THE REPUBLIC OF UGANDA

MOUNTAINS OF THE MOON UNIVERSITY

P.O.BOX 837 Tel: +256483660390
Kasindikwa village, Email: vc@mmu.ac.ug
Lake saaka-fortportal-Uganda Website: www.mmu.ac.ug

THE GOVERNMENT SPONSORED STUDENTS’

ASSOCIATION (MUGOSA)

A REPORT CONCERNING THE WELFARE OF THE

GOVERNMENT SPONSORED STUDENTS SINCE 2022/23
AUGUST INTAKE TO DATE

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DECLARATION
On behalf of all the government sponsored students,
I……………………………………..................
....…………………………………....................
…………………………………………………
…,……………………………………………..
…………………………………………………
……,……………………………………………being their president, vice president, speaker,
general secretary, male GRC, female GRC respectively, highly declare all the information
provided in this report as being absolutely true.
Signature…………………… contact………………………………………………
Signature…………………… contact………………………………………………
Signature……………………contact………………………………………………
Signature……………………contact………………………………………………
Signature……………………contact………………………………………………
Signature……………………contact………………………………………………

Date………………………………………………………………….

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT.
This report carries information that has been approved and based on studies as well as
investigations that have always been carried out as a responsibility of all government sponsored
students’ leaders, to mitigate the different challenges faced in all aspects of life by the
government sponsored students at the university. This write up has been made with the consent
of all the population of the merit students at the university, we have not been drunk in any way
and neither have we been patients of any mental disorders. As detailed in this report, we have
organized it with all the due respect that every office which may come across it deserves. We
stand to be corrected in any way if there have been any terms used to violet any of the reader’s
rights. WE ARE MUGOSA.

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DEDICATION
We highly dedicate this write up to any offices with the due respect deserved, all
government sponsored students in any of the public universities across Uganda. Special
dedications go to our fellow students on private sponsorship. We highly dedicate this report to
the following higher offices:
1) Office of the vice chancellor, mountains of the moon university
2) Office of the academic registrar, mountains of the moon university.
3) Office of the dean of students, mountains of the moon university
4) Office of the different faculty deans across the university (MMU)
5) Admissions office, mountains of the moon university
6) Office of the guild president, mountains of the moon university.
7) Office of the area member of parliament, fortportal city.

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LIST OF TABLES
Enrollment of 2023/2024…………………………………………………………….8
Management and administration……………………………….…………………….9
Accommodation and related services expenditure…………..………………………………10

The times of eating in a day per student………………………….………………….12

Expenditure of each student on food……………………………..………………….12
Expenditure of each student on airtime…………………………….………………..13

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
DECLARATION……………………………………………….………….2
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT…………………………………….…………..3
DEDICATION…………………………………………………….……….4
LIST OF TABLES……………………………………………….………...5
TABLE OF CONTENTS………………………………………….………6
ABSTRACT………………………………………………….……….……7
ENROLLMENT………………………………………………….….…….8
MANAGEMENT AND LEADERSHIP………………………….………8
THANKS GIVING AND APPRECIATIONS…………………….……...9
STUDENTS’ MATTERS………………………………………….……...10
LIFE AT CAMPUS………………………………………………….……10
ACCOMMODATION AND ASSOCIATED EXPENDITURES….……10
EXPECTED SOURCE OF FUNDING……………………….………….11
MEALS………………………………………………………….…………12
EXPENDITURE ON MEALS ONLY……………………….…….……..12
FURTHER EXPENDITURES……………………………….…….……..12
ONLINE CLASSES………………………………….……………13
ACADEMICS………………………………………………….…....……..13
FACULTY BASIS……………………………………….………....13
RESULTS……………………………………………….……….….13
FUNCTIONAL FEES……………………………….………….….13
STUDENT REGISTRATION………………………….…….…....13
LIVING OUT ALLOWANCE…………………………………………….14
FIELD ATTACHMENT FEE…………………………….………………..14
IDENTIFICATION………………………………………………………...14
REQUESTS…………………………………………………………………14
CONCLUSION……………………………………………………………..14

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ABSTRACT
This is our first report to all offices above the welfare office headed by the dean of
students concerning the welfare of the government sponsored students at mountains of the moon
university. In September 2021, the government of Uganda approved mountains of the moon
university and her roles in the public setting commenced on the 1st July, 2022. In august 2022,
mountains of the moon university enrolled the first batch of students on national merit based on
the universities and tertiary institutions act, 2001 as amended. These students did not only
include a nearby population but rather individuals from across the country’s different regions.
These included the northern, central, western, eastern and southern regions respectively.
All students that were enrolled on merit are actually lying under the category of the low-
income earning families and this was one of the major reasons to study hard and ensure they
make it in their senior six examinations, so as to be taken care of the government of Uganda and
remain a no Burden to their families. The Almighty being on their side, they managed to make it
to mountains of the moon university on merit.
In august 2023, mountains of the moon university enrolled her second batch of the
government sponsored students, and their number increased further from one hundred students in
the first academic year to 179 students who had accumulated by 79 students.
Students that were admitted for the academic year 2023/24 included those who had not
made it successfully at national level but were considered for free education at district level in
the respective districts as it is clear in the above act.

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ENROLLMENT
Since August, 2022, the following faculties have been considered for admission of
students on the national merit program.
1) Faculty of health sciences admitting students in course like bachelor of nursing science
(direct entry) (BNSD), bachelor of midwifery science(extension)(BMSE), bachelor of
public health-direct entry (BPHD).
2) Faculty of agriculture admitting students in the courses like bachelor of science in
agriculture, bachelor of environmental sciences among others
3) Faculty of education admitting students in the following courses, bachelor of science with
education with the corresponding subject combinations.
4) Faculty of information communication technology and innovation admitting students in
the different courses like bachelor science in computer science among others.
In august 2022, a total of 100 students were considered for national merit, none was admitted on
quota basis for the respective district. These individuals were meant to cover vacancies for the
2022/23 academic year. In august 2023, students who were successful to cover vacancies in the
2023/24 academic year were as follows.
Program Number of candidates
Bachelor of science in agriculture 17
Bachelor of science in computer science. 10
Bachelor of science in public health 16
Bachelor of nursing science 17
Bachelor of science in education(physical) 09
Bachelor of environmental health sciences 10
Total number of slots 79
Table 1.0 showing the enrollment of 2023/2024 academic year.

MANAGEMENT AND LEADERSHIP

The government sponsored students have got a leading board that is comprised 23 cabinet
members. These include the following:
Position Name of leader Program
President Mr. UMARU BNSD
NSUBUGA
Vice president MR FRIDAY BSC.ED
FRANCIS
General secretary MR RWAPEMBE BNSD
STEPHEN
Vice secretary MR MURANZI BSC.ED
TIMOTHY A.
Speaker MR. WAMUTIBI BNSD
ANDREW BOSCO
Deputy speaker MR MUGENYI BSC.agric
NICHOLAS

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 Finance minister MR BALUKU BNSD
ROGERS
Secretary finance MS. BABRA BSC.agric
KAYESU
Information minister MR NGANZI BNSD
RICHARD
Faculty coordinators
Faculty Names of coordinators
Agriculture MR. MUSIMAMI MS. MR.
FRED NAKANWAJI NYAKAHUMA
FLAVIA JACKSON
Education MR HAPPY MS. MIBIIRI PENINA
SIMON
TUMWEBAZE
Health sciences MR. MUHUMUZA MR. KATO MR. AJUNA
BYAKAGABA EZRA CHARLES
FRANCIS
Innovation and MR MR. IFUBA BRAIN
technology AKANDWANAHO
BLAIR
Advisors
Name Program
Mrs. KITALEMIRE BMSE
ZAKIA
MRS. NAKYEYA BMSE
HAAWA
MRS KAIGOZI BMSE
MARIAM
MR. HE. MUKONYEZI BSC.ED
OWEN
Table 1.1 showing the management and administration of the government sponsored students
At the guild council, we are represented by two members who include the following:
Name Program Position
Mr. AJUNA CHARLES BNSD Male GRC
Ms. MIBIRI PENINA BSC.ED Female GRC

THANKS GIVING AND APPRECIATIONS

We greatly thank the administration of the mountains of the moon university upon the great work
done of transforming this university from a private setting to a public university.
We also greatly thank the government of Uganda for accepting to take mountains of the moon
university as a public university which offered most of us a chance to study on merit.

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More appreciations still go to us upon making it at advanced level to gain all the qualifications
for government merit.
Our sincere appreciation goes to our former dean, Mr. Kathende David for accepting to be there
for us in whatever situation it took to ensure our stay at the university.
We greatly extend our kind appreciations to the new dean for the great effort put forward in
ensuring service delivery to the students at large.
Above all, we thank God who made us successful in advanced level, and further made us win all
the competition that was there during the selection process for all that were to be granted national
merit and district quota at large.

STUDENTS’ MATTERS

LIFE AT CAMPUS
This university has been our home since the beginning of the 2022/2023 august intake up
to now, however, the life at this campus has not been as smooth as we expected it to be
irrespective of the home backgrounds. This has been as a result of the challenges that we have
always faced around and outside the campus premises. In this report, we shall exhaust almost all
the matters because we believe, its being read by a kind individual who may advocate for the
rescue of the government sponsored students at this university.

ACCOMMODATION AND ASSOCIATED EXPENDITURES.

Basing on the location of this university, all the services around and outside it is pretty
expensive. This is by virtue of its location in a city setting. Everything around including the
buildings, water, electricity, transport among others, are very costly. Sometimes our parents have
been failing to rise some funds to cater for all these services. Below is a sample of some of the
accommodative services around campus and outside campus a case study of a cross-section from
mountains of the moon university up to the city center because our fellows still reside there.
Service Quality Quantity Average amount Who can afford
in a semester what? And who
(ugx) stays where?
Housing 1. Semi-permanent Single room 400,000 80% of all
and with cemented floor government
associated and electricity only, sponsored students
services water not provided.
2. Permanent with Single room 800,000 1% of all
tiled floor, a bed, government
water, hangers, sponsored students
electricity, and self-
contained with a
bathroom and a
toilet.

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 3. Permanent with Single room 650,000 3% of all
tiles, beds provided, government
water, electricity, students
hangers, and not
self-contained
4. Un specified Unspecified 250000-300000 16% of all
government
sponsored students
Table 1.3 summarizing the expenditures made by each student on accommodation and
associated services only
Due to the expensive nature of the accommodation expenses, we have always reported very late
for the lectures, this is because, we have always strived hard to ensure that we meet areas of
accommodation that meet the best of our pockets, but this has always been in vain according to
the table above.
This is to actually bring to your attention that, a big number of students stay in 1. This means that
most of us pay for rent, and associated services as in 1 above.

EXPECTED SOURCE OF FUNDING.

During the course of advanced level, a big percentage of all the government sponsored
students studied through bursaries which were moreover termly that attracted to their attention
the need for the greatest hard work they have ever injected in their academics. This is because
the background at family level wasn’t really supporting, sometimes, families could fail to even
rise the little up keep that a student was expected to be with while at school.
This should again bring to your attention that, most of us studied in a variety of well off schools
like naalya schools, Uganda martyrs namugongo, seta schools among others not because our
financial standards at home were good but simply because we were in the position to realize the
burden behind us, read hard and worn bursaries and scholarships at those schools. We had always
been motivated by not only the former school administrations but also by our fellow brothers and
sisters in other public universities who used to tell us about the role, advantage and impact of
being a government sponsored student, we got enrolled for national merit and district quota when
we already know the best we can get from the government of Uganda as being 100% tuition,
100% accommodation and associated services like water, electricity among others, 100% meals,
100% internship allowance, 100% faculty allowance, free registration and free participation in all
university activities because we have A BIG PARENT BEHIND US.
The above statements if critically analyzed should actually bring to your psyche that government
sponsored students solely depend on the GOVERNMENT OF UGANDA and not even their
parents, because their parents had previously shown a weakness in funding studies at lower
levels.

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 MEALS
Basing on the living standards of the location of this university, government students
have in fact fallen culprits of peptic ulcers, lost weight, contracted diseases because of low
immunity arising from the poor nutrition. This is as a result of the high costs of what we said we
can as well afford from the local markets. The government sponsored students do eat as follows
on a daily basis.
Times of eating in a day Prevalent number of students
4 0.5% of all government sponsored students
3 1% of all government sponsored students
2 65% of government sponsored students
1 5% of all government sponsored students
Unspecified 28.5% of all government sponsored students
Table 1.4 showing the times of eating in a day per student and the prevalent number of students
associated with each number of eating times.
This table is based on live stories given out during interviews which involved over 85% of the
total population by specific individuals as deployed by the management of the government
sponsored students above. More information has been attained basing on observational studies of
our fellows in the different hostels where we reside.
The unspecified category involves individuals who may eat once a day, or even forego the whole
day, rely on water and sometimes eat for at least 2 times if they got resources.

EXPENDITURE ON MEALS ONLY

On meals only, the table below summarizes how a government sponsored student spends
for survival considering the highly prevalent number of times of eating per student in table 1.4
Meal Amount spent on a daily Total amount spent in a
basis(ugx) semester (ugx)[120 days]
Breakfast Foregone 0.00
Lunch 2500 2500X120= 300,000
Supper 2500 2500X120=300,000
TOTAL EXPENDITURES 5000 600,000
Table 1.5 showing the expenditure of each student on average a key aspect of the highly
prevalent number of times of feeding as in table 1.4.

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FURTHER EXPENDITURES

ONLINE CLASSES.
This has become another form of expenditure besides food and accommodation, besides the
university Wi-Fi which we are so grateful for, its band width is very small, online lectures have
been put there because of the following conditions.
 Favor of the distance learners
 Overcoming the overcrowding that may be there in our lecture rooms
 Providing smooth running programs for the university on a student basis for example
course works.
In most cases, the university WIFI has always been 20% efficient for these online classes and
because of this, we ought to use personal data to clearly capture whatever the lecturer is
explaining, we could not be attending these classes if 100% of the lecturers could be setting and
asking questions from the PowerPoints they give out, but in most cases, 90% of them set
questions from what they say irrespective of whether they are in the presentations or not, this
forces us to always attend them by all means. And in the long run we find that we have spent
more than what we expected. The table below also summarizes expenditures incurred on airtime
only, considering ½ of the number of days attended in a month i.e. 15 days and a lecture that is
taking normal lecture time of three hours
Time Data spent in a Total number of mbs SEMESTER BASIS
lecture if network is in 15 days
proper
3 hours 100 mbs on average 100x15=1500 1.5X15X4= 90 GB
approximately 1.5GB
IN TERMS OF MONEY basing on Ariel the best internet service provider
Cost per GB (DAILY BUNDLE) 2000/= 2000X90= 180,000
Table 1.6 showing the expenditure of each student on airtime and moreover only for an online
class.

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ACADEMICS.

FACULTY BASIS
Every faculty has got its own needs and because of this, faculties are not equal at all. The
faculty of health sciences and the faculty of agriculture being the most demanding faculties
around the university because students there need materials not a material. Taking a look at the
faculty of health, each student needs a variety of items example given are the thermometer (5
pieces), sphygmomanometer (a pair), stethoscopes (a pair), gloves (3 packets), personal syringes
with needles (a box), among others, these items are far expensive and cannot be easily risen by
the parents and yet they are required with immediate effect.

RESULTS
The results for government students have always been hard to access on the AIMS, this
keeps students on pressure and make them remain so nervous. Taking a key aspect of an
individual who may re-take a given course unit, payment for this amount is also needed and it
would now be an individual issue and not an issue to explain to the family members. What
should we do?.

FUNCTIONAL FEES.
Mountains of the moon university has been one of the public universities with a very high
functional fee, in august 2022, students who reported for their first semester in the respective
courses settled their functional fees of 165000/= with the finance office, this was meant to take
accountability of the university guild fee, IDs, gowns, T-shirts, WIFI and so on. It’s to our
dismay that 98% of these services have not been received this is another academic year, soon
going away. We also realize that according to the hand books that were supplied just of recent,
each government student in the 2022/23 academic year must pay an amount equivalent to
65000/= only as functional fees which is displayed nowhere on AIMS.

STUDENT REGISTRATION
The previous academic year (2022/23), all government students were provisionally
registered for aims, this caused a delay in sitting for exams and some of us were embarrassed, it
has always remained a question on the brains as to why our services are always delayed in every
office unlike other students? We are not happy at all.

LIVING OUT ALLOWANCE.

Since the students in the first slot reported to the university, there has been no official
documentation from the parliament of Uganda showing how much each government sponsored
student is supposed to receive, we wish we could look at that documentation. It is only this
university that receives the least amount of the living out allowance among all public universities
in Uganda. On average cutting across all public universities i.e. Makerere, soroti, KYU, MUST,
kabala, lira, Gulu, BUSITEMA, and so on, every student receives 700,000 ugx on a semester
basis. It’s really sorrowful that a student at mountains of the moon university receives 4/5 of the
average amount received by every government sponsored student in other public universities
across Uganda and moreover with all the above expenditures as in tables 1.0 to 1.6 well shown.

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This amount is received and rent only takes it away, only a small amount or even zero amount as
per table 1.3 remains for the welfare of the student. We have always yenned to have the criteria
that was used to allocate this money for a government sponsored student at mountains of the
moon university in a city setting to be received on a semester basis. In cases of first semesters,
even the small living out allowances have been spending decades to reach our phones, keeping
us best liars to the university finance offices and to our landlords. This has often left a lot of
quarrels between us and the landlords, sometimes we have been closed from outside and refused
from entering even the small households because of rent issues, money delaying. What has
always been the cause of even delaying the little that belongs to us?

FIELD ATTACHMENT FEE.

Most of the students belong to the faculty of agriculture and health sciences, its these two
faculties that we referred to as the most wanting faculties of which students need transport
facilitation to take them from where they reside to the fields of practice, to cater for their meals
because in hospitals, it is rare to find breakfast, lunch and supper being provided, rent especially
to most of us who reside very far from the area of practice. According to the standards currently
in public universities, the government of Uganda provides field attachment fee for all students
who are going into practicum. Across all public universities, every government student except a
mountains of the moon government sponsored student, receives on average 400,000 extra for
field attachment fee. It’s really sorrowful that we are given 1/3 of the above average amount
allocated to every government sponsored student. We have always yanned to really know who
could have allocated this amount, that is equivalent to the budget for supper only while at
campus and moreover for a three days and what criteria they based on to come up with a
conclusion that we should be receiving 1/3 of this amount. We have never been happy at all with
the services rendered so far to all government students.
The field attachment fee for all students that reported in august 2022, was given by hand, we
were forced to travel from our homes to the finance office just to pick even the very little
120,000ugx, adding expenses to expenses, such that by the time you settle without even
reporting to the place of practice, the small amount has gotten done in transport issues. What has
been the reason for giving this money by hands however small it is?
Even though the university may think that field practice is done at home, that’s not the case, ask
yourself the day you went for field practice if you were really taking two footsteps to reach there,
we have always travelled at least 10km to be there in most cases and because of the long
distances, our bosses there don’t even want to understand that we reside from very far, late
reporting to the place of practice has costed us bad comments at the end of the practicing period,
and none of the members in the university may fail to think about this.

IDENTIFICATION
In normal circumstances, we are supposed to be having Identification materials like the
IDs, T-shirts like students in other universities, but mountains of the moon university have never
thought of this according to what we think. We have always been embarrassed during
examination periods since our registration has always been the last just because none of the

15
university administrators values us as students who are sponsored, there is no day we can leave
behind anything like a debt because we don’t even touch our tuition. We are the first students to
be settling up to nil balance but all this has not been put under consideration. Who are we to the
university?

REQUESTS
The biggest request and solution to the above mentioned shortcomings, is increasing our
living out allowance from the 560,000 ugx to a somehow bigger amount to accommodate all that
has been mentioned in the previous pages. We have sometimes asked ourselves if really we are
being sponsored by the government of Uganda, because in most cases we get to realize that
privately sponsored students are doing much better than we are, this may look a kind of
competition but it’s not, it’s just because we have a lot of pain on our hearts for what belongs to
us but we don’t get it in the expected volumes. We are the kind of people who have always failed
to call home oftenly for rescue because our parents already know we have a sponsor behind, they
already know we are getting 100% of what is supposed to make us settle at the university,
sometimes when we explain these issues to them, they have always given us a cold shoulder
because they think we are deceiving them and want to steal from them. Some of us, have fallen
culprits of debts just because the home background is not doing well, and because the family
already knows you are receiving money from the government of Uganda, they sometimes rely on
you for some finances, they even get debts in your names such that immediately that money
comes however small it is, you have to automatically replace or payback the debt. These
statements may seem unreal to you, but that’s the REALITY. Keeping in mind that we are not
looking for increment in the bid to satisfy our families, but rather to smoothen the academic
process as students on merit.

CONCLUSION
Uganda as a country and her president have always advocated for justice, but in most
cases, her own subordinates have been found to be generals of injustice by virtue of the offices in
which they are, in this report, we highly advocate for justice between us the merit students at
mountains of the moon university in comparison with other students in other public universities
because we are supposed to have full ownership of what belongs to us. We therefore request you
dear reader to stand with us in this advocacy and help us rise our voices until they are heard.

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