News
Varsity staff threaten strike over M7’s ‘byoya bya nswa’
President Yoweri Museveni and inset is secretary to the treasury Keith Muhakanizi
It is barely a month since the presidential elections ended with Yoweri Museveni retaining his seat, but sections of the population are up in arms over what they call fake promises made by the president during the recent presidential campaigns.
The non-teaching staff of Kyambogo university addressed a press conference this week during which they accused the president of giving them empty promises.
They threatened to lay down their tools “very soon after realizing that the president didn’t mean his word” when he promised to clear their arrears of five years during the 2016/2017 national budget.
“Can you imagine that even the secretary to the treasury Keith Muhakanizi was talking nicely to us during the campaigns, but he has now changed to say that he knows nothing about our deal with the president!,” said the Chairperson of the Association, Jackson Betimah.
Whereas the president allegedly pledged to settle arrears owed to non-teaching staff at public universities totaling some Ushs28bn, Betimah notes that Muhakanizi is now telling them to forget it for the time being.
“Muhakanizi is telling us that the earlier he can start paying our arrears is 2018. But how can the president and Muhakanizi take us for a ride? What do they take us for? For idiots, what, really!” Betimah agonizes.
Betimah reveals how all non-teaching staff in all public universities will be going on a sit down strike hoping that the president will be compelled to clear what is owed to them.
Muhakanizi has consistently told those clamouring for payment promised by the president that he he can only pay when money is available.
The secretary to the treasury went on record during campaigns asking politicians including the president not to make promises that would be overwhelming for the national coffers to meet thereafter.
But as it has always happened during such elections, groups of Ugandans have started coming up to lay accusations of the Head of State having promised them air in the heat of campaigns.
Muhakanizi repeated it several times during the campaign time that politicians should not promise to create new districts or make such dangerous pronouncements to Ugandans because the treasury is overstretched to be burdened by more demands.
The governor of the central bank Prof Tumusiime Mutebile weighed in also by stating how they had learned from past mistakes of the 2011 elections and as such wouldn’t print more money to cover politicians’ campaign promises.
Comments
