By Frank Kamuntu
Gulu: Students at Gulu University have protested the poor state of University toilets.
Students led by the Guild President Johnson Noowe, held a peaceful demonstration on the streets of Gulu saying, the state of flush toilets and urinals is putting them at serious health risks.
Sylvia Auma, the Gender Minister of Gulu University said that the University main campus has only three flash toilets with 4 stances each which are cleaned once a day to cover over 5000 students.
Auma added that besides the alarming number of toilet users, there is also another challenge of water shortage in the university which affects both male and female toilets.
Betty Nakandha, one of students revealed that female students are more affected since they use toilets as their changing rooms when in their menstrual periods.
Whereas Dr Christine Oryema, one of the senior lecturer and the gender focal person at Gulu University said the University council has to be put to task to rectify the sanitation problem.
As a leader of students the guild President Johnson Noowe, said that after several engagements with the University authority, some improvements have been made including putting the cleaners to order and refilling reservoir tanks.
However Khalid Mahmud, the Gulu University PRO said that the mindset of the students is the one causing all the sanitation problems.
According to him, some of the students use hard papers and maize corps instead of toilet papers, hence causing blockages.
“Students prefer to use the toilet near the campus’ main hall other than other toilets in the main campus.
He also added that management is making ways to solve water problem in toilets as possible,” Khalid said.
