Mak student leader spends 9 years to complete Bachelors degree course

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | For nine years, Jothan Yamureebire Burobuto has been at Makerere University pursuing a Bachelors Degree, which would ideally take him four years to complete. He is now one of the students who graduated during the concluded 71st graduation ceremony that ended yesterday.

The 27-year-old student enrolled for a Bachelor of Laws Degree on a government sponsorship in 2012 and was expected to graduate in 2016. Before joining the university, he had studied at Uganda Martyrs SS Namugongo for his A’level and Ntare School for O’level. This implies that Burobuto did not have a financial challenge, and did not possibly fail his papers.

It is now emerging that Burobuto exploited the system to continue enjoying the benefits attached to student leadership positions which he has been part of. An alumnus of Makerere who enrolled with him in 2012 says Burobuto identified the reimbursements of leadership and how he could use such a position for his benefit.

“Leave alone the official benefits coming with these leadership positions. With someone ambitious as Burobuto, he might have identified this and without a doubt, I can tell you that he has benefited from it,” the alumnus told our reporter.

But Burobuto dismisses this allegation, and says he did not have any intention of enriching himself. However, he adds that after two years at the campus, he found himself interested in learning much more than law from Makerere. He told URN that he saw Makerere as a better place for him to develop leadership skills and a broad network.

Having chosen university leadership at the expense of his academics, Burobuto lost his sponsorship after four years and had to pay his tuition for the extra five years. During the period, he served as the Guild Representative Councilor of the Law School, President of Makerere Law Society, and as Guild Prime minister. He also served twice as Guild Speaker and Acting Guild President.

After exploring all positions at the university, he turned to the Uganda National Students Association-UNSA where he was elected president in 2018. Burobuto says that many of his friends and family members criticized his approach and branded him stupid but no amount of criticism could see him swerve from his ambition.

After nine years at the centre of the greasy politics at Makerere, having served at almost every available post in the student’s guild and elsewhere, Burobuto finally yielded and sat exams earning himself a law degree. With existing policies on withdrawal and overstaying on a program of study at Makerere, many wonder how Burobuto could have beaten the system and stayed this long without being deregistered.

Professor Christopher Mbaziira, the Principal of the School of Law at Makerere University, shares that the university policy gives an extension of not more than two years for all undergraduate programs. Given the fact that he was doing a four-year course, this specific policy could allow him to study the course for six years.

“But within those years, a student can be granted two withdrawals on an academic program each not exceeding one academic year. This means the maximum time one is expected to study the law course at Makerere is eight years,” Professor Mbaziira says. He adds that the period of withdrawal is not counted against the period of candidature which still leaves unanswered questions on how this particular case could have happened, especially because Burobuto never applied for a dead year.

In his version, he says that at times he could register for fewer course units. And besides the said trick, Burobuto says that on several occasions, he could fail to balance between his leadership role and academics finding himself failing to pass some papers.

Although Professor Mbaziira says he is not sure how this student manipulated the system, he stresses that he might have used the 2014 University Council decision that gave a green light to students who had overstayed at the university to complete their respective courses.

“There is a system that can detect that one has overstayed on the course. However, sometime back (in 2014), the university gave the school academic board power on matters of several students who have overstayed on handle case by case basis,” says Professor Mbaziira.

According to the council decision, a student would be allowed to present his case to the school academic board and in case of exceptional and unforeseen circumstances, one can be allowed to go on with the studies.

“This is not a good example. Such policies are put up to help students in need and it’s a pity if someone can misuse them for personal benefit. This window is for students who might have fallen sick for a long time, those who could have gone for scholarships among others,” he stressed.

Owen Natukunda who served as a clerk for the 82nd guild house in 2017, says that Burobuto was a smart student who could identify loopholes in university policies and used them to his advantage to satisfy his goal. He however adds that influence peddling might not be ruled out.

“Being part of student leadership comes with benefits as I told you. and student leader weld power. One can use the office to influence management decisions. I don’t know what trick he used but he is a smart man who keeps his eyes on what he wants to achieve,” says Natukunda.

However, a few colleagues like David Bala Bwiruka, the former guild president supports him. Bwiruka says to the best of his knowledge, Burobuto must have achieved whatever he wanted to achieve from participating in student leadership for nine years. Asked whether he is not regretting the decision that he took, Burobuto noted that he has never and it’s only the future that might disapprove him.

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URN