By Mugisha Bright
Mr. Bwowe Ivan Sir, allow me to address this open missive to you. It may not, however, begin normally to you as it is not a brook of water in a solemn fountain but your endurance as the river roves down the hills will water land with water of harmony and make a great man for our leadership. I beg to continue. I would like to apologize first to anyone who wishes to abuse me because of penning this document down but I felt it was vital especially at this time.
To you I report my sincere disappointment in you on how you have continued to poke your nose into your successor’s leadership. As a Makererean who chose to have faith in your leadership, I feel too much disappointed in your style even after you leave office and continue to meddle into Bala’s leadership. First forward, your Excellency, on March 19, 2014, in that morning, I woke up to search for my identity card so as I can cast my vote to my favorite candidate Mr. Ivan Bwowe, it indeed came to pass after several sleepless nights of hunting for your vote.
After spending sleepless nights, losing my voice, missing my lectures, sacrificing our little finances, I don’t know whether this is the reward you want to offer Makerere University by trying to frustrate the current leadership. You are aware that the guild president serves for a one year non-renewable term and I must say I was very glad to have you as my guild president between 2014/15 academic years. It was always my prayer that incase the guild constitution allowed a “Kisanja” I would have voted you again but since the law doesn’t allow, I will just chill.
There is something that up to now I still admire about the person of Adeke Anna Ebajju (her Excellency) and Madam Lillian Aber because when they finished their terms of office, they dealt with it. Despite the successes that Adeke registered to us as intellectuals, I never heard or saw Anna meddle into your government and abuse you or use social media against you, NEVER. Even if I can quote verbatim her victory message to you Adeke said: “Congratulations fellow counsel HE Bwowe Ivan may you soar like the eagle you have proved to be.” I was taken by her humility then.
Even the people you served with in your government, the likes of Juma Kenneth, Byamaka Musa Rugambwa Ivan, Ssenoga Simon, Ssembanda Mathias, I have not seen them here try to meddle around with such cheap politicking of yours. Just first look at your speaker, Rt. Hon. Chark Benson, he is purely doing tremendous work to the nation, you should also think of spreading your wings far away from Makerere that is when you will make us proud as Makerereans. As Makerereans we feel you are far above students politics now, especially when you have your term served successfully. You should look big and think big minus thinking a Gilbert Bukenya way.
What beats my understanding is whether you are very much excited by social media or not. As former guild president, I want to assume that I am not the first person to tell you this but you are going overboard. When you have an issue with your successor, it is important that you use the most intellectual ways of handling these issues with them. I remember very well during the last guild elections, you had your favorite candidate who was Ms. Namulindwa Stellah (may be because she belonged to UYD, a party you subscribed to), I wish to admit that Stellah was a very good presidential candidate but the reality is she did not go through and please deal with that. Power changes hands in this institution with surprising frequency and civilized grace, and for all its horrors and disappointments it is still a wonder to behold.
During our time, when we had Mujinya Andrew as our candidate and as fate would have it, never made it. Did you see us confront your leadership openly or we rather joined you to take Makerere to the next level? Early in March this year, the current guild president H.E Bala David Bwiruka won an election which he entered just four days to the voting day and won with 5,564 votes. It should be noted that even after his victory, because of your ego and maybe thinking you would have the elections reversed, you funded other candidates to petition the University Council Chairman on March 20, 2015 over the nullification of Bala’s election against the ruling by High Court judge, His Worship Tadeo Asiimwe for reinstating Kayondo Latima and Bala David Bwiruka. In the petition, I was annoyed by the reasoning of the petitioners when they alleged that the ballot paper was designed in favor of Bala being on top of the ballot paper to the disadvantage of Andrew Baguma who they believed was the first in alphabet.
Let me cut to the chase: You’re a hypocrite. During your term of office, you lectured us on how you were pro students and how you wanted to have all these issues find long lasting solutions.
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