Makerere VC stays guild polls

Kampala, Uganda  | THE INDEPENDENT |  Makerere University guild polls hang in balance following a directive by the acting Vice Chancellor, Professor Umar Kakumba staying all electoral activities pending a review of the contested electoral reforms.

He issued the directive following concerns by the Guild Speaker, Ezra Byakutangaza about the pending polls. The Guild Constitution provides for the election of new student leaders within the first 50 days of the semester. However, Byakutangaza, who is currently the acting Guild President following the dissolution of the Julius Kateregga-led 2019/2020 guild cabinet and Guild Representative Council (GRC) requested the Vice Chancellor to extend the electoral period to allow time for guidance on the electoral reforms and the manner in, which the elections will be held.

The Guild Parliament was dissolved on January 28th 2020 after the GRC voted the in-coming Electoral Commission.

“I have also noted your concern about the unresolved issues about the gazetted Guild Elections Regulations given that, following the petition from the students, the University Council had given them an opportunity to make recommendations to the University Council about the Elections Regulations,” says Professor Kakumba.

Adding that; “… your request for extension of the period for the electoral process is, therefore, granted in accordance with section 73 (1) of the Guild Constitution until such a time when guidance is given on the Regulations and how the process will be handled.”

On December 6th, 2018, the University governing Council passed the Makerere University Students Guild (Elections) Regulations.  However, the guidelines were deferred after the then guild leaders, said they were never consulted and requested that the students’ guild is given change to have their input in the regulations.

In light of this, the University council advised the Guild to set up a committee to guide on the electoral reforms as far as the students are concerned. It is against this background that speakers from 11 halls of students’ residence were invited to interface with the committee to discuss on the feasibility of the reforms.  The Hall Speakers are mandated with conducting and presiding over the Senior Common Room (SCR) elections in their different Halls. The University Hall Speakers last month rejected the guild reforms and gazetted electoral reforms, saying that whereas such regulations are made for the better management of the university, Council shouldn’t be patronising student affairs as that becomes excessive exercise of power and authoritarianism.

The Speakers accuse the governing Council of usurping the students’ powers to decide on how they conduct their elections. They say they cannot support the legitimization of the statute “whose aim is to shrink the constitutional and democratic space of the students’ body” and have since unanimously condemned it.

“The University Hall Speakers therefore unanimously reject the election regulations entirely owing to their absurdity, procedural impropriety and the ill motives with which they were passed,” read a statement by the speakers.

They have however recommended that a proper constitutional amendment process be undertaken by the students’ body. Judith Nalukwago, a 3rd year Bachelor of Dental Surgery student Guild Presidential hopeful, suspects the delays are meant to give time and chance for the pro-administration guild candidate to catch up. “…and also they want the speaker to remain in power so that they can implement their policies because the speaker is their person,” said Nalukwago.

Julius Kateregga, the out-going Guild President says it would be unjust for the University to deal with this serious matter when there is no substantive Students Leadership.   “I think, it was not the right thing to do since in the last session the GRC unanimously rejected the Council Electoral reform, saying the reforms were unseating the Guild Constitution, which is equally a Council document agreed on by the University Council, administration and the Students Leadership,” Kateregga says.

Kateregga argues that the University should allow space for the new leadership to take up the mantle and agree about these reforms. URN understands that the 84th and 85th Guild Leaderships had unanimously rejected them on two occasions.

Lawel Muhwezi, the speaker for Uganda Young Democrats (UYD) Makerere Chapter, says the request by the Guild Speaker to extend elections is an unnecessary.

“…this is not done in intention but rather in ignorance, in quest to portray superiority but without putting a side a possibility of selfishness. Going back to this letter, it puts us in a critical position which in effect is suspension of student guild activities (electioneering) until the university council sits,” says Muhwezi.

He argues that the directive by the Vice Chancellor doesn’t specify when the governing Council will sit again, but tells that any activities in the line of elections must wait till then.

“The same person who strives to suffocate the space and powers of student leaders, is the same person from whom you seek definition of how you should run your affairs,” Muhwezi observed.

He says that with the guild polls on halt, the sitting Guild Speaker, Byakutangaza benefits as he continues to remain serving as the sole students’ voice since he is the interim government leader.  “…if any policies are passed, if any misrepresentation is made on the students’ behalf, Mr. Byakutangaza will be held solely liable, and as a studentship if we are to pounce on any one, he will be the first. We shan’t accept one individual to put the entire general students will at hold for his individual interests,” Muhwezi adds.

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URN