The South Sudan Students Union in Uganda (SSSU-U) President Mayar James Ariath (centre) and Vice President Jiel Jiel Dhieu (left) before the funds distribution in Uganda. [Gurtong/ Misuk Moses Mule]
By Misuk Moses Mule
KAMPALA, 13 June 2012 [Gurtong] - The students had been promised the moneys by President Salva Kiir Mayardit.
Disbursement of the cash kicked off Tuesday morning with Bugema, Uganda Martyrs and St Lawrence universities being the first recipients.
This development followed the long awaited arrival of the Juba team on Sunday evening headed by Gire Florence from the Office of the President to oversee the disbursement.
About 1.769 million United States Dollars has been received in the South Sudanese embassy’s account and 3,438 students are expected to benefit.
The announcement came yesterday after a meeting between the South Sudan Students Union in Uganda (SSSU-U) and the team from Juba.
President Kiir last year pledged to give the students in Uganda some financial support from his office upon the request of the then union leadership.
Many of the students have waited for close to a month even after completing their examinations.
Last week, the students almost went on rampage over what they termed “inconsistency in information from the South Sudan embassy in Uganda”.
It took the intervention of the South Sudanese Ambassador to Uganda Sarah Victor Bol who calmed them and assured them that the moneys will be disbursed in a week’s time.
Some students have however, raised concerns over their missing names from the 2010 and 2011 intakes and hence missing out on the president’s cash.