Makerere mints Shs130m from unsuspecting graduands, parents

Kampala. The chancellor’s procession on Friday concluded Makerere University’s 67th graduation ceremony and ushered in more than 14,000 new job seekers. Although the ceremony appeared all colourful and successful, an investigation by Sunday Monitor has revealed how the university’s authorities quickly cashed in on the four-day event to mint large sums of money from unsuspecting graduands and parents.
A total of 14,897 students were awarded degrees and diplomas at the ceremony. Basing on this total, more than Shs134m could have been collected from the 44,691 graduands and guests, just for the hired team keeping watch over the guests phones and other gadgets during the ceremony.
On Friday, the final day of the ceremonies, Prof Ezra Suruma, the University Chancellor, conferred degrees and diplomas upon 2,842 students from the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, and another 266 from the School of Law, and another five PhDs.
According to the invitation card issued by the university, every graduand was accompanied by two guests. The invitation card package also had a small paper indicating a list of prohibited items at the graduation ceremony, including mobile phones, dangerous weapons, firearms, cells/batteries and chemicals, alcohol, canned food, bottled drinks and pocket radios.
At the security checkpoints leading to the university’s Freedom Square, the venue of graduation, every individual was thoroughly frisked and personal effects, including mobile phones were deposited at a nearby booth at a cost of Shs3,000 per mobile phone. Individuals who possessed two mobile phones were asked to part with Shs5,000 while other items, including iPads and cameras attracted a higher charge. The individuals donning orange T-shirts at the payment booth referred this reporter to the university’s main building, saying they had only been hired to offer the phone-keeping services.
But Ms Ritah Namisango, the Makerere University’s spokesperson, in an interview with Sunday Monitor, denied that the institution had hired anyone to keep prohibited items at a cost.
“It was clearly stated to the graduands as they picked their invitation cards and the necessary requirements that phones and other electronic items were prohibited,”Ms Namisango said.
The head of security, Mr J Mucunguzi, who is a member of the Ceremonies Committee, revealed that Exxon Contractors Ltd, a company belonging to Mr Yasin Mwandha, was hired by the Office of the Academic Registrar to offer the service.
Sunday Monitor has seen a receipt showing payment of Shs1m paid to the university’s account number 9030005816840 by Mr Mwandha. Another letter from the Academic Registrar, signed by Ms L. L. Etuusa, indicates that Mr Mwandha’s company was granted permission to offer phone handling services, something the university’s spokesperson said was illegal.
“Please present this letter and receipt from the Academic Registrar’s department to the chief security officer, Makerere University, who will allocate you space where you and your team will operate,” the letter signed by Ms Etuusa indicated.
Ms Namisango said the issue of keeping phones was discussed by the Ceremonies Committee, which agreed that no company be hired to offer a service of handling a prohibited item.
“The phones were clearly stipulated among illegal items. If anyone is found to be behind this transaction, the case should be handled by security (police),” Ms Namisango said.
In a phone interview, Mr Mwandha said he was cleared by both security and the Academic Registrar to offer the phone-keeping services but he never disclosed how much he collected through the four days.
“We were charging Shs3,000 per phone but people had no money and some were keeping their items in the cars or even paying less,” Mr Mwandha said, adding that he can only reveal the amount collected after auditing his books.
“You work within the arrangement of the security officer and I will give you guidelines on how to operate,” Ms Etuusa stated without disclosing the amount that will be charged per item.
One of the graduands told Sunday Monitor that her only Shs30,000 had been spent on the unplanned costs and she had been left with no money.

Customised gowns
On Tuesday, the opening day of the graduation ceremony, Prof John Ddumba-Ssentamu, the Vice Chancellor, disclosed that the university had launched customised graduation gowns, available at a cost of Shs75,000 from the Senate Building, which houses the Academic Registrar’s office. But this newspaper understands that some graduands in reality parted with up to Shs150, 000, which is double the price announced to acquire fake gowns sold by tailors around the university and Wandegeya, a nearby shopping centre.
Prof Ddumba said the company contracted to make the official gowns was informed at short notice and was unable to make enough of the gowns. But he quickly added that next graduation gowns will be available alongside the graduation booklet at a cost of Shs75,000 only.
Ms Fatuma, a woman found vending flowers and congratulatory massage cards, told this reporter that her boss had paid Shs400,000 to get a contract of selling the items. Each flower sold at Shs2,000 whereas the congratulatory message went for Shs3,000. But she said the rainy weather on Wednesday and Friday had affected their brisk business and were able to sell only a few of the items.
Photography was offered at a cost of between Shs10,000 and Shs80,000 and each photographer’s booth was hired out at Shs500,000 payable to university authorities.

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