MUASA boss wants Makerere guild leadership reinstated 

The Chairperson of Makerere University Academic Staff Association (MUASA), Dr Robert Kakuru has asked the government to direct the university council to re-instate the guild leadership.

Dr Kakuru said that it was a mistake for the university council to suspend the guild at a time when students were needed to support the investigations into the death of Betungura Bewatte, a second-year law student at UCU Kampala campus who was killed in the violent students’ guild campaigns at Makerere University recently.

“The suspension of the guild was a mistake, you can suspend guild elections but not the guild caretakers. These are the students who were at the centre of this matter and at the same time, we need to investigate and come to a logical conclusion and there has to be student leadership,” he said.

Dr Kakuru raised the concern during the launch of a book titled, Academic, Research, and Leadership in Institutions of Higher Learning; Experiences from Makerere University, held at the university on Friday.

“When you disband guild caretaker leadership, then it means you have also disbanded the guild representation to the council which means that the students’ leadership structure does not exist,” he said. 

Students are supposed to be represented on the University Council, Senate, School Board meetings and other various organs of the university.

Early last month, Makerere University suspended the guild’s elections and its Students Guild following the violent events that characterised the electoral campaigns for the 88th Students Guild leadership.

“The ongoing elections for the 88th Makerere University Students Guild leadership are suspended indefinitely; the Makerere University Students Guild is suspended with immediate effect,” Ms Lorna Magara, the council chairperson said in a July 14 statement.

Responding to Dr Kakuru’s concerns, the Minister of ICT and National Guidance, Dr Chris Baryomunsi who was the guest of honour at the book launch said the university council had appointed a  committee that was investigating the matter and that a final decision will be taken once the report is out.

“Strong measures will be taken once the report is out. It was really misbehaviour. Students must desist from that kind of politics and focus on academics,” he said.

Dr Baryomunsi also advised members of the academia to desist from criticising various government programmes but instead use research findings to guide the design and implementation of the programmes.