As Makerere University prepares to hold its 66th graduation ceremony, 27 students risk missing on the graduation list if at all they don’t clear their criminal cases.
The crimes committed include forgery, theft, hooliganism, examination malpractice, sexual assault, illegal participation in assemblies like strikes, defaulting land lords among others.
Speaking on Monday, Makerere University Chief Security Officer (CSO), Mr Jackson Muchunguzi, said that Police won’t sign the clearance forms of those students on the police wanted list unless they first clear the charges against them.
“This is done in order to show the rest of students that once they commit crimes, they will face the law. We are serious on this issue and any student who is on our list will not have their clearance papers stamped before they clear the cases against them. We therefore call upon them to urgently do so because the deadline is drawing closer.” Mr Muchunguzi said.
Mr Muchunguzi added although some of these students were released on Police bond, they have not reported back to clear. He said that Police is liaising with students’ leaders to sensitize students on how to mitigate crimes.
However, some of the students on the list have faulted Police on failure to handle their cases on time, arguing that they could miss graduation because of the snail-pace service delivery of some Police officers
Mr Norman Musiime, a Bachelor of Computer science finalist, said that Police has not cleared him despite paying his former land lord, a claim the latter has dismissed as lies.
“I paid the balance that I owed my land lord and everything was solved. My land lord told me that he had withdrawn the case from Police and that he had told them how I cleared him. However Police has failed to clear me, saying that I haven’t cleared. Am now confused because time is running up.”MrMusiime said.
Makerere University Academic Registrar, Mr Alfred MasikyeNamoah, said that the University’s 66th graduation will be held from 19 January to 22 January
Meanwhile, the University Vice Chancellor, Prof John Ddumba Ssentamu has said that the University, which closed on 19 December 2015 after the end of Semester one examination, will resume on 30 January 2016 for the second Semester. He made the announcement in an interview with Daily Monitor on Phone yesterday, following the students’ inquiry on whether the University would resume after elections.
In August 2015, Makerere University Council issued new rules and regulations ahead of the opening of the academic year 2015/2016.
The policies, among others, require students to desist from masterminding or participating in strikes, sexual and drug abuse, use of vulgar language and indecent dressing.
The University Council Chairperson, Dr Wana Etyem, while issuing the new policies, said that this was to restore the students’ discipline at the Country’s oldest institution of learning. However, the new policies met criticisms from students, who argued that this was an infringement on their rights.
