Muni University decries inadequate funding

Arua, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The administration of Muni University has decried low funding by the government which they say has crippled their efforts of promoting the development of science.

Since the 2014/2015 financial year, the University’s development budget increased from 4.5 Billion Shillings to 4.9 Billion in the current financial year.

The University’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor in charge of Academic Affairs, Professor Simon Anguma says the meagre funds have crippled key activities that inform and facilitate the activities at the University.

This financial year, the University was allocated Shillings 14.5 billion wage bill and shillings 4.9 billion development budget by the government. The development budget is among others used for students welfare like payment of living out side allowances, payment of statutory obligations like NSSF for the staff and payment of gratuity for retiring staff.

According to Anguma, the University requires an increase in the development budget to fund key statutory expenditures.

He also revealed that the inadequate funding has pushed them so hard to start requesting the government for a supplementary budget.

In 2016 while commissioning the Health Science Laboratory block at the University, President Yoweri Museveni pledged to provide the University with shillings 15 Billion Shillings for infrastructural development which has since not been fulfilled.

However, the chairperson governing council of Mwangaza African Revolutionary Study Groups centre and also the senior presidential advisor /political affairs (special duties), David Mafabi has pledged to forward the concern of the University to the president.

Over the past eight years of its existence, Muni University has grown from having one faculty to six faculties offering fourteen different programmes. The University currently has an enrollment of 635 students registered in the various programmes.

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