Makerere Freshers’ Ball Fallout: Guild Leadership Splits as Minister Resigns After NUP’s Kadondi -Fik Fameica Stage Clash

By Ben Musanje

Makerere University’s 92nd Students’ Guild leadership has been plunged into an internal crisis following a dramatic confrontation between Guild President Gracious Kadondi and Ugandan musician Fik Fameica during the university’s 2026 Freshers’ Ball at Impis Rugby Grounds on Saturday, October 31.

The fallout from the incident has exposed divisions within the Guild Cabinet, culminating in the 29-day suspension and subsequent resignation of the Minister for Culture, Mobilisation and Social Affairs, Edward Mutebi.

The controversy erupted when National Unity Platform’s (NUP) Kadondi reportedly attempted to address students during Fik Fameica’s performance, triggering a tense exchange on stage that attracted the intervention of security personnel.

The incident, which disrupted the entertainment programme, has since generated competing accounts of what transpired, with the Guild leadership, the outgoing minister and students expressing differing views on the circumstances surrounding the confrontation.

In a statement dated November 1, Guild President Kadondi announced Mutebi’s suspension for 29 days, pending investigations and a final decision on the matter.

Citing Article 83(1) of the Makerere University Students’ Guild Constitution, 2022, Kadondi said the minister had failed to meet the expected standards of conduct required of a member of Cabinet.

The suspension barred Mutebi from exercising any powers or duties attached to his ministerial office and directed him to surrender all official instruments and materials in his possession.

However, Mutebi did not wait for the conclusion of the investigations.

In a resignation letter dated November 2, he announced his immediate departure from the Cabinet, describing the Freshers’ Ball incident as the final straw in what he portrayed as a strained working relationship with the Guild President.

Mutebi accused Kadondi of arriving at the event at the eleventh hour with family members and friends, allegedly attempting to force them backstage without proper accreditation and taking to the stage prematurely against an agreed programme.

He further claimed that the President and her deputy had failed to attend earlier planning engagements involving the Dean of Students, the university’s head of security and sponsors.

In a strongly worded letter, the outgoing minister accused Kadondi of frustrating his ministry’s work, taking credit for achievements she had not contributed to and placing personal interests above those of students.

He nevertheless defended his record, saying his tenure, which began on April 15, 2026, had focused on rebuilding Makerere’s social and cultural life.

Among his reported achievements, Mutebi cited securing Made in Uganda as headline sponsor for the bazaar, facilitating Coca-Cola’s return as a sponsor after an absence since 2022, organising a FIFA World Cup watch party and reviving movie nights in collaboration with Mary Stuart Senior Common Room.

He thanked his deputy, Hon. Nuwasasira Mercy, and other student leaders and university stakeholders for supporting his work.

Prime Minister defends Kadondi

Amid the growing controversy, the 92nd Guild Prime Minister, Fahad Ndawula Kimera, issued a statement seeking to clarify the events that led to the confrontation between Kadondi and Fik Fameica.

Kimera disputed portrayals that the Guild President deliberately interrupted the musician’s performance, arguing instead that the incident resulted from poor programme coordination and what he described as an intentionally created programme clash.

According to the Prime Minister, it is established practice for the Guild President to open the Freshers’ Ball. However, Kadondi’s address was repeatedly postponed without a clear explanation, which he said was later established to be political.

He claimed that Guild leaders repeatedly demanded that the President be given an opportunity to address students, but security personnel and programme managers frustrated those efforts.

Kimera further explained that organisers had suggested that Kadondi deliver her address before the headline artiste’s performance as a way of closing the event.

However, confusion reportedly arose when both the President and Fik Fameica were invited to take the stage simultaneously upon the musician’s arrival, with microphones switched off during the attempted address.

The Prime Minister added that security personnel subsequently raised concerns that Kadondi’s political affiliation could lead her to make political statements.

He maintained that the simultaneous invitation of the President and the musician was misinterpreted by the artiste’s entourage, inadvertently triggering the confrontation.

“The Guild President did not intend to stop the performance like portrayed but was set up in a programme clash,” Fahad stated.

He revealed that Cabinet was making inquiries to establish who managed the programme and whether the clash had been deliberately engineered.

The Prime Minister also announced that his office would handle further communication and efforts to harmonise the situation.

Students weigh in on the controversy

The incident has also attracted reactions from sections of the student community, with questions being raised about student democracy, institutional dignity and the right of elected leaders to address the university fraternity.

In a statement issued in November, Justus Kajuma, a student affiliated with Mitchell Hall, condemned what he described as the restriction preventing Kadondi from addressing students during the event.

Kajuma argued that irrespective of political differences, the Guild President deserved an opportunity to speak in accordance with established university protocols and the event’s programme.

He described the incident as a worrying reflection of the state of student leadership and called on Makerere students to reclaim the institution’s historical legacy of producing courageous leaders and advocates of freedom.

He urged students to remain vocal in the face of perceived injustice and defend the university’s institutional dignity, academic integrity and democratic traditions.

Questions over Guild leadership and accountability

The Freshers’ Ball controversy has now evolved beyond an entertainment-related disagreement into a wider leadership dispute within Makerere’s 92nd Students’ Guild.

While the Prime Minister has defended Kadondi, Mutebi’s resignation letter paints a picture of strained relations within Cabinet, raising questions about internal cooperation, the management of university events and the exercise of executive authority.

The competing accounts have also left unanswered questions about who was responsible for the programme arrangements that placed the Guild President and the headline artiste on stage at the same time.

With Mutebi now out of Cabinet and investigations reportedly underway, the Guild leadership faces the task of addressing the controversy, restoring internal cohesion and reassuring students and stakeholders.

What was organised as a celebration to welcome new students to Uganda’s oldest university has instead become a defining test of leadership, accountability and unity within Makerere’s student government. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).