For most Ugandan students, admission to a public university under government sponsorship is a dream fulfilled, a gateway to a stable career and a brighter future.
For a group of former Kyambogo University students, however, that dream has become a seven-year struggle marked by uncertainty, unemployment and a lingering battle for recognition.
The graduates, who completed their studies in 2019, say they have spent years seeking answers over what they describe as an unresolved discrepancy in the title of the academic programme they pursued, a dispute they claim has significantly affected their chances of securing employment.
Their story began in 2017 when 28 students were admitted to Kyambogo University through the Joint Admissions Board (JAB) under a government scholarship scheme administered by the Ministry of Education and Sports.
According to the graduates, they accepted admission offers for a Diploma in Physical Education and Sports Management, believing the programme would prepare them for careers in teaching.
“We applied for physical education and sports management. We studied it. But at graduation, we were given sports management certification,” recalled Haruna Muwanguzi, one of the affected graduates.
“At no point were we told the programme had changed,” he added.
For three years, the students attended lectures, completed coursework and sat examinations expecting to graduate with a qualification that would allow them to register as teachers.
Instead, when they received their diplomas in 2019, they discovered that the award had been designated as a Diploma in Sports Management.
The graduates say the change came as a shock.
Muwanguzi explained that they spent months seeking clarification from university authorities but received no satisfactory explanation.
According to the former students, the problem extended beyond their cohort. They claim another group of about 18 students was admitted to the same programme in 2018 before it was eventually discontinued.
As frustration mounted, the graduates escalated the matter to the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE), which acknowledged receipt of their complaint in 2025.
However, the council reportedly informed them that the programme had not been accredited at the time they were admitted and enrolled.
The students say that despite numerous follow-ups, they have not received a detailed report or conclusive findings from the regulator.
“We followed up several times, but there has been no response on the progress of the investigation,” Muwanguzi said.
“We feel abandoned and in limbo.”
They further allege that NCHE recently informed them that the university had not responded to correspondence sent by the regulator, effectively stalling the investigation.
NCHE spokesperson Saulo Waigolo confirmed that the matter remains under investigation but declined to discuss specifics.
“The case is still under investigation and so the council cannot comment on it,” he said.
While the graduates insist they were admitted pursuing a teaching qualification, Kyambogo University maintains that no wrongdoing occurred.
The university’s Principal Communications Officer, Reuben Twinomujuni, said the programme initially referred to as a Diploma in Physical Education and Sports Management had undergone review and its nomenclature was changed to Diploma in Sports Management.
He said students were informed at the point of admission about the programme available and subsequently studied and graduated under that qualification.
“What they studied was a diploma in sports management. They were informed and they completed their studies,” he said.
According to the university, the Diploma in Physical Education and Sports Management did not exist at the time the students were admitted, and communication between the department and the Academic Registrar’s office supported the admissions process.
Twinomujuni also noted that students did not raise formal objections during their period of study and argued that graduate unemployment is a broader national challenge affecting many young people.
For the affected graduates, however, the issue goes beyond the country’s difficult job market.
Muwanguzi says employers repeatedly question the relevance of his qualification.
“Everywhere I go, I am rejected,” he said.
“Employers see my diploma and dismiss me. My qualification is not recognised by anyone, not the Ministry of Education, not the Teachers Service Commission, not any employer in Uganda.”
Another graduate, Julius Kimanje, described the experience as deeply painful.
“In August 2017, I earned a government sponsorship to pursue a diploma in physical education and sports management at Kyambogo University. My family was proud. My village celebrated,” he said.
“But now, it’s seven years of rejection. Seven years of watching others build careers while I remain stuck.”
Some graduates agreed to speak publicly, while others declined, fearing possible repercussions from the university. Several alleged they had received threats related to the dispute, although those claims could not be independently verified.
Education experts say the case highlights wider concerns about programme accreditation, curriculum alignment and teacher registration requirements in Uganda.
The General Secretary of the Uganda National Teachers’ Union (UNATU), Filbert Baguma, explained that teacher registration requires graduates to possess two recognised teaching subjects.
“Sports management is not one of the teaching subjects. For teaching registration, you need two teaching subjects. If you do not have them, you cannot be registered as a teacher by the Ministry of Education and Sports,” he said.
Baguma advised the graduates to consider upgrading within sports management or undertaking additional studies to acquire recognised teaching subject combinations.
“In some cases, the easier option is to continue and upgrade within sports management,” he said.
“Otherwise, you go back and obtain the required teaching subject combinations if your goal is teaching.”
He warned that inconsistencies in subject combinations can create obstacles for graduates seeking to progress academically or professionally.
The graduates, however, believe the burden should not rest solely on them.
They argue that students who enter university through government sponsorship programmes trust institutions and regulators to ensure that courses are properly accredited and clearly communicated.
Their admission letters required them to accept the terms and conditions attached to the programmes offered at the time of admission. Yet they maintain that the qualification they eventually received differs from what they understood they had applied for.
Questions also remain over why students were admitted under a programme title that university officials now say was non-existent.
Efforts by Insight Post to obtain clarification from the Ministry of Education and Sports yielded no response. Calls to ministry spokesperson Dennis Mugimba went unanswered, while a WhatsApp message seeking comment was not replied to.
The Minister of Education, John Chrysestom Muyingo, also did not respond to calls or messages.
For the former students, the silence has only deepened their frustration.
Seven years after graduation, many say they are still waiting for what they consider a simple answer: What exactly did they study, and who will take responsibility if that answer has cost them their future?
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