IUIU dons, students shock First Lady as they fail to sing national anthem

MBALE.

Education minister Janet Museveni was left speechless with shock when lecturers and students of Islamic University in Uganda (IUIU) Mbale main campus failed to sing the national anthem.

Trouble for the lecturers and their students popped up when everyone stood up to attention and cleared their voices ready to intone the stanzas of the national anthem. But the public address system that had all been tuned, its speakers readied to give the cue to all assembled, suddenly went mute.

Left without any cue to prompt them, the lecturers and students panicked and were thrown into confusion as some started the stanzas in reverse and others mixed up words, ending in discordant pitches.

Not amused, and looking perplexed, Ms Museveni dressed down the lecturers and students for failing to sing the song of devotion to country.

“This is quite unfortunate that you people failed to sing the national anthem. It’s just because I don’t have the time, but I would challenge you [lecturers and students] to sing the anthem,” she said.

“We need to learn how to sing the national anthem because it brings Ugandans together. This should be our prayer and when you don’t sing it, it means you’re not praying for your country,” Ms Museveni challenged.
She made the remarks shortly after laying a foundation stone for the Islamic Development Bank-funded IUIU modern library on Friday.

Reacting to the embarrassing failure by an entire university body to recite Uganda’s patriotic music that praises and celebrates the country’s beauty, aspirations for Godly-living, unity, freedom, unity, friendship and liberty, Ms Museveni, who is also a council member of IUIU, urged Ugandans not to rely on recorded national anthem, which has embarrassed IUIU.
“We should move out of that mentality of just playing recorded national anthem but instead learn how to sing it. This business of playing [recorded versions] should be stopped,” she warned.

“Let’s sing the anthem ourselves with our voices and it should be heard, especially during public functions,” Ms Museveni advised.

She, however, commended the IUIU leadership and students for exercising great discipline.
However, the acting IUIU spokesperson, Mr Ali Edinani, dismissed allegations that the lecturers and students had failed to sing.

“They only failed to sing the anthem during the opening. They were relaying on the public address system. As we were closing the function, people sung all the three stanzas and the minister was happy,” Mr Edinani, who is also the director of IUIU Kampala campus, said.

The IUIU Rector, Dr Ahmed Kawesa Sengendo, earlier expressed concern that the university has a small library and other infrastructure and this problem had been compounded by financial constraints.

The university has a population of 8,423 students.
The Uganda national anthem was composed by George Wilberforce Kakoma in 1962 at the dawn of the country’s independence from Britain on October 9, 1962. The anthem has been translated into 25 major languages of Uganda.