KYAMBOGO.
Vice Chancellors of public universities have yielded to pressure from striking teaching and non-teaching staff and accepted to discuss their demands for salary enhancement.
During a virtual meeting on Monday, the vice chancellors of Public Universities under their umbrella the Uganda Vice Chancellors Forum (UVCF) resolved that each institution generates data showing how many staff members are affected and how much money is required to enhance their salaries .
“ …with this information ,management will inform the university council and together find a way of working with staff associations to engage government . We agreed that there is need to create a conducive environment for this to start and be sustained ,” Prof. Eli Katunguka , the chairperson of Forum for Vice Chancellors of Public Universities and also vice chancellor of Kyambogo University , said in a statement dated February 24,2025 .
In a letter dated February 17,2025 addressed to all academic, administrative and support staff of public universities, the leadership of the Forum for Academic Staff of Public Universities (FASPU) and Non-teaching Executive Forum (PUNTSEF), indicated they had decided to lay down their tools after government failed to respond to their pleas for a pray rise.
According to PUNTISEF chairperson, Mr Jackson Betihamah , the leadership of FASPU- PUNTSEF had not received any feedback from the minister of Public Service by February 17,2025 and the issue of salary enhancement has not been reflected in the 2025/2026 budget framework paper .
“Therefore, all staff in public universities withdrew their labour as notified on January 9, 2025,” he added .
In a statement dated February 20 signed by chairperson of Gulu University Academic Staff Association (GUASA), Mr Walter Okot said they had joined other public universities in a sit down strike effective February 22.
However, the statement, said staff in security unit, salary unit, medical health unit, science insectary and multi-functional laboratory and projects will remain at their duty stations for seven days as management finds “an alternative to their service delivery”.
But the vice chancellors during their Monday meeting appealed to all striking staffers in public universities to resume work and give a chance to dialogue and engagement .
The striking staffers from various public universities including; Makerere , Kyambogo University, Busitema University, Soroti University, Lira University, Gulu University, Makerere University Business School and Mbarara University of Science and Technology want the government to increase salaries of all the university staff in PSU 5 to PSU15.
The salaries of professors and associate professors was increased to 100 per cent in the 2019/2020 budget. They claim government promised to increase their salary later, but when the Covid-19 pandemic came, government asked them to be patient.
To date, nothing has happened as earlier promised, the university staff complain. Background In 2015, President Museveni directed for salary enhancement of teaching staff in public universities, with professors earning Shs15 million per month each. The other staffers’ enhancement would subsequently, according to Mr Museveni’s directive. Since then, the staff in public universities have been staging numerous on and off sit down strikes to compel the government fulfill its pledge, but all in vain.