The Islamic University in Uganda (IUIU) will hold its Guild Elections virtually between Tuesday, 24th August, and 28th September, 2021 to elect the Chairperson Electoral Commission and Guild Officials of 34th Islamic University Students Union ( IUSU).
Speaking in an interview with Campus Bee, the University’s Dean of Students (University Coordinator) Dr Sulaiti Kabali says both elections to elect the Chairperson Electoral Commissions and Guild Officials will be held virtually.
“Unlike the past guild elections where students were voting electronically whilst on campus using the E-Vote App, the proposed electronic voting will be different as students will vote from their respective homes,” Dr Kabali says.
The new voting methodology is being implemented due to the closure of universities in Uganda in the wake of the new wave of COVID-19 pandemic.
Traditionally, the IUIU voting process starts with electing the Chairperson for the Electoral Commission after being vetted thoroughly by the authorities (Shura Committee).
The Chairperson of the Electoral Commission works hand in hand with the Office of the Dean of students to make sure that elections are fair and credible.
The students aspiring to take positions in Islamic University Students’ Union (IUSU) Government are vetted thoroughly by the university authorities before being allowed to contest.
The vetting process involves checking their CGPA and morality among others.Some of the elective positions in the IUSU Government include Guild President, Lady Vice Guild President, and Guild Speaker.
The Guild President heads the Executive of the IUSU Government while the Guild Speaker heads the Parliament of the IUSU Government. The Guild President appoints Cabinet and State/Deputy Ministers to help him run the Government.
The Guild Speaker among others chairs parliamentary sessions involving Members of Parliament (MPs) that are elected from Halls of Residence.
The outgoing Guild President of the IUSU Government is Welunga Yusuf (3rd-year student of Bachelor of Laws) while the then Guild Speaker of IUSU Parliament now the Interim Guild President after dissolution of the 33rd IUSU Government is Abdirazak Abdullah Muhammad (3rd-year student of Bachelor of Science in Environment Science).
The University has told Campus Bee that the App for voting has already been developed. Authoritative sources told Campus Bee that only registered students will be allowed to vote
