If you’ve been or are still a student at Makerere, you must have attended any guild rally. And if you’ve attended such, then you’ve seen these saving-like boxes lined up for Guild presidential candidates to honor by visiting their pockets and coming out with currency amidst rounded fists to buy favor in these boxes.
On several occasions, some contestants are denied the right to address supporters all because they’ve failed to make these culture boxes smile. 
Today, campusbee.ug decided to torch into this norm and break it down to answer all the questions that have always pondered in your heads about these boxes.
What does each box stand for?
They are usually 8 in number. Namely; The culture box, The Guard Brigade (Osagyefu for Nkrumah Hall, Rat for Mitchel and complex, Gongom for Lumumba and Mary Stuart etc). These guard brigades are responsible for primarily keeping law and order in and at the hall entry check points at the rally day. The Hall SCR,Elders’Box, Ancestors’ Hall Chairman’s box, Interior Minister’s box, Speaker Chambers’ box.
Who Sits on which box?
According to the different heads of these hall posts, they may decide to sit in themselves or delegate representatives.
How do they determine the amount to be put in each box?
A meeting is held the night before the day when the rally will be held. This meeting calls for all candidates and they are briefed on how much to put in every box. On average, each candidate is expected to put 10k in the Culture and Guard Brigade boxes, and a maximum of 5k in all the other 6 boxes depending on how heavy the candidates’ pockets are.
Here’s a sample of the meeting message:
“LIVINGSTONE RALLY
All Guild aspirants are invited to Livingstone today at 8pm For a compulsory meeting in light of tomorrow’s rally. Failure to turn up Is going 2 bare consquences for the aspirant. KIBERU FAIZO MIYA SHABAN, CULTURE MINISTER AFROSTONE COMMUNITY”
Do contestants honor the box rules?
Absolutely yeah, some do while others don’t which brings their chances of speaking almost down to Zero. If you fail to fulfill some of these boxes’ demands, you don’t get anywhere close to the microphone to address the gathered electorate. Most contestants are seen begging for mercy while others are bailed out by friends with instant minute loans to drop in the boxes.
Where does this money go?
“Unless otherwise (say if the holder is lenient and/or merciful) the box holder takes the money. It is a Mugaati mobocracy ting dis,” said our anonymous insider source at one of the Halls.
As if I misheard, I insisted on asking our anonymous source what this money is used for and bursting into a big laughter he said;
“Such monies can’t do anything for the hall. You want us to use the money for re-painting or what?”
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