Makerere University has not yet secured gowns for the graduating students who are expected to graduate from the university between 14th and 17th January next week. It is now a week to the ceremony and over 13,000 students are expected to graduate with diplomas, degrees, PhD and masters from the institution.
A source at the university said that the supplier is holding up the gowns until the balance of last year’s gowns and this year’s is fully paid.
“We have a gowns crisis at the university because the supplier whom the university contacted to provide the branded gowns has refused to release them and now the students are stack.” A source who preferred anonymity told Campus Bee.
This is the first incident of its kind because in the past years, students would get the requirements earlier. An example is last year’s graduation where students got the gowns, invitation cards, booklets as early as December. It is now a different case because the gowns are not yet ready and the graduands have to wait before picking all the three requirements.
One of the graduands who preferred to remain anonymous said that it’s a frustrating experience because many of them have been spending transport to come to the university to pick their gowns only to find no business going on at the Senate where the gowns are always issued out.
He further added that, they haven’t received any official communication regarding when they should come to pick their gowns but are instead being told to come back on another date that they aren’t sure of.
The vice chancellor however says that, there has been a delay in issuing out the gowns because some of them were imported from abroad and were being held at the airport over custom issues.
“The gowns were delayed at the airport for some reason but we are doing our best to get cleared so that the graduands can start picking up their gowns from their colleges.”
He also said that, the supplier was overwhelmed by the number of gowns slated for him to produce hence requiring them to import some from outside the country. He dismissed claims that the supplier was holding up the gowns because the university has not yet cleared his balance from last year’s and current supplies.
