Parents stranded as Makerere restricts access to graduation ceremony

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Parents and guardians are stranded in the precincts of Makerere University after they were denied access to the campus, where they had accompanied their children as the annual graduation week kicked off, this morning. 

Previously, each graduand would be accompanied by two people, preferably parents or guardians to the graduation ceremony that is usually held in the university Freedom Square. However, due to COVID-19 induced restrictions, the university adopted a blended approach allowing a few people to physically attend the function while the majority were advised to follow the ceremony virtually.   

According to the communication sent out earlier, physical attendance was limited to selected guests, who include PhD and Masters Degree Graduands, as well as those with first-class honours degrees. “All parents, guardians, spouses, relatives, and friends are advised to follow the Graduation Ceremony on television and virtually on Makerere University social media pages,” the communication read.

However, on Monday morning, several parents showed up at the function but they were not allowed to go beyond the cut off point that was put around the School of Languages, Literature, and communication – just a few metres before Freedom Square.   

“You either present an invitation card or kindly leave or step aside so that we clear other people,” security officers told the emotional parents, as Lameck Kyobe, a parent from Masaka, pleaded to be allowed in arguing that he thought that the university would also allow parents of students who were allowed to physically attend the function.     

“We thought that as more students were not allowed, the invited few could be allowed to attend the function. We are very few here and I can see tents there are empty,” Kyobe argued but none of his explanations could move the security officers.     

Resty Nampala, another parent of a graduand who obtained a first-class honours degree nearly broke into tears when she was denied access to the venue. Later, during an interview, the mother noted she couldn’t let her child attend the graduation alone.     

Nampala, however, listened to the guidance by security officers at the cutoff point. Having been denied access she looked for a vantage point near the School of humanities where she sat and quietly followed the function. The enthusiastic parent could be seen clapping whenever an opportunity arose.

Joseph Kalyowa, a parent from Kasangombe in Nakaseke district whose son attained a first-class degree in industrial chemistry was also left in despair when he was denied access. Just like Kyobe, Kalyowa also expected that the invited graduand had been allowed to come with their parents as it has always been. He, however, notes that he was not aggrieved by the security officers’ decision to take the blame for having misinterpreted the communication from the University.     

After an explanation from security officers, most parents decided to seat in a quadrant opposite Centre Teaching Facility One, from where they followed the event. However, some decided to take a tour around Makerere while others exited the campus. Some graduands chose to have photo moments with their parents at several desired spots within the university before attending the graduation grounds.     

Unlike many parents who thought that they could be granted access, Emmanuel Ssembatya from Mbarara district whose daughter attained a master’s degree in Law says he was aware of the university’s organization and only decided to keep at the university campus to wait for their daughter.   

“The communication was clear; no parent or guardian was invited. For us, we came here to drop our daughter and drive her back home after the ceremony. We didn’t, and don’t, intend to attend the function that’s why we decided to sit here and wait,” said Ssembatya.     

More than 11,000 graduands are expected to receive degrees and diplomas during the five-day graduation ceremony that has kicked off today, Monday, May 17, and running up to May 21.  According to the issued programme, students from the School of Law, College of Health Sciences, and College of Natural Sciences have received their respective awards on Monday.   

Graduands from the College of Education and External Studies and their counterparts from the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences are expected to graduate on Tuesday.     

On Wednesday, the University will pass out graduands from the College of Business and Management Sciences, College of Computing and Information Sciences, and College of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Resources and Bio-security while Makerere University Business School that is affiliated to Makerere are expected to graduate on Thursday.   

The Five-day ceremony will finally wind up on Friday with the College of Engineering, Design, Art, and Technology and College of Humanities and Social Sciences.

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URN