Kyambogo University’s 2024/25 Guild elections have taken a fresh twist with students petitioning the Executive Secretary of the Uganda National Students Association (UNSA) to prevail upon university authorities to immediately take relevant steps for the elections to be held.
A nine-man cabinet of candidates for the elections has been issued and, according to the EC authorities, have gone through the requisite steps and have been duly nominated for the various posts they are vying for.
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In a letter to the Vice Chancellor signed by the UNSA Executive Secretary Fred Toskin Cherukut dated October 23, and copied to the Commissioner Students’ Affairs Ministry of Education and Sports, University Secretary Kyambogo University, Dean of Students Kyambogo University, President UNSA and the Chairperson Electoral Commission, Adria Ssenabulya, the management was accused for causing delay of the elections through frustrating procurement of ballot papers by stifling delivery by service providers.
Cherukut’s letter also cited a meeting on 17th October 2024 engineered by the Dean of Students Mugume Bridget and the University Secretary Arthur Katongole, and attended by outgoing guild leaders, which meeting is said to have okayed undue postponement of the elections twice, from the scheduled 10th October to 17th October, and then to 22nd October.
Despite several letters, the letter further stated, the VC’s office has failed to address the issue, which has in effect occasioned loss of time for studying, other resources involved in preparation for elections, plus generation of anguish due to unwarranted postponement.
“This being a national body, we hereby guide that management provides material and supports the EC to hold elections with immediate effect, call a stakeholders’ meeting involving the EC and candidates, and to address the above raised issues to avoid mistrust.
In a related development, in a letter dated 23rd October 2024 signed by the Vice Chairman Prof. Eli Katunguka Rwakishaya, the EC Chairman was served with dismissal on claims of improper conduct.
The letter read in part, “a thorough review of your conduct and actions as a whole and your recent decisions and acts have undermined integrity of the EC”.
An earlier letter dated 22nd October from the EC Chairman Axam Ssembatya confirmed that one Lugalavu Lawrence in the office of the dean had made a requisition for ballot papers worth sh24.5m but that they were by the time of writing the letter still missing.
However, Ssembatya distanced himself from responsibility for procurement of ballot papers saying in his letter, “I am by law the Returning Officer but I am not responsible for procuring the ballot papers”.
The candidates vying for the post of Guild President include; Humphrey Mugalya of the National Unity Platform (NUP), Thomas Rwantonzi Masavu of the National Resistance Movement (NRM), Tonny Bwete, Winnie Mulumba, Timothy Ntare Mwesigwa, Caleb Joshua Wamara, Isaac Suubi, Edward Agaba and Benjamin Akiso.
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