Makerere University Vice-Chancellor Prof Barnabas Nawangwe has said students who were eligible for graduation but found their names missing on the final graduation list should not despair.

He said on Saturday (May 28) that they were investigating claims that about 100 students who were eligible for this year’s graduation missed out.

“We are investigating and I think within two weeks we should have identified if indeed there were some students who were genuinely left out on the graduation booklet and we do the needful but what is important for the students who may have genuinely been left out is that they should not despair,” he said.

“They will be given their transcripts and then graduate at the next graduation ceremony as just a formality. We hope the next graduation ceremony will be in February (2023) because we are going to go back to our normal schedule,” he stated.

Nawangwe made the remarks on a weekly Urban TV morning talk-show, Press Wall. The two-hour show tackled issues around Makerere’s just-ended 72nd graduation ceremony and the fire that gutted the main building in September 2020, among others.

Makerere started conferring various degrees on about 12, 474 students from Monday, May 23 to Friday, May 27.

He stated that when the results of about 100 students were put into the graduation system which sorts out mistakes made it reject them. “Reports I have received so far say the majority might be from the college of education and a few from the college of humanities and social services,” he said.

He, however, noted that this was not the first time the new system that was developed by the government was sieving out students ineligible for graduation for reasons like retakes in the course units.

“Those who were on the original graduation list in error will be required to do the retakes they need to do in order to qualify for graduation,” he added.

Makerere tasked

Police spokesperson Fred Enanga told journalists on Monday that they had learnt of plans by aggrieved Makerere students who completed their studies but their names were missing on the graduation list.

“Office of the Inspectorate of Government intervened in this matter, Makerere has been tasked to find solutions and also give answers as to why this happened,” he said.