The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Makerere University council has abandoned online voting for the next guild elections. This follows complaints from some students who cited the lack of a provision for electronic voting and regulations governing the process.
In a letter addressed to the Guild Electoral Commission on Thursday, Winfred Kabambuli, the Dean of Students gave a go-ahead to the commission to organize physical elections as resolved by the University Council.
“The purpose of this letter is to notify you of the council decision and also to ask you to operationalize the physical electoral process by formulating an electoral road map in line with the Makerere University Students Guild Constitution,” Kabambuli wrote.
Deo Kayigamba, the chairperson Electoral Commission said that the initial decision of a blended mode of voting will only work after the laws have been amended before the elections.
Last year, given the fact that students were studying in a phased manner due to the covid-19 pandemic, the university organized virtual guild elections to help students who are not on campus vote for their leaders. The virtual voting was accessible on the Makerere University students portal.
For students to vote online, they needed to have a university email address and an Identification card. At the time of voting, the students would be required to post their pictures on the site to curb acts of impersonation.
In the past election, several students did not vote citing network shut down which the administration noted was a result of overload on its systems.
Other universities like Uganda Christian University and Islamic University in Uganda have since adopted the electronic mode of voting for the guild elections.
****
URN
