Jackson Twijukye, who was this week sworn-in as Chairman for the Makerere University Electoral Commission (EC), has invited the intending Guild presidential candidates to duly fill and submit their nomination forms, arguing that no submission by a candidate will be accepted after Thursday, 19th March 2020.
In a letter addressed to Makerere University students, dated 12th March 2020, Twijukye says that nominations for candidates vying for the Guild office begins on 12th and ends on March 19th, where candidates must have met the requirements of the new guild electoral regulations that were passed by Makerere University Council on 4th March 2020.
Among the requirements, the new law demands that aspirants are Makerere students, admitted and fully registered by the University. The aspiring candidate must also be on normal progress without pending retakes, with CGPA of 2.8 and above. The candidate must also not have exceeded their study period due to a stay put, retake or refusal to register for the minimum course load.
More so, the new law requires that a guild presidential aspirant must not be an ex-convict, should not have received a judgment made against them by a legally constituted tribunal or adjudged bankrupt six months to nomination date.
However,this controversial electoral regulation policy has since been challenged by a section of students who claim that it’s an illegal instrument for the University Administration to meddle into affairs of students’ leadership at Makerere.
Makerere students also complain that hiking nomination fees to UGX 200,000/= for Guild presidential aspirants blocks many students who would genuinely want to offer service.
However, the chairman Makerere University Guild Electoral Commission advises Guild aspirants to acquaint themselves with the new law and do what is required of them.
“Aspiring candidates who will have satisfied nomination requirements as provided for in the Guild Constitution and electoral regulations will be issued with a certificate of nomination by the Electoral Commission and declared a duly nominated candidate for the position of the Guild President,” Twijukye notes.
