Makerere blames gowns crisis on contractor
Rehearsal. Students pose in gowns at Makerere University main campus yesterday. The first batch of 7,000 gowns, of the required 13,5000, was delivered to the university yesterday ahead of next week’s graduation ceremony. PHOTO BY STEPHEN OTAGE
What you need to know:
- As a result, the first batch of 7,000 gowns, of the required 13,5000 was delivered to the university and some students received them.
- Those from the colleges of Education and External studies, and Business and Management Science that will graduate in the first days are being given first priority.
Makerere University management has said they did not import graduation gowns from China and blamed the supplier for the decision that has culminated in the delayed delivery of the attire.
The university’s 70th graduation ceremony is slated to start on Monday, January 14, but by Wednesday, the contractor had not delivered the gowns, causing anxiety among the would-be recipients.
The Vice Chancellor, Prof Barnabas Nawangwe, yesterday placed the blame on Team Uniforms Limited, whom the university contracted three years ago.
“Makerere has not imported gowns from China. The suppliers is the one who is importing gowns. For us, we just receive the gowns when they are ready. How and where he makes them from is not our problem provided he makes them to the standard and specification we have given him,” Prof Nawangwe said.
“As a government institution, we are disappointed that his action is not supporting BUBU [Buy Uganda Build Uganda policy] because we know that there are enough people in this country that can make those gowns on time,” he added
Prof Nawangwe said the university management will demand for answers from the supplier.
“The University Council will handle all these issues of why the gowns were imported from China and why the contractor delayed to deliver. He still has to supply us for more two years, so these issues must not be repeated again,” he said.
Sources had earlier told this newspaper that the supplier was withholding the gowns because he was still demanding pay from the university.
The Deputy Vice Chancellor in-charge of Academic affairs, Prof Umar Kakumba, yesterday said they have already paid the supplier Shs300 million to deliver all the gowns and the balance will be paid later.
First batch delivered
As a result, the first batch of 7,000 gowns, of the required 13,5000 was delivered to the university and some students received them.
Those from the colleges of Education and External studies, and Business and Management Science that will graduate in the first days are being given first priority.
Their colleagues from other colleges that will graduate last will receive theirs next week.
Meanwhile, the guild council gave the university management 24 hours ultimatum to deliver the gowns to all the 13,500 students slated to graduate next week or else they go on strike.
The education minister, Mr Jackson Mayambala, said they paid a lot of money for the gowns but it was shocking that they have not been delivered on time.
