In the heat of the ongoing Makerere University guild presidential election campaigns, the Vice Chancellor (VC) Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe has threatened to “cancel” the said campaigns if the cases of hooliganism that have tainted the whole process do not stop.
In a tweet, the professor of Architecture said: “Increasing cases of hooliganism during Guild campaigns are a threat to restoring respect to graduates of our great university.”
He further went on to implore the candidates in the race to prevail upon their supporters and curtail the violence.
“If cases of hooliganism arent stopped, we may consider cancelling the process.”
Guild campaign rallies are conducted in halls of residence at the university and by far, only the Livingstone and Complex hall rallies have been the only ones without teargas.
At the Nkrumah hall rally for instance, Police were engaged in exchange of blows with students and one Policeman almost had his gun wrestled away from him by a student prompting the release of several live bullets and teargas cannisters.
At the Mary Stuart hall rally, several Policemen were nursing head and other physical injuries after an exchange of blows with students.
The university council, which the vice chancellor can influence, is mandated by the Universities and Other Tertiary Institutions Act to overrun such processes and even suspend the guild government whenever they deem it fit.
Today’s rally is at Africa Hall which everyone expects to be peaceful, but in Makerere anything is possible.
