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Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Makerere University students have vehemently opposed the new guild electoral laws, saying they were never consulted.
Isaac Kwagala, the Speaker Makerere University Guild, says they have called an emergency meeting of all student leaders to discuss among others the approval and gazetting of the electoral laws and the current impasse between staff and management.
Last week, URN published a story detailing the new guild electoral guidelines. The regulations ban guild campaigns in halls of residence, restrict the campaigns to only four rallies, bar students from acts of hooliganism and use of obscene language during campaigns and provides ten (10) days with in which elections should be conducted.
According to a statement on the University website, the Regulations are aimed at providing clearance of candidates for nomination to all positions of the Guild Leadership and to ensure that Guild Campaigns and Elections are implemented easily and without interruption and or causing difficulty or interference with other University activities or programs.
The statement also notes that the regulations were established to create a defined and reasonable time frame within, which the Guild campaigns and elections are held, prohibit hooliganism and other negative and or offensive conduct by aspiring candidates and or their supporters as well as ensuring that all aspiring candidates, election officials and the entire students’ body observe and uphold University Regulations during the Guild election period.
In a circular dated January 18, 2019, the Dean of Students, Cyriaco Kabagambe asked the Guild Speaker to particularly study the regulations for purposes of conducting the elections.
But Kwagala says the framers of the new regulations were not only misguided but make the changes in bad faith.
“I have failed to appreciate what could have motivated its framers to subject our University to such an absurdity,” said Kwagala in a letter to the Dean of Students, Cyriaco Kabagambe dated January 21, 2019.
Kwagala seeks answers from the University authorities whether the University admits hooligans and why it continues to refer to its students as hooligans.
According to Kwagala, the Students Guild Council regrets the contemptuous attitude with, which the University Council has decided to treat students by passing regulations without consulting student leaders.
Kwagala says the new regulations seek to coerce the guild leadership into ceding its responsibility to manage and govern its own affairs.
Under the new regulations, aspiring guild candidates shall be required to pay non-refundable fees of Shillings 200,000, Guild Representative Council-GRC Shillings 100,000 and Students Common Room for halls of residence Shillings 50,000 down from Shillings 60,000.
This according to student leaders is aimed at disfranchising students who would offer themselves for leadership positions. The new regulations also put restrictions on misconduct such as corrupt tendencies, hooliganism, violence, and use of abusive / obscene language, destruction of property, defacing university buildings, roads or any other university property and unauthorized processions. Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe, the Makerere University Vice Chancellor, says the regulations are aimed at creating stability at the institution.
Only fully subscribed members of the Students Guild, currently in their second year of study or above, have no pending retake (on normal progress) and at least a CGPA of 2.8 with a clean record not to have exceeded the study period of their programme on account of academic related challenges including stay put, retakes, failure or refusal to register for the minimum number of course units will be eligible for election as guild president.
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