Kyambogo University Disbands New Electoral Commission For Soliciting Bribes

The disbanded electoral commission under Akatuyamba Baker as chairperson was appointed by German Amanya, the Guild President of the University and approved by the Guild Representative Council (GRC) on 30^th January in accordance with Article 17 Clause 2 (a) of the Guild Constitution. However, even before the commission would commence its work, word started spreading that the commission was engaged in acts of corruption.

The newly vetted and approved Kyambogo University electoral commission was dissolved on Friday 15^th February by the Guild Council for soliciting and receiving bribes from students who sought to become polling assistants in the Guild elections scheduled for March.

A section of students who were interested in becoming polling assistants accused the commission of soliciting Shs. 30,000 from each of them as a gate pass to being confirmed for the positions. These presented evidence of WhatsApp screenshots and voice notes to the dean of students hence prompting her to open up an investigation into the bribery scandal.

“I constituted a committee chaired by the senior legal officer to investigate the allegations of bribery among the electoral commissioners. The team did their work and presented a report to my office. They established that the chairperson of the electoral commission and other commissioners had solicited bribes from students to be recruited as polling agents,” a letter authored by the Dean of students to the entire students’ body read in a part.

It is also alleged that some contestants had bribed the commission with money amounting to Shs. 200,000 so as to go through without the hustle of campaigning and looking for votes.

“The amount of money that was solicited through bribes amounts to Shs. 2,500,000. It was surrendered and banked on the Guild account. The bribery scandal will not only affect those who solicited and received bribes but also those who attempted to bribe the commissioners,” the Dean of students elaborated.

The electoral commission was therefore disbanded and relieved of its duties of transacting electoral business by the Guild House in an emergency seating held on Friday last week. This has delayed the process of nomination and commencement of campaigns as there is no commission in place to issue out a roadmap for the 2019/2020 Guild elections.