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The National Unity Platform (NUP) party has secured its fifth consecutive victory at the 90th Guild President elections at Makerere University.

NUP candidate Vincent Lubega Nsamba has emerged victorious after over 10 rivals in the student polls that were held electronically on March 7, 2024.

The leading Opposition party has had a stronghold over Uganda's oldest university ever since Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine, launched the party in 2020. 

In race of 16 contestants, Nsamba polled 2,540 votes, beating his closest opponent, Edmond Ariho by a razor-thin margin of four votes.

Kasekende Fulungensio, garnered 1,674 votes to become second runners-up, while Simon Wandukwa was fourth with 1,039 votes in the final cumulative poll results that were announced by university electoral chairperson Ramadhan Kirunda late Thursday evening.

Low turn out

With a total population of around 38,000 students and comprising of 10 colleges, only 11,500 participated in the student leadership election.

For the fourth consecutive time, Makerere University organised an online election. The decision to conduct elections virtually was introduced as a measure to regulate large gatherings and mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

Initially constructed as a temporary solution, electronic voting became a permanent practice after an incident involving a second year Uganda Christian University law student, Betungura Bewatte, lost his life during the final election campaigns in 2022.

Following this, the university council decided to enforce a permanent ban on physical guild elections and concluded on the directive that all future elections of student leaders be conducted online.

The ban was also to level the playing field for young independent candidates with shallow pockets who want to play a role in steering the mighty institution to glory, and so resolved to limit the influence of political parties in the University Guild affairs citing concerns that political affiliations sow discord among the student body.

However, several students and members of the public have discredited the system blaming it for the significant decline of student participation in student elections.

While addressing journalists last month, Kirunda assured all candidates and students that significant improvements have been made to the election technology, which has been thoroughly tested and proven unhackable.