Ex-Makerere guild boss graduates after 10 years

Makerere University’s 84th guild president, Papa Were Salim, has finally graduated after 10 years of studying.

He is among the 212 students who graduated yesterday from the College of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Resources and Biosecurity (COVAB).

Papa, who was guild president in the academic year 2017/2018, has been pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Veterinary Medicine. It is a course that lasts five years.

Papa was a resident of Nsibirwa Hall, also known as Northcote Hall.

He joined the university in 2013 and was supposed to graduate in 2019.

Papa revealed that he has been pursuing businesses elsewhere as he was waiting for graduation and he is into money remittance within and out of the country.

“I had challenges with missing marks at the university,” Papa told this publication yesterday.

When asked how he was feeling after graduating, he said: “I would like to congratulate all those who have graduated today [yesterday], going through the gates of Makerere University will forever remain a great feeling.  I feel very happy to have reached this day.”

Papa said he was a government-sponsored student for the five years that he was supposed to do the course, so in the years that followed, he took care of his tuition.

“In this journey, I have learnt not to give up, learnt to remain persistent but most importantly remain hopeful. My lecturers have been very supportive towards this journey and I thank them so much,” Papa said.

When asked how he felt whenever other students graduated as he missed out, he said, “Just like anybody else, missing out on graduation from Makerere University is always a sad experience but later on you come to terms with the reality and keep pushing so that you make it.”

According to Prof Barnabas Nawangwe, the Makerere University vice chancellor, the policy on duration of stay at the institution can allow one to extend the time frame  of their course to a certain limit.

“One can spend the statutory time for the programme plus two extra years, excluding the period of official withdrawal from the programme. So Papa Were was just on time,” Prof Nawangwe told this publication yesterday.

Papa shot to the limelight when he and his guild council rejected a  proposal to hike tuition fees by between 45% and 91% . The policy was to affected students joining the university in the 2018/2019 academic year.

The demonstrations that ensued forced the Council to halt implementation of the policy.

The week-long graduation that started on Monday ends tomorrow.

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