The Observer (Kampala)
Editorial
19 November 2008
editorial
The directive by President Museveni that foreign students should pay the same fees as their Ugandan counterparts in public universities is rather strange.
This directive came after a few Kenyan students at Makerere University rioted, complaining about high fees the university is reportedly charging them in comparison with their Ugandan counterparts.
Problem with the President's directive is that it does not seem to be backed by research. In fact, the Minister of Education and Sports, Geraldine Namirembe Bitamazire, found it an uphill task explaining it to Parliament. Now wonder the legislators found it ridiculous.
Whereas the President's intentions might have been noble, aimed at strengthening regional co-operation and promoting Uganda as an education hub, the fact that the announcement emerged out of the blue, reminds people of the days when public policy was handled through public pronouncements and decrees.
If the President feels strongly about changing the existing fees structure in public universities, he can direct his line minister to consult technocrats and advise him accordingly. Why would the President involve himself in issues that small when he has a Minister of Education?
The President recently caused a storm when he decided to give away land that already belongs to someone else to the Kenyan Government in exchange for space at the Mombasa Port to accommodate Ugandan goods. The land he gave away, currently occupied by the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI), is owned by Ugandan businessman Sudhir Ruparelia and he has gone to court to challenge the move. Once again the President was well intentioned but the methods are wrong.
It is not right for the President to get involved in minute issues when there are institutions charged with such responsibility. If these institutions are not functioning properly, then he is to blame because he is the one who either created them or appointed those who man them. The message such presidential interventions sends is that nothing can be done in Uganda without the intervention of the President. Thus he is often called upon to settle a land or even marriage dispute!
More so, as an advocate of free enterprise where forces of demand and supply determine prices of goods and services, President Museveni should be the last person to seek to impose fees on universities.
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