By Leonard Kamugisha Akida,
KAMPALA
Minister of Internal Affairs, Maj. Gen. Saverino Kahinda Otafiire, has challenged the youth in Uganda to rise up and hold the government accountable in the fight against corruption.
Otafiire’s call to action comes at a time when the parliament is embroiled in high-profile cases of graft, and his call to the youth to demand for transparency and accountability from the government is timely.
Speaking at a 29th Graduation Ceremony at Kampala International University, Otafiire emphasized that Africa, including Uganda, is endowed with vast mineral resources, but corruption has hindered the continent’s progress. He lamented the fact that corrupt individuals are often glorified in Uganda, and challenged leaders, particularly those in the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM), to remember that they did not fight to enrich themselves, but to serve the people of Uganda.
“I feel bleeding when I see the people of Africa drowning in the Mediterranean running away from the resource rich Africa going to the resource exhausted Europe just because the previous generations and our generation have failed to turn African resources into comfort for our people,” said Maj. Gen. Otafiire.
Today, KIU passed a total of 2313 graduates during their 29th Graduation ceremony held at the university main campus Kansanga Kampala along Ggaba road. They are;
Undergraduates [Certificate, Diploma, and Bachelor] – 1892, PGD – 226, Masters – 186 and PhD – 9 graduates. Out of these, 953 graduates are females (41.24 %) and 1360 (58.76%) are males.
The main campus, Kansanga contributed the biggest number of graduates totalling to 51.11 percent (1182) and 48.89 percent (1131) of the graduates are from the university Western campus, Ishaka. Non-scientists dominated the graduation ceremony with 1275 graduates (55.16%) while students who graduated in science related disciplines constituted a number of 1038 (44.84%).
Dr. Al-Hajji Hassan Basajjabalaba, Chairman of the Board of Trustees at Kampala International University, has appealed to the government to provide equal opportunities to all higher education institutions, rather than viewing private institutions as competitors to public universities.
Dr. Basajjabalaba emphasized the importance of creating a level playing field in the higher education sector. He urged the government to recognize the complementary role that private universities like KIU play in providing quality education to Ugandans, and to support their growth and development.
According to Basajjabalaba, providing equal opportunities to higher education institutions will unlock the full potential of Ugandan youth and drive economic growth and development. He highlighted a specific issue that is affecting universities, pointing out that the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) website lists some academic programs taught in certain universities as “inactive”, which can impact student admissions and undermine the reputation of affected universities.
He urged the government to address this issue and ensure that all universities are given a fair chance to operate and provide quality education to students.
Parrots Media, Rest TV Journalist Graduates
Among the students who graduated today was Isaac Akugizibwe alias Pele Isaac who graduated with a Masters of Science in Mass Communication. Akugizibwe, a Sports Analyst at Parrots Media is also a News Anchor on Christian founded, Rest TV in Kampala. Congratulations Pele!
