An anonymous Kyambogo University student has authored and addressed a letter to the Guild Council of the institution through the Guild Speaker challenging the leadership of the University’s convocation for neglect of duty and lack of accountability in operation of the body’s activities.
The Kyambogo University Convocation is a body that consists of its alumni including those that studied in the founding institutions of the Banda based University before 2002. The founding institutions include Uganda Polytechnic Kyambogo (UPK), Uganda National Institute of Special Education (UNISE) and Institute of Teacher Education Kyambogo (ITEK).
The convocation also advances membership to all persons who studied and completed courses in all National Teachers’ Colleges in Uganda, current and former members of the University council and former vice chancellors, academic registrars, secretaries and dean of students.
The Kyambogo University Convocation leadership is supposed to, among others, take interest and participate in the planning and development of the University, initiate income generating projects for the convocation and the University, establish avenues for participation of its members in national issues, establish a global communication network among members, foster unity, popularize and promote the intellectual image of the University, assist in placement of graduates, foster motivation through honoring and recognizing outstanding students and staff, and lobby for financial and non-financial resources for the University.
However, according to the petitioner, the leadership is incompetent and has failed to fulfill its mandated objectives as there is no visibility of any achievement and yet students continually pay mandatory convocation fee of Shs. 10,000 before graduation.
“About 15,000 graduates are passed out each year which indicates that over Shs. 150,000,000 is collected and paid into the convocation account. It is to our dismay that the leadership of the convocation has failed to solicit for more resources and only waited for money paid by students. Worse still, we do not feel any impact of the students’ contributions since there is no visible project on ground by the convocation,” the petitioner keenly noted.
The petitioner has also pointed a dissatisfactory finger at the convocation leadership for failure to intervene and foster unity among University stakeholders especially during students’ and staff unrest/strikes.
It is upon this written account of the convocation leadership’s loopholes that the petitioner has requested the Guild Council to use its powers and demand for accountability from the body, and if possible, move a vote of no confidence that will ensure the installation of new stewardship over the Convocation Kyambogo University.
The petition has already been presented to the Kyambogo University Guild Council and is up for discussion in one of the upcoming Guild Council meetings.
