Makerere University Main GateBy Prisca WanyenyaThe failure by Makerere University to recover over UGX67.9 billion in outstanding students’ tuition arrears has raised questions about the university’s online system, after management revealed that the system automatically bills every student who registers, regardless of whether they complete the course or die.This was revealed during a meeting on October 26, 2026 between Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee and Makerere University to consider the December 2025 Auditor General’s report, which revealed growth in the university’s receivables including UGX4.9 billion outstanding tuition in 2024/2025 and an additional UGX20 billion.Richard Wanyama Hamala (Samia-Bugwe Central) said, “The Committee seeks reasons for the failure to recover these fees receivables with some outstanding since the year 2018. The Accounting Officer should be held accountable for violating the investor fees policy. I would want an explanation why they have accumulated all these and number one, what is the breakdown, especially of the year under review.”Makerere University Secretary, Yusuf Kiranda, explained that when the query was raised by the Auditor General, the university commissioned a comprehensive review of student fees debt. He said once students enrol, the system automatically invoices them and revenue is recognised as income for the university, yet some students actually don’t turn up to study or fail to join university education entirely.“You have a student who is admitted and he comes in year one, he enrols but when he comes back again, he clicks, he goes to the system and tries to enroll as a new student. So, these were gaps in the system which we have since corrected but the system would just get that student and still create the bill. When that was found out, they sent the student to the registrar to be enrolled and the system automatically removes it without human intervention the moment you de-enrol,” Kiranda explained.However, Patrick Nsamba (Kassanda North) wondered how such a scenario was possible, given that in his time at Makerere, the university would never allow a student in class to sit for a paper exam without completing tuition fees.“That is not possible because in our days you miss the first week, you forfeit your enrolment. So how did it begin that students go on and they get… when you say you have arrears it implies that some students are not paying. Who are those students that are not paying and how come? Is it a new policy to allow some? How does it come about?” Nsamba asked.His argument was backed by Karim Masaba (Mbale Industrial Division), who questioned how the practice changed because in his time, when a student accepted admission, they would register, begin studying and no student would be allowed to sit exams without clearing the entire balance.“And that was one of the reasons why we used to strike a lot because of challenges to do with payment of tuition fees. His argument is about the system, if you have discovered that the system has an issue, what have you done to deal with it. I think the system is an excuse. Does that mean that now for somebody who has not even come to the university to study, does this mean the UGX67bn includes people who are not even at the university?” Masaba remarked.Gilbert Olanya (Kilak South) described Kiranda’s response as unserious and unconvincing, saying he can’t tell the committee that the moment a student applies and gets admitted, the system automatically bills the student. Kiranda clarified that between 2020 to 2022, because of the economic situation at the time (COVID-19 pandemic), the university allowed students to proceed and sit exams without completing fees, following an appeal by the students’ guild.“They said people have been under lockdown, they don’t have money, let them study but withhold their academic documents until they pay. That is the biggest bulk of the students who constitute the recoverable debt,” Kiranda said.Makerere also told the Committee that some of the outstanding debt accumulated when students enrolled, studied but at the point of exams, failed to pay. Even when they failed to pay, these students had already consumed the service, leaving the university stuck with the debt.Shs628m Rent ArrearsMeanwhile, MP Wanyama also asked Makerere why it has failed to collect UGX628 million in rent arrears after a tenant left the premises in 2020 without paying rent.Kiranda acknowledged the outstanding rent accrued in 2020 when many businesses at the university disappeared during lockdown and never came back, including Prime Media that had entered into a contract with Makerere to advertise, put up billboards at the university and maintain facilities, gardens, roundabouts and lighting, as well as provide Wi-Fi at Freedom Square.“When they had just executed their contract, there was a lockdown and they claimed they didn’t do any business because the money they were supposed to give was supposed to come from advertisers so they disappeared from us because they said they were not able to execute. So, because we had the contract, we had recognised the debt. We engaged them on finding a method of going forward which didn’t work out,” Kiranda explained.The post Ghost Students, Dead Students Still Billed: MPs Probe Makerere Over Shs67.9bn Tuition Arrears appeared first on Business Focus.