By Aggrey Baba
Hon. Odonga Otto, the former Aruu County MP has criticised the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE), accusing the body of clearing candidates for political office based on orders from above rather than genuine academic merit.
These remarks were in response to the clearance of Brigadier General Emmanuel Rwashande, who is vying for the Rwemiyaga County parliamentary seat under the National Resistance Movement (NRM) party.
On Wednesday, shortly after being duly nominated for the upcoming NRM primaries, incumbent Rwemiyaga County MP Theodore Sekikubo publicly questioned Rwashande’s academic qualifications, demanding that the former UPDF officer present his papers to the public.
The NCHE had, in a document certified and stamped on June 19, 2025, cleared Rwashande’s academic credentials. A photo of the certified academic transcript, bearing his name and the NCHE stamp, was shared by Odonga Otto on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), alongside a sharp attack on the council.
“The most less useful institution in Uganda that doesn’t deserve taxpayers’ money is NCHE. They are clear based on political orders. They don’t deserve candidates’ fees for verification of results,” Otto wrote.
He questioned the basis on which the NCHE had cleared Rwashande, pointing to what he described as glaring irregularities in the education sector’s vetting systems.
He went on to accuse the NCHE of being complicit in a wider political scheme that has allegedly allowed several MPs with questionable qualifications to enter Parliament.
“Our parliament had about 60 Yellow MPs without papers,” Otto claimed, without naming specific individuals.
In a further swipe at the establishment, Otto questioned the academic standing of other high-profile politicians: “Are they aware the Speaker has a first-class degree in law? What is the academic qualification of Hon. Ogwang Peter?”
While Otto’s comments appear largely aimed at exposing what he sees as systemic rot, he also framed the issue as a warning about the collapse of institutional independence.
“Government institutions have to work. The weight of their failures should not be meted on an individual like me, that would be the beginning of state collapse,”he said.
Sekikubo, a long-serving legislator and often outspoken within the NRM, is now facing one of his toughest political battles yet, with Brig. Rwashande emerged as a serious contender.
The ongoing row over academic papers has added a new dimension to the contest, underscoring the high stakes and rising tensions ahead of the party primaries.
The NCHE, which is tasked with verifying academic documents of such electoral candidates, often comes under scrutiny in election seasons for alleged inconsistencies, delayed processes, and political interference (claims the institution has repeatedly denied in the past). (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
