Five Makerere University alumni have petitioned the University Council to suspend the October 31 Convocation election until a number of legal, electoral and governance concerns are resolved.
The petitioners, Ruth Kitamirike, Raymond Ssenteza, Margaret Nattabi, Joshua Muhwezi and Sylus Oluka, say they are not opposed to holding elections but want the process conducted under clear and published rules governing membership, nominations, voting, accessibility, complaints and dispute resolution.
The election notice has scheduled the Convocation’s Annual General Meeting and election for October 31 at Imperial Botanical Beach Hotel in Entebbe.
At the centre of the petition is the absence, according to the alumni, of a formally adopted and published Convocation Statute to regulate the body’s operations and elections.
The petitioners point to minutes of the 159th University Council meeting held on February 7, 2023, which recorded concerns that the absence of Convocation statutes constrained Council’s oversight mandate.
Council subsequently directed its Legal, Rules, Privileges and Estates Committee to draft a statute to guide the operations of the Convocation.
At the continuation of Council’s 165th meeting on October 15, 2024, the Convocation was reportedly granted another four months to complete consultations on the proposed statute.
The petitioners now want the university to clarify whether the statute has since been enacted and adopted.
“If a statute has since been enacted, it would be helpful for Council to publish the signed instrument, its adoption date and the approving resolution before permitting an election under it,” the petitioners say.
They have also raised questions about the electoral roll, arguing that the election notice does not provide a clear timetable for preparing, inspecting, correcting and certifying the register of eligible voters.
According to the petition, the notice does not clearly explain who qualifies to vote, how eligibility will be verified or what remedy is available to an alumnus whose name is missing from the register.
The alumni have further challenged the reported increase in the Convocation membership fee from Shs10,000 to Shs50,000.
They argue that the increase was made without a General Assembly resolution and say the matter is particularly significant because payment of subscriptions determines voting and candidature under the Convocation’s rules.
They have also objected to registration arrangements that they say require members to travel physically to Makerere University to make payments and register.
The petitioners argue that such arrangements could disadvantage alumni living outside Kampala, elsewhere in Uganda and abroad.
They have similarly questioned the decision to hold the election at Imperial Botanical Beach Hotel in Entebbe rather than at Makerere University’s main campus.
According to the petition, the choice of venue could increase transport costs and create accessibility challenges for some alumni and staff.
The petitioners have also raised concerns about access for persons with disabilities, saying the election notice does not provide sufficient information on accessible transport, pathways, toilets, parking, interpretation or other forms of assistance.
The petition also revisits the Convocation election held on December 30, 2022, which Council described in its 2023 minutes as having been characterised by violence.
The petitioners allege that the election was disrupted, police and armed military personnel entered the process, some members were removed, and concerns were raised about the voters’ roll and voting arrangements.
Council’s February 2023 minutes recorded the violence and related petitions and noted concerns surrounding military deployment on campus.
The petitioners now want to know whether the concerns arising from that election were independently reviewed and whether measures have been introduced to prevent a recurrence.
They argue that the current election notice does not demonstrate that the issues raised after the 2022 election have been fully addressed.
What the Alumni Want
The petitioners are asking the University Council to withdraw the October 31 election notice, complete and publish the Convocation Statute, and commission an independent review of the 2022 election and the implementation of Council’s subsequent decisions.
They are also calling for a neutral electoral management framework, including an independently verified membership register and clear rules covering nominations, voting, proxies, complaints, recounts and the preservation of election records.
On financial accountability, the alumni want the university to publish relevant Annual General Meeting records, resolutions on membership fees, budgets, audited accounts and financial reports relating to the Convocation.
The petition, dated September 17, 2026, was copied to the Makerere University Chancellor and Patron of the Convocation, Vice Chancellor, University Secretary, Academic Registrar, Director of Legal Affairs and Chairperson of the Convocation.
The petitioners say the current Convocation leadership’s term expires in December and want the university to use the remaining period to resolve the outstanding governance and electoral issues before conducting a fresh election.
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