Tension continues to engulf Kumi University, Iganga Campus as students threaten the protest against what has been termed as a deliberate attempt to disenfranchise through organising illegal and fraudulent guild elections.
The institution conducted its Guild election last weekend on May 13, 2023. The elections attracted two people, Mr Opoya Alfred and Mr Mubeezi Moses.
Opoya emerged winner after garnering 170 votes with his rival batting 115.
As soon as the results were released, however, students stormed the office of the Academic Registrar, Bruno Elwange and expressed their dissatisfaction concerning how the polls were conducted.
Mubeezi’s supporters accuse the Academic Registrar’s office of containing Opoya to frustrate them by conducting an election which is entirely fraudulent and illegal.
They for instance allege that Mr Opoya was ineligible for election in the guild office for being an in-service student who only spends three weeks at the University every term which they claim would leave students’ issues unattwnded to for most of the year.
Besides, they claim that voter registers were manipulated to allow fake voters to participate and invite non-students to vote in the names of those who were not around, which all gave the rival camp an added advantage.
The composition of the guild Electoral Commission is also under contestation. Mubeezi’s supporters say the Academic Registrar who illegally assumed the roles of the Electoral Commission enrolled helped the outgoing guild council to compose an illegal EC which they say oversaw an illegal dispensation of democracy.
Despite their week-long concerns, Administrators had remained tight-lipped until last evening when they threatened to demonstrate that a meeting was organised to address the issue.
According to Mr Mubeezi, even though he had demanded the nullification of the results and a complete overhaul of the EC system, Administrators appeared with a fake offer of the position of Deputy Prime Minister for him which he outrightly turned down.
” What we are demanding is a complete overhaul of the whole processor today and always. It’s not about me but about what is right for this institution that we all love dearly. We want a clear puck of rules set up for future direction.
Grace Mwesigwa, a student and also a supporter of Mr Mubeezi noted that as students in the institution that they dearly care for, they would not look on as their rights are being squashed. He called upon all fellow students to wake up and do what’s right other than when is convenient for this is the only tho g for which they will be remembered in future.
Mubezi has vowed to lead a rebellion against what he termed as “connivance by bad people to sneak a group into the guild government. He threatened action should the administrators continue with the arrangements to organise an illegal handover ceremony which is slated for today, May, 20.
Meanwhile, arrangements to swear in the new guild administration later today are in full gear despite the failure to reach a compromise between the administration and the other faction.
Our efforts to get a comment from the administration were futile by the time of filing this story as our repeated calls to the Principal of the University branch were not answered.
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