Yesterday a group of students went to the High Court seeking clarity on the powers of the Makerere University vice chancellor professor Barnabas Nawangwe to suspend them from the university.
They have petitioned the Civil Division of the High Court specifically challenging rule (6) (1) (d) of the 2015 Makerere University Regulations which gives the vice chancellor unquestioned powers to suspend any student at will without a prior disciplinary summon.
The students, led by their guild – Vice President Judith Nalukwago, contend that their rights to attain a meaningful and wholesome education are being suffocated by the unfair administrative and regulatory sanctions imposed on them by the professor.
The other students in the matter are Marion Kirabo, Mariam Kyomugisha, David Musiri, Julius Mbabazi Muyambi and Abbas Luyombo. The vice chancellor recently suspended nine students and warned 26 others for allegedly destroying property during the 15% protests that went on for about 10 days at the institution.
This kind of discontentment amongst the students resulted from the 15% tuition policy that was imposed on the new students joining the institution for a period of five years. The students claim they are worried by such policies saying that they don’t want to leave behind an institution that the next generations will not afford.
The students want the High Court to stop further implementation of the contentious regulations. The students also want a declaration that all decisions,orders and directives based on the said regulations are illegal and thus null and void. We await the response from the vice chancellor who is expected to file his defense soon following the case lodged against him questioning his suspension powers.
