Kampala International University signpost alongside a photo of Jim Spire Ssentongo (circled) [Internet Image]
Following weeks of public debate regarding allegations against Kampala International University posted by Jim Spire Ssentongo on his X account, the university has filed a defamation lawsuit against the prominent Ugandan academic and activist, whose outspoken advocacy for ethics and transparency has made him a respected voice online. Jim’s KIU exposé follows his August 2025 #StopAirtelTheft campaign, which demanded accountability from Airtel for fraudulent activities on its network.
This time, however, his activism seems to have rubbed the wrong people, as since 27 October 2025, anonymous students and staff from Kampala International University reportedly messaged him with grievances about what they called “unfair and exploitative” tuition penalties, concerns that Dr Spire made public on X, until the university struck back.
On Wednesday, 11 November, Spire shared that he had received an interim court order stopping him from publishing or circulating any further information concerning KIU. In his own words, he wrote: “An interim court injunction AGAINST MY SPEECH has already been secured, without serving or hearing me!”
While legal documents have made headlines and many have criticised Kampala International University for mishandling the situation, it is the stories of students and staff behind them that have drawn the most public attention. Screenshots shared by Dr Spire reveal widespread complaints, from late-payment fines and other financial penalties imposed on students to the university’s alleged failure to remit NSSF contributions for staff over several years.
On 4 November, NSSF, through its X handle, confirmed the non-compliance case, stating that “an audit was signed, and contributions have since commenced.” Although this may have resolved one grievance, KIU proceeded to file a defamation lawsuit against the whistleblower, merging all other cases into one.
According to a circular shared at KIU’s Western Campus, any student who failed to clear tuition within 45 days of reporting was to be fined UGX 60,000 (or $30 for international students) every two weeks, until full payment was made. A separate clause imposed an additional 25% surcharge on students who sat for exams while still owing fees.
For a private student already struggling to gather tuition, the penalties meant debts that increased every month. One student shared that what was once a 3-year degree had stretched to 9 years because of accumulated fines that increased to millions and withheld transcripts.
Others alleged that even students on partial bursaries ended up paying more than expected due to these rolling surcharges. Not to mention ghost fees that show up even after the students have cleared their obligations.
Several female students also raised allegations of sexual harassment, particularly in the biochemistry department. They claimed that some lecturers and lab attendants demanded sexual favours in exchange for good grades, not because the students had failed the work, but simply because the perpetrators had intentionally blocked the marks from being awarded. Even male students reported facing pressure when dating female peers, receiving severely lower marks as a result.
KIU isn’t alone. Across Uganda’s private universities, financial interests often take the driver’s seat, while student welfare is left riding in the back.
The reality is that most private institutions in Uganda rely almost entirely on student tuition to survive. Without strong government subsidies or external grants, tuition fees are their main—and often only—lifeline. While this creates financial stability for the universities, it also creates fertile ground for exploitative tendencies, where administrative policies prioritise revenue over academic fairness. This is not the first time, and likely won’t be the last, that students speak out about financial issues. Makerere University students, for instance, have taken to the streets on multiple occasions over similar matters.
Stories like KIU’s are always around, circulating quietly in student WhatsApp groups across other universities; delayed transcripts, “dead semester” fines, clearance fees that appear from nowhere, or withheld results for arrears as little as UGX 10,000.
The average university student’s family income barely sustains daily needs. Expecting lump-sum tuition payments within 45 days is unrealistic, yet this remains the norm in many private universities.
Experts have long warned that Uganda’s education system risks becoming exclusionary, where those who can’t afford to pay instantly are academically punished, while those who can are rewarded not for merit but for their wallet. Perhaps this is what made students turn to someone like Spire, seen as an informal complaint desk for those who felt ignored by their own institutions.
Which is why the interim court order against Dr Spire has raised eyebrows among academics and activists. While KIU may claim it seeks to protect its reputation from defamation, to the public and the students, it appears more like silencing a public commentator on matters of student welfare.
Uganda’s laws provide for both freedom of expression and protection of reputation, but the line between the two is often blurred when powerful institutions are involved. If lecturers, journalists, or students themselves cannot safely voice concerns about exploitative practices, the system loses its internal checks.
If students are expected to bear the full cost of running universities, then surely, they deserve policies that respect their financial realities. If institutions pride themselves on producing ethical graduates, they must start by practising ethics in their treatment of learners.
Following the interim injunction, Jim Spire Ssentongo has encouraged people to submit more complaints as evidence for the upcoming proceedings, while continuing to post an image of a monkey holding a paper labelled ‘evidence,’ which could be seen as an indirect signal regarding the submissions he is receiving.
— Jim Spire Ssentongo (@SpireJim) November 12, 2025
