Government has released over 9.2 billion shillings to the Makerere University lecturers as part of the National Insurance Cooperation wage fund and salary top up.
The lecturers under the Makerere University Academic Staff Association had threatened to lay down their tools on Friday during their general assembly until government fulfils its pledge of paying the last installment of the NIC funds and catering for the lecturer’s salary top up.
Fred Jachan Omach, the state Minster for Finance, said that in consultation with the Minister for Education Jessica Alupo, cabinet has considered including the lecturers’ payment under the supplementary schedule 2 of the budgetary arrangements.
Keith Muhakanizi, the deputy secretary to the treasury said the money totaling 9.257 billion shillings has been credited to Makerere University Accounts.
Muhakanizi’s letter dated April 26 and addressed to Kahunda Muhwezi, the Makerere University secretary, says part of the money is for normal fourth quarter subvention and that 5 billion shillings is specifically to cater for the last installment to settle staff pensions fund regarding the National Insurance Cooperation arrears
He says the university has to transfer the 5 billion shillings to the Makerere University retirement benefit Scheme Account before the 30th day of this month.
Dr. Tanga Odoi, the MUASA chairperson says that government has also agreed to release another 800 million shillings as salary top up by end of next week.
According to Odoi, the lecturers have achieved part of the demands and that there is no need to push on with the strike for the meantime.
Louis Kakinda, the MUASA public relations officer has warned a section of the students who had threatened to strip lecturers on any decision to strike that the plight of the lectures has no links with the students.
Isaac Ssemanyi, a social science student had threatened to strip some of the lecturers he claimed were fueling the strike without putting into consideration that this is the last semester and students need to sit for their examinations and leave campus.
The examinations are scheduled to start next week.
Makerere University lecturers have held a sit down strike several times over their savings scheme money held by NIC after the two institutions disagreed over the amount of money to be paid. In one of those strikes, the university was in September last year closed for almost a month after lecturers and government officials failed to come to an agreement.
