Restore Partisan Politics – Makerere’s VC Nawangwe Told

Makerere University’s vice chancellor Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe has been told to restore partisan politics since they play a fundamental role in shaping national politics.

Politicians who spoke at the Mak at 100 guild dialogue on March 9th rebuked Makerere’s administration under the leadership of VC Nawangwe for denying students their constitutional right to associate with political parties.

Former guild president Ivan Bowe, in his presentation, said Makerere cannot ban partisan politics. Bowe noted that politics had been nonpartisan before but that never hindered students from associating with political parties.

Mukasa Mbidde said political parties in Uganda do not have the freedom to practice politics according to their own script thus not surprising that Makerere University is trying to block students from associating with political parties.

“All political parties in Uganda don’t have the freedom to practice their politics. In Uganda we have never exercised multiparty dispensation. What we have here is registering political parties,” he said.

Makerere University 88th Guild president Alionzi Lawrence alias told students who are contesting in the 89th guild election not to shy away from associating with political parties.

“As the vice chancellor of students, I direct as follows: associate with political parties. What you won’t have is party symbols on the nomination and ballot paper,” he said.

Speaking on behalf of the administration, Umar Kakumba, in his capacity as acting vice chancellor, said political parties had not been banned but there just a few limitations to help remove the chaos allegedly associated with them. Kakumba noted that political parties are important in shaping individuals for the outside world.

Makerere University banned partisan politics last year following an election scuffle that led to the death of UCU student Bewate. The University Council said the move was intended to reduce chaos.

However, former guild president Roy Ssemboga trashed the development. Roy said that chaos has been in the university for decades but never has the university acted swift. For instance, he alleged that police has been party to some of the chaos but it has never been banned from the University.

The third edition of the Makerere at 100 dialogue focused on the relevance of political parties in University politics. The dialogue was attended by politicians such as Lewis Rubongoya, Alice Alaso, Mukasa Mbidde and Ssemujju Nganda.