Days nearing the guild elections at Makerere have been gruesome to students’ democracy, governance and Constitutionalism. What they have been subjected to is the toughest of all where the electoral committee had to scrutinize their marks.
The only female in the race Judith Nalukwago and the National Unity Platform candidate has been a culprit with retakes. According to the rules and regulations of the Electoral committee, students with pending retakes or missing marks are not allowed to contest.
Nalukwago says that the University administration and the state have imposed their puppets in office of the guild through the Vice Chancellor, Dean of students and the chairperson. And that on 30th Friday April, 2021, rules of the Guild elections to frustrate and directly control the students’ electoral processes and forcefully kicking her out of the race.
“By this they planned to impose upon students’ sovereignty a candidate who would go through unopposed and be used to maintain the infamous 15% tuition increment,” Nalukwago said
Nalukwago went ahead and petitioned the University administration and the students’ electoral committee to court but unfortunately she lost the case.
“In the miscellaneous case of 135 of 2021, Nalukwago Vs Makerere University and the Electoral committee, the judge Emmanuel Baguma ruled that the Candidate could not contest in the ongoing race on grounds that she did not meet the requirements,” said Twijukye Jackson, EC chairperson.
With the disqualification of Judith Nakukwago, National Unity Platform had no any other choice but to endorse Aaron Oguttu who is the ‘hot cake’ in the eyes of all students. However, Nakukwago is not in support of Oguttu, and has allied with her supporters to rally behind Ssempijja Ivan also known as “Melting Magma”.
“I hereby support strongly the operation melting magma and declare a joint Force for Ssempijja Ivan whom we all believe will continue with our mission to put a halt to the infamous tuition policy and draconian administrative methodologies of the Nawangwe administration,” Nakukwago emphasized.
All students are eagerly waiting for Friday 7th May, 2021, to elect both guild presidents and guild representatives from different faculties. The voting will be both physical and online for those far from campus.
