six times a day making it about 2,500 times in a year. UNICEF and the Ministry of Education guidelines recommend one toilet per every 20 to 40 students.
Nuwagaba admitted that the students-toilet ratio in Makerere is appalling and far from the guidelines. He observed that the university has a population of about 50,000 people with few toilets constructed in the 1920s and 1930s when the population was far less.
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Nuwagaba says the overhaul of toilets will be done in different phases. For the coming financial year, the university has budgeted for 1.3 billion shillings that will specifically be used for sanitation. He pointed out that bidding adverts on the same are already running in the local media. In the adverts, Makerere wants to redo toilets in students’ halls of residence, in selected administration and academic buildings and construction of new toilets.
But the university team led by the Vice Chancellor, Professor Venansius Baryamureeba faced a difficult time while interacting with the legislators. Some legislators like Butaleja woman MP Cerinah Nebanda, Bitekyerezo Medard of Mbarara Municipality and Jacob Opolot MP from Pallisa County, were not convinced by the explanation presented by the university. They believed that the university was just fire-fighting to cool down the tension over sanitation concerns by the students. Baryamureeba assured them that there is a master plan for the university that will incorporate sanitation issues.
Students from Makerere University have on several occasions gone on strike over the appalling state of toilets. In the former Faculty of Arts, only half out of the 37 units are functioning. Nsibirwa Hall has a population of 350 students with two out of the 15 toilet facilities in use.
The social services committee is set to arrange for a public hearing to iron out other problems at the institution.
