OPINION: Where does the NRM-NUP Marriage of Convenience/Inconvenience Leave Students’ Politics at Makerere University?

Makerere University students have been left murmuring in recent times about the relationship between National Resistance Movement (NRM) and National Unity Platform (NUP).

This comes barely a week after NUP’s Alionzi Lawrence who also doubles as the 88th guild president of Makerere University secretly appointed NRM kingpin Hussein Ibra, his main rival in the 88th students guild elections as the new Finance Minister in a bitter reshuffle that has left many student leaders across the divide wondering why. 

This, according to an insider, could be explained by the following three narratives;

Firstly, Hussein Ibra being from a well to do background could have probably bought off the position to further his agenda and political career since it’s alleged that he has all along bought the positions he has occupied. 

Secondly, it could be a grand plan by His Excellency Alionzi Lawrence Dangote intending to shape his legacy by being the first guild president to appoint his strong competitor and work with them especially from the ruling party.

The third narrative is around the budget that is yet or that has been passed by the guild house and perhaps the president does not trust the choice he had made for the minister of finance.

However, despite the above, the move was not welcomed by most NUP diehards at the hill reasoning that it might soil the popularity of NUP, a well known opposition political party amongst learners.

Among those discomforted by the move is Sulaiman Namwoze who said that the decision by Alionzi might spoil the record of having all guild presidents at the hill come from NUP since he’s also eyeing the 89th race under the same ticket.

When Mr Alionzi was contacted on the appointment, he declined to reveal the information saying, “It will be communicated at the right time.”

Attached (below) is the new guild cabinet;