Inside Students’ Demand to Increase Guild Budget at Makerere University 

By Okeya John

Makerere University student leaders are currently demanding the University to account for funds students pay as guild fees amounting to over Shs. 1.6 billion per year.

Robert Maseruka, the Makerere guild president argues that the Shs. 328 million Guild budget cap that the university imposes on the students to run guild activities is insufficient and falls short of the money students pay in functional fees.

Currently, an undergraduate student at Makerere University pays Shs. 13,225 as guild functional fees per year. In addition, each student also makes a contribution of Shs. 6,613 and 19,838 for Senior Commons Room (SCR) and Sports respectively.

However, according to the new Makerere University Guild Statute of 2022, both the SCR and the Games Union are now part of the nine organs of the Students Guild, where each are entitled to at least five percent of the guild budget, that forms part of the contention raised by the students.

“The budget ceil that is given to Makerere University Students Guild is 328 million. But we have over 40,000 students that pay 13,000 each year, which is close to 1.6 billion. The question is on the 1.6 billion, how comes the Guild is given only 328 million? So, we need a fair accountability,” Maseruka said in an interview with Daily Monitor.

Maseruka reasons that part of the things that affected the previous 88^th Guild government, which he was part of as a Guild Representative before being elected Guild President early this year, was insufficient funds to run guild activities at Makerere.

The 88^th guild house, on 28^th December 2022, approved a Guild budget of UGX 392.035 million, a copy of which Daily Monitor has seen. However, Masuraka said the ministers in the 88^th government struggled to sufficiently use the little funds.

“One of the things that affected the 88^th house, was the 328 million budget ceil. There was complaint in the house, I was part of the house, I know how cabinet ministers were tortured by the same budget ceil,” the Guild President noted, stating that: “This is specifically to the university administration, this money (1.6 billion) must be budgeted for. And for us what we need is the accountability for it and of why we get 328 million.”

Maseruka said he was looking forward to raise the matter in a management meeting that’s scheduled for this week. However, when contacted, the Makerere University Public Relations office referred the matter to the office of the Dean of Students.

Ms. Winfred Kabumbuli, in a telephone interview today, said she was constrained to respond to the matter: regarding budget allocation for the current student guild and how much was actually released for the previous 88^th Guild government.

“I’m unable to respond. I won’t be able to respond, sorry. I think I had told Rita (the Principal Public Relations Officer) about it, we met yesterday and I told her. Some information is related to Council other information is related to the University Secretary’s office. So, I’m unable to respond.” The Students Dean noted.

On Saturday 24^th June 2023, there was a squabble during the budget session for the 89^th Guild House following failure by the cabinet to avail the Guild Representatives with a budget, which Maseruka said was caused by the lack of a ceil. It now means that any guild activities will wait until their next sitting expected to be after August when the university resumes learning.

In a statement released by the 89^th Guild Speaker, Babinga Gozan Wilson, on 26^th June 2023 following a rowdy incident during the budget session, he called on students’ leaders to desist from what he calls “barbaric acts”:

“I was disappointed in the way the Honorable members expressed their dissatisfaction: banging tables, lifting chairs, physically attacking fellow members, being rowdy among others. That can never be our method of operation in the august house,” Babinga notes.

For the 88^th Guild, Lawrence Alionzi’s government last year presented a budget Shs. 392.035 million which was passed by the House in December last year. In this budget, the Speakers’ chambers were allocated the bulk, to the tune of Shs. 120.755 million, of which, the biggest chunk was committed to paying sitting allowances of 117 GRCs in eight house sittings, each GRC receiving Shs. 80,000 per session.

This brings the total for sitting allowances for the 88^th House to Shs. 74.880 million, meaning that each Guild Representative Councilor (GRC) bagged Shs. 640,000. The other four representatives for persons with disability took home Shs. 560,000, which was the lowest for the house. While the largest cut was doled out to the Speaker (960,000), Guild President (800,000), Deputy Guild Speaker (800,000), Deputy Speaker (800,000), and the Guild clerk (800,0000).

What’s more, the Speaker’s monthly allowance stood at shillings one million, while his deputy was to take half of this pay. The Guild Clerk took home 1.2 million and his deputy also a package of Shs. 900,000 for all the three months in office.

The allocations for airtime and data (600,000) and inland travel (1.5 million) summed up the speaker’s expenditure, which together with allocations for furniture, stationary, session materials and Jinja session, account for the Shs. 120.755 million.

Interesting to note, the Guild President’s expenditure was capped at Shs. 36 million, the Vice President 14.85 million and the Prime Minister 10.9 million.

Furthermore, the budget for the different ministries oscillated between the highest, which was Ministry for Culture, Mobilization and Social Affairs (14.85 million), to the lowest, the Ministry for Off Campus Affairs (6.07 million).

While still, money was also allocated to the eight Guild Organs, the selected includes the Debating Union (12.935 million), post-Graduate (6.4 million) and Games Union (9.89 million). This formed the total sum of UGX 392.035 million, approved by the GRC house to run the 88^th Guild government at Makerere.