Four Makerere University students are in trouble after the High Court in Kampala dismissed their application against the suspension of guild elections with costs.
On Thursday October 27th, the High Court dismissed the application in which the four students were seeking an interim order restraining the institution from continuing to enforce its decision to suspend the students’ leadership.
According to sources, the applicants in the case are identified as Joshua Muhwezi, Shamim Nambassa, Kelvin Joshua Luyombya, and Muzafaluh Kabuulwa.
The applicants had listed Makerere University Council, the Council Chairperson, Lorna Magara, and the University Vice Chancellor, Professor Barnabas Nawangwe, as the respondents to the case.
The Civil Division Judge,Esther Nambayo in her ruling, dismissed the application on grounds of lack of evidence presented by the applicants.
“The evidence presented doesn’t reflect the applicants as being representatives of the students’ community. “It is therefore in my view that if the Court grants this application and later finds that the main application has no merit, there will have been an unnecessary delay in the process which may be prejudicial to the other interested parties,” Nambayo said.
Nambayo, therefore, ruled that the balance of convenience is in favour of the respondents and therefore there is no merit in the application, hence dismissing it from court with costs.
The application follows the decision by the Makerere University Council to suspend students’ Guild election and indefinitely defer elections for the 88th Guild President on July 15th.
Betungura Bewatte, a student at Uganda Christian University (UCU), was killed on July 11th, 2022, after the National Unity Platform (NUP) supporters launched an attack on Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) supporters on the last day of the campaign.