Students at the Kabale-based Bishop Barham University on Friday held a peaceful strike and refrained from lectures to protest the university’s move to discontinue one of them.
Ian Kamusiime, a second year student of education was discontinued on the orders of the University Secretary, Aliza Mary Dutki. Kamusiime had just been released from Kabale Central Police Station where he spent two weeks after he was arrested for alleged defilement.
Dutki’s decision angered students who turned rowdy and abandoned lectures.
This led to an emergency meeting between the University administration and the students who demanded that the student be left to continue with his studies as the matter is now in the hands of the police.
The principal of the institution Professor Emmanuel Muranga, however, declined to give students an assurance, only saying that the administration would think about the next step to take.
Now the students say they will not go back to the lecture rooms until the institution comes up with a clear reason as to why it decided to involve itself in issues which should have been left for the law to take its course. The students accused the university secretary of using her office to torment students saying that the girl who claims to have been defiled and the university secretary’s family are too close.
Kamusiime also claims that the case against him was framed by the girl’s family.
Ruben Twinomujuni, the University’s Public Relations Officer, says that the institution has not discontinued the student in question but says that he has only been suspended for a year.
He also downplayed talk of a strike referring to it as a simple misunderstanding between the administration and students as a result of lack of information.
Twinomujuni reveals that the university insists on its decision saying that the student can only return in May next year.
//Cue in: “He was arrested ………..
Cue out:………in may next year.”//
Efforts to talk to police were futile as the district police commander could not be reached while the public relations officer was out of the district on sick leave.
