Prof Balunywa asks graduands to desist from consumption of drugs

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Professor Waswa Balunywa, the Principal of Makerere University Business School- MUBS has urged graduands to desist from consumption of drugs.

Balunywa was on Thursday speaking at the ongoing graduation ceremony at Makerere University’s Freedom square.

The fourth day of the graduation week saw only graduands from Makerere University Business School (MUBS) being awarded degrees.

Balunywa noted that it is unfortunate that the challenge of drugs among youth is rampant which must be addressed if they are to safeguard their careers.

In 2015, in a study conducted by the National Drug Authority in Gulu and Kampala, 70 percent of the youth acknowledged having used at least one form of a drug while more than 30 percent were revealed to have become habitual drug abusers.

In 2020, Makerere University School of Public Health conducted a survey that indicated, Khat and Marijuana were the drugs of choice for many adolescent boys and young men in Uganda.

Globally, statistics indicate that drug abuse is on the rise and is anticipated to increase by 40 percent by 2030, and, in Uganda where 70 percent of the youth are unemployed and tend to find solace in such substances that give them a high.

Balunywa also expressed worry about the growing trend of homosexuality in the country. He urged the graduands to rally behind their leaders in preserving the values of the country.

“The issue of Homosexuality is becoming rampant, and our position is if somebody is forcing young people into it is wrong,” he said.

The one-week-long Makerere University 73rd graduation event which kicked off on Monday will climax on Friday with two colleges remaining; College of Engineering, Design, Art and Technology (CEDAT), and College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHUSS).

The Makerere University Convocation also honored Jordan Owomugisha the overall best-performing student from the Humanities, who scored a cumulativeGrade Point Average- CGPA of 4.9 in the Bachelor of Commerce from the MUBS-Mbarara campus with One Million Shillings.

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