Covid-19: Students not vaccinated barred from entering lecture rooms at Bugema, Kampala Universities

Bugema and Kampala Universities will not allow non-vaccinated students to attend lectures, the administrators have revealed. While lifting the second lockdown president, Yoweri Museveni allowed higher institutions to reopen on 1st November 2021.

He called upon lecturers as well as non-teaching staff to get vaccinated. Now ahead of the reopening, Kampala University has issued a circular ordering all its staff and students to report to all campuses starting October 28-31, 2021 for vaccination.

In the October 20th, 2021 circular signed by Ahmed Hamza Segawa, the university says this will help them to reopen when everybody is vaccinated as required. According to the circular, vaccination will be a requirement for anyone to attend lectures at the University.

Vincent Kitone Sserunkuma, the Guild President of Kampala –University Luwero campus welcomed the move and urged his non-vaccinated colleagues to embrace it.

Kitone says that it is also good that the university has introduced the exercise at the campuses to give all learners an opportunity to take the jab.

He however notes that a section of students had already taken the jab through drives organized within their communities and were ready to resume studies. At Bugema University, Richard Kanyerezi, the head of the University COVID 19 Task Force, said that at least 78% of their staff have already been vaccinated and the exercise is still ongoing to cover all.

Kanyerezi said that students will be vaccinated at the bi-weekly outreaches that are organized in conjunction with Luwero district at Bugema Health Center. He says that all students will be allowed to report back and go for vaccination during the outreaches as planned.

He, however, says that thereafter the lecturers and guards will restrict access to the lecture rooms as well as university to those without vaccination cards. Kanyerezi also noted that the lecturers have been allowed to screen for COVID-19 free of charge at Bugema Health Center. Their family members will only pay 50% of the costs so as to stop the spread of the virus.

So far, all nursing students of Bugema University school who reported earlier on were vaccinated before they resumed students. Efforts to speak to the head of the COVID 19 Task Force at Ndejje University at Luwero Main Campus Wilfred Muhumuza were unsuccessful as he didn’t pick nor return our calls.

Dr. Innocent Nkonwa the Luwero District Health Officer, says that they are ready to work with higher institutions of learning when reached to ensure their students are vaccinated.

Recently. Dr. Dennis Mugimba, the Spokesperson of the Ministry of Education and Sports said that the final guidelines for the reopening of tertiary and higher institutions were still under discussion and will be disseminated before the scheduled reopening dates.