A gang of yet to be identified thugs have so far stolen at least 180 computers from offices, academic staff and students, at Makerere University Kampala, over the last four years. The laptop computers were stolen from both students and staff at Makerere University in the last four years. This comes just days after the police revealed that 48 vehicles and 56 motorcycles have been stolen from Makerere University and haven’t been recovered.
This is yet another indication of security lapses at Uganda’s oldest tertiary institution, characterized dozens of unmanned entry and exit points, illegal footpaths and laxity at the three main gates into the university.
A four-year report from the Makerere University Police Post indicates a worrying trend of computer thefts. The report shows that 67 laptop computers were stolen in 2013 followed by 49 in 2014, 32 in 2015 and 30 in 2016. Jackson Mucunguzi, the University Chief Security Officer reveals that the cases quoted are those that have been reported to police. He suspects that many more cases never get reported. On average, 14 motorcycles are stolen from Makerere University every year.
In 2013 alone, 30 motorcycles were stolen from the university. Another 11 were stolen in 2014; four in 2015 and 11 in 2016. In the same period, 48 vehicles have been stolen in and around Makerere. These include 22 in 2013, nine in 2014, 11 in 2015 and six in 2016.
The automated vehicle management system which was installed recently by a private Kenyan company, Kenya Airport Parking Services (KAPS) Limited has been functional since 2014 but is more of an income-generating facility than a security one. Indeed, the KAPS personnel manning the gates only look for parking stickers or money from those whose vehicles do not have stickers. They charge 1,000 shillings per vehicle that exits Makerere.
Nicholas Aijuka is a third year student of Civil Engineering and has been serving as the security minister in the students’ guild. He told reporters that with several unmanned entrances, the security of students, staff and property is at God’s mercy. Despite this, the university officials continue to drag their feet about constructing a perimeter wall. Estimated at Shs5 billion, the perimeter wall remains among the unfunded priorities according to the 2017/2018 Budget overview that was recently presented to the University Council.
Jackson Mucunguzi, Makerere’s Chief Security Officer, expressed worries about the security of the institution due to its porous nature. He however noted that police makes several patrol operations to ensure safety of people and property. “We have about 45 police officers at Makerere and 120 University security guards. As you know sometimes it is difficult to deploy these people at all entrances which are countless and still have others to man buildings. Manpower is less though most of the times we collaborate with Wandegeya Police,” Mr. Mucunguzi said. But these numbers appear to have done little to allay security concerns at Uganda’s oldest university.
