What is Bukenya doing at Makerere University?

Nov 16, 2004

On October 22, Deogratias Bukenya wrote an article questioning the kind of intellectuals Makerere University is grooming

On October 22, Deogratias Bukenya wrote an article questioning the kind of intellectuals Makerere University is grooming.

After only two years at Makerere, is Bukenya qualified to pose such a question? I think it is only after leaving Makerere that its worth can become obvious. Those of us who who have passed through its gates say it is a land of intellectuals. long live Makerere!

The claim that 50% of the students could hardly express themselves in English is false. Many people out there would like to be at Makerere but cannot make it. even those in other institutions lie that they are at Makerere. A case in point are those who rent hostels in Wandegeya in order to be associated with Makerere. I suspect Bukenya is one of them.

Those who cheat in examinations at Makerere have been caught every semester and discontinued. As for coursework and dissertations, how does one risk? Are their supervisors too dumb to find out? If this happens it must be done by some few very rich students. The children of peasants do their research on their own as they cannot afford such luxuries.

As to the dress code, people at a certain stage, especially at universities, seek for identity. This explains why after university you hardly find people still dressed in the same old campus ways. A few who you find still dressed in such a way are the ones which Sigmund Freud would say are fixated.

The indecency in dress code, language and other forms of indecency at university are necessary stages for one who did not know that he or she would at one time be at Makerere. By the time one leaves campus, one has said it all, seen it all and done it all and one is out to be a good citizen if one is not fixated.

As for theft in halls, that happens everywhere in society. Being at Makerere cannot change your innate characteristics. How many people, even senior officials in Government, are thieves? Fighting corruption is different from fighting theft at university. anybody can be corrupt and anybody can fight corruption.

Bukenya says Makerere students ‘treasure’ violence when resolving their grievances. How many violent strikes have occurred there in the last three years? Bukenya claims that he has been approached to stand for guild presidency. Obviously with his scanty knowledge of psychology he would be a disaster.

Finally, what is Bukenya doing at Makerere if he means what he says? Aren’t there better places?

The writer is a fresh
Makerere graduate

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