Karuhanga: MUK’s New students’ leader
Mar 24, 2006
If you found him in a Universal Secondary Education class you would count him among the youngest in the class.
By Deogratious Bukenya
If you found him in a Universal Secondary Education class you would count him among the youngest in the class.
At face value his looks are typical of a young school going boy.
The smooth round baby face of the 23 year-old new Makerere University Guild President met suspicious glances from certain sections of voters during campaigns.
“At campaign rallies, when he took to the podium, every one wondered what the short small boy was doing in a race,†says Musa Bwete, a post graduate student.
But when he spoke, the crowd listened attentively. Karuhanga is a gifted public speaker with a magnetic personality and a unique attribute of eloquence.
His mastery at public speaking started in primary school. And his long voyage at public speech has paid off — it has won him the highest students’ office at Makerere University.
The Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) supporter beat 13 candidates on Monday March 20, to take the seat. Karuhanga becomes the first guild president from western Uganda in eight years since Sarah Kagingo’s reign in 1998.
Karuhanga trounced his closest rival Haruna Sekabira, a Democratic Party supporter by 795 votes. His looks won him the female votes and his ability to express himself albeit the perception of his physique got him the winning vote.
Karuhanga’s honey moon may soon be history. He well knows that leading Makerere University is not a bed of roses. He has to brace for eventualities like strikes and unrest which have come to be associated with the university. But he is well aware of this and plans to have no strike during his term.
“Ever since I joined Makerere, each semester has registered not less than two strikes. This has grossly damaged the image of the university, but I believe through dialogue, this is going to become history,†he says.
As a child, Karuhanga was ambitious, but naughty. He once escaped from school and went dancing with friends. When he returned he was seriously smacked and since that time he hates dancing with a passion.
A stroll with Karuhanga from the Guild Canteen to Lumumba Hall where he resides revealed a sudden change in Karuhanga’s status.
The once little known student of law was overwhelmed by enthusiastic students who besieged him along the way. They congratulated him, but also cautioned him to put the interests of the students before politics.
Karuhanga’s small room in Lumumba was a hub of bee hive activity. Students crowded his room to congratulate him; others are his campaign agents and came to lobby for guild ministerial posts.
But Karuhanga who has now assumed the poise of a leader only says, “I will attend to all of you at my office†as he dashes to attend a meeting with non-resident students.
Karuhanga was instrumental in the failed campaign bid of Augustine Ruzindana in the concluded Parliamentary race for Ruhama.
But Karuhanga has promised to come back, this time not as a campaign agent, but a candidate. He has vowed to unseat Janet Museveni in 2011 as part of his political career road map.
Born in 1982 to Mr and Mrs Jacob Kafureeka of Itojo, Ruhama in Ntungamo district, Karuhanga attended Kitunga Boarding Primary School where he got a vision to become a priest.
This saw him head to St. Mukasa preparatory Seminary where he completed his Primary Leaving exams. In 1997, he joined Kitabi Seminary, for his 0’level studies. At Kitabi he led a strike which led to the expulsion of 13 students. Trouble emanated from bad blood between the seminarian boys and a neighbouring girl’s school. “We had a girl’s school in our neighborhood, but they used to ridicule us that we are impotent, we ambushed the school and seriously punished the girls.â€
At this time he gave up his dream of pursuing priesthood and headed to St. Mary’s College ,Kisubi for his A’levels.
At Kisubi Karuhanga first did physics, chemistry, mathematics and economics, but in his S6 he changed to divinity, economics geography and agriculture.
After his A’levels he was admitted to Makerere University for a Social sciences degree on government scholarship. However, he opted to do law under private sponsorship.
Karuhanga says addressing the state of sanitation in halls of residence will be among his priorities. He intends to institute a student’s senate — a body to tackle academic issues.
“I will ensure that Makerere develops a culture where student leaders are involved in policy making and implementation so that issues like hiking of tution fees, retake fees, missing exam results and acquiring transcripts are sorted out,†says Karuhanga
He hopes to lobby for a shuttle for medical students and look into the plight of the international students.
The most surprising story about Karuhanga’s rise to leadership is his maiden appearance as a debater. When he was in Primary Four, his class was supposed to have a debate one evening. One of his friends was supposed to chair, but developed cold feet and disappeared after pleading with Karuhanga to stand in for him.
Hesitating at first, Karuhanga made up his mind and chaired the debate. At the end of the session he was applauded by the teacher for doing a great job.
And since that time he has never looked back. He went on to become the chairman of the debating club — a trait he took with him to secondary school, at Kisubi where he was the chairman of senior debating club.
At University, he became the guild speaker before becoming the guild president.
If you found him in a Universal Secondary Education class you would count him among the youngest in the class.
At face value his looks are typical of a young school going boy.
The smooth round baby face of the 23 year-old new Makerere University Guild President met suspicious glances from certain sections of voters during campaigns.
“At campaign rallies, when he took to the podium, every one wondered what the short small boy was doing in a race,†says Musa Bwete, a post graduate student.
But when he spoke, the crowd listened attentively. Karuhanga is a gifted public speaker with a magnetic personality and a unique attribute of eloquence.
His mastery at public speaking started in primary school. And his long voyage at public speech has paid off — it has won him the highest students’ office at Makerere University.
The Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) supporter beat 13 candidates on Monday March 20, to take the seat. Karuhanga becomes the first guild president from western Uganda in eight years since Sarah Kagingo’s reign in 1998.
Karuhanga trounced his closest rival Haruna Sekabira, a Democratic Party supporter by 795 votes. His looks won him the female votes and his ability to express himself albeit the perception of his physique got him the winning vote.
Karuhanga’s honey moon may soon be history. He well knows that leading Makerere University is not a bed of roses. He has to brace for eventualities like strikes and unrest which have come to be associated with the university. But he is well aware of this and plans to have no strike during his term.
“Ever since I joined Makerere, each semester has registered not less than two strikes. This has grossly damaged the image of the university, but I believe through dialogue, this is going to become history,†he says.
As a child, Karuhanga was ambitious, but naughty. He once escaped from school and went dancing with friends. When he returned he was seriously smacked and since that time he hates dancing with a passion.
A stroll with Karuhanga from the Guild Canteen to Lumumba Hall where he resides revealed a sudden change in Karuhanga’s status.
The once little known student of law was overwhelmed by enthusiastic students who besieged him along the way. They congratulated him, but also cautioned him to put the interests of the students before politics.
Karuhanga’s small room in Lumumba was a hub of bee hive activity. Students crowded his room to congratulate him; others are his campaign agents and came to lobby for guild ministerial posts.
But Karuhanga who has now assumed the poise of a leader only says, “I will attend to all of you at my office†as he dashes to attend a meeting with non-resident students.
Karuhanga was instrumental in the failed campaign bid of Augustine Ruzindana in the concluded Parliamentary race for Ruhama.
But Karuhanga has promised to come back, this time not as a campaign agent, but a candidate. He has vowed to unseat Janet Museveni in 2011 as part of his political career road map.
Born in 1982 to Mr and Mrs Jacob Kafureeka of Itojo, Ruhama in Ntungamo district, Karuhanga attended Kitunga Boarding Primary School where he got a vision to become a priest.
This saw him head to St. Mukasa preparatory Seminary where he completed his Primary Leaving exams. In 1997, he joined Kitabi Seminary, for his 0’level studies. At Kitabi he led a strike which led to the expulsion of 13 students. Trouble emanated from bad blood between the seminarian boys and a neighbouring girl’s school. “We had a girl’s school in our neighborhood, but they used to ridicule us that we are impotent, we ambushed the school and seriously punished the girls.â€
At this time he gave up his dream of pursuing priesthood and headed to St. Mary’s College ,Kisubi for his A’levels.
At Kisubi Karuhanga first did physics, chemistry, mathematics and economics, but in his S6 he changed to divinity, economics geography and agriculture.
After his A’levels he was admitted to Makerere University for a Social sciences degree on government scholarship. However, he opted to do law under private sponsorship.
Karuhanga says addressing the state of sanitation in halls of residence will be among his priorities. He intends to institute a student’s senate — a body to tackle academic issues.
“I will ensure that Makerere develops a culture where student leaders are involved in policy making and implementation so that issues like hiking of tution fees, retake fees, missing exam results and acquiring transcripts are sorted out,†says Karuhanga
He hopes to lobby for a shuttle for medical students and look into the plight of the international students.
The most surprising story about Karuhanga’s rise to leadership is his maiden appearance as a debater. When he was in Primary Four, his class was supposed to have a debate one evening. One of his friends was supposed to chair, but developed cold feet and disappeared after pleading with Karuhanga to stand in for him.
Hesitating at first, Karuhanga made up his mind and chaired the debate. At the end of the session he was applauded by the teacher for doing a great job.
And since that time he has never looked back. He went on to become the chairman of the debating club — a trait he took with him to secondary school, at Kisubi where he was the chairman of senior debating club.
At University, he became the guild speaker before becoming the guild president.