The Electoral Commission of Uganda Christian University (UCU) has declared second year student of the Bachelors of Business Administration (BBA), Barasha Duncan as the new guild president for the year 2017-18.
The students of the university participated in the election the whole of yesterday the 2nd of November 2017.
The tallying of the results started from 7:30 pm in different classroom blocks for the other positions, while the presidential tallying took place in the university main hall. It was at about 00:05 hours the following day that the final results for the elections were announced, sending his supporters jubilating for the victory.
Barasha got 985 votes, 641 for Owere Hannington for Mass Communication, 542 for Gulume Mark from the computer science course and 113 invalids.
Students off sem denied the chance to vote.
It was shocking to many that the majority of his potential voters, the students in the second year students of BBA, his class are not on semester (off sem) yet he managed to garner all those votes. In a story Campus Bee ran a while ago, the university this semester transferred the students doing Business courses to January semester.
The electoral commission thought to introduce an e-voting system for the students off sem but the system failed to be implemented due to a number of technicalities, and comments from those opposed to it. The students in his class constantly kept inquiring from the electoral commission if there was a possibility of them casting their votes but in vain.
Some elements of the students question the credibility of the results but the tallying was done in the open, with every student attentively counting along with the commission officials.
Despite the absence of his class mates, Barasha is very grateful about the large numbers that saw a future in him and turned out in large numbers to vote for him.
“I am very grateful that the students turned out in large numbers to vote me,” he said. He goes on to thank those students that stood with him from day one when he declared his intention to stand.
One of his friends tells Campus Bee that the new guild president declared his intention to stand for the position during a fellowship gathering in one of the hostels in the university.
“I thank God that he has stood with me throughout this time”. He gives his credit to the students that were able to support him financially, and those that gave him counsel throughout the campaign.
The candidates from the other positions are overjoyed in their victories. The compilation of the results has not yet been made by the commission for publishing.
Over 70% of the students refuse to vote
Over 70% of the students shunned the election. During the debate on Tuesday, it was revealed by the moderator of the debate that the current enrollment numbers of the students this semester is about 6,000 students. This shows that the students were not interested in the election, also questioning the legitimacy of the new leaders.
Congratulations for the new leaders.
