MAKERERE GUILD ELECTIONS: Student Killed on Last Day of Campaigns

A student has been killed at Makerere University, Uganda’s oldest and premier higher learning institution, just hours to polling which had been scheduled for Friday. 

The race for the 88th guild presidency had attracted a number of candidates, including Justus Tukamushaba of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), Hussein Ibra of the National Resistance Movement (NRM), Alionzi Lawrence Dangote of the National Unity Platform (NUP), Blessious Namirembe of the Democratic Party (DP), and Isaiah Mpiirwomugisha of the Alliance For National Transformation (ANT).

The race has attracted a total of 16 candidates. The winner of the poll will replace NUP’s Shamim Nambassa, the 87th guild president.

Voting was expected to happen on Friday, July 15. On the last day of campaigns, a student was killed in a scuffle between rival camps. Some reports suggest that the fighting was between NUP and FDC camps while others claim that the chaos was reportedly engineered by the NRM camp. Yet other reports claim that some national security agents had been deployed in the campaigns and could have had a hand. There was still ambiguity on what exactly happened.

Also, while some reports claim that the student was from Makerere University, others said he was from the Mukono-based Uganda Christian University (UCU). The deceased has been identified as Bewatte Betunguura.

Betunguura was said to be a law student in his second year at the Kampala Campus of the Mukono-headquartered UCU.

He had reportedly come to support FDC’s Tukamushaba, and was part of the procession of this guild presidential candidate.

Makerere guild campaigns are notorious for their chaos. Just a few weeks ago, there was chaos as police fired tear gas to disperse the NUP general assembly attended by Lewis Rubongoya. (Read Story Here).

There was also shock as Makerere students fired Vice Chancellor Prof Barnabas Nawangwe after he suspended NUP guild candidates. (Read Story Here).