The vice chancellor of Makerere University, Prof Barnabas Nawangwe has lifted the suspension of three students who were reportedly involved in a hunger strike last week.
On November 8, a group of Makerere students protested against what they claimed was a delay in the disbursement of food allowances for government-sponsored students.
Following the protests, Nawangwe had suspended three students for allegedly engaging in acts of hooliganism, which violated the university's rules and regulations.
Among those suspended was Francis Opira, along with other students who have not yet been identified.
However, on Monday, the university guild president, Vincent Nsamba, sent a letter to the vice chancellor requesting that the students be pardoned.
In his letter dated November 11, the vice chancellor agreed to the guild president's request and lifted the suspension of the three students.
"I hereby rescind the suspension of the three students with immediate effect. Please advise the affected students to desist from any further acts of hooliganism at the University," Nawangwe said in his letter.
In his letter to the vice chancellor, Nsamba stated that the protests had emanated from the prolonged delays in the disbursement of students' food and living-out allowances.
Whereas it is understood that the allowances were released on Sunday, Nsamba said that until then, majority of the students had already experienced severe hardships during the period of delay with many being evicted from their hostels and some forced to live without meals for days.
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"The situation had since created a lot of frustration among students and while the protests were not in line with university official code of conduct, their actions demonstrated the financial strain many of the government students were facing," Nsamba stated.
He further stated, "As such, we seek that the university pardons these students involved in the Friday protest. Their actions were largely out of desperation rather than defiance,"
The guild president contended that granting clemency in this situation would demonstrate the administration's recognition of the difficulties faced by students who largely depend on the timely distribution of these allowances.
He also urged the university to consistently prioritise student welfare, which includes the prompt release of allowances, when preparing and submitting semester budgets to avoid any future conflicts between management and students.
In his suspension letter, Nawangwe criticised the suspended students for participating in protests, asserting that they were aware that arrangements were being made to distribute the allowances.
"Because of your involvement in the above offensive act, and in order to ensure security of our students and staff, I hereby suspend you from Makerere University with immediate effect until further notice," he stated.
However, his decision to suspend the students had since sparked outrage among some members of the public, particularly on social media.
