The students from Makerere University, Kyambogo University, Makerere University Business School, Uganda Christian University and other institutions were stranded in the bus parks since Monday, the day schools were closed by the government as one of the measures to contain the spread of COVID-19.
There was a sigh of
relief among parents in Arua last evening after 84 students who were stranded in Kampala after the closure of schools and higher
learning Institutions finally arrived home.
The students from
Makerere University, Kyambogo University, Makerere University Business School, Uganda Christian University and other institutions were stranded in the bus parks since Monday, the day schools were closed by the government as one of the measures to contain the spread of COVID-19.
As part of the measures, the government announced that it was banning the movement of people across districts for at least 42 days. With the new measures, thousands of people rushed to leave the capital Kampala overwhelming taxi and bus parks, in order to beat the government deadline.
In the aftermath, Transporters hiked the rates threefold, and many of the travellers who could not afford the rates remained stuck in the Parks. They could not travel, yet they could not return to the institutions which had already released them and closed their gates.
Demos Pariyo, the
President of Makerere University Lugbara Students Union told URN that they opted to
engage the West Nile
Parliamentary caucus to secure transport from the government. He said the students were however excited to reach their
homes after all hopes had faded.
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Meanwhile, some of the
students shared their experience of struggling to board the buses they had initially paid for.
//Cue in; We faced a lot of...
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Khalsum Abdu Fadimullah, the
Secretary for Education and Health in Arua City Council and a member of the
City COVID-19 Taskforce who received the students in Arua City asked them to go into self-isolation as a preventive measure against spreading the deadly disease to their
families in case they have contracted it.
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Cue out... ticket to four people."//
Reports indicate that
there are still more students and other people from West Nile who are still
waiting for transport to be evacuated from Kampala.
Candia Stephen
Freelancer
