WHY MAK CONVOCATION POLLS IS TANGA’S MOMENT OF TRUTH

By Our Reporters

NRM Electoral Commission Chairman Dr. Tanga Odoi has always portrayed an image of a Mr. Clean of sorts. But all this reputation risks being lost if the dust raised as a result of the renewal of his term as Makerere Convocation (Alumni Association) chairman is anything to go by. On Friday 21^st December 2018, Tanga and his Convocation executive hosted end of year/Xmas party allegedly for Convocation members and other stakeholders at Kabanyolo near Gayaza. Because of the short notice and venue being far, many of the fellow governing Council members whom Tanga verbally invited stayed away. They couldn’t make it as were many of the academic staff members who are automatic members of the convocation even if one didn’t study at Makerere. In the end only executive members and a few support staff members, carried in two buses organizers hired for them, attended yet the membership is in tens of thousands since all former Mak students are members of convocation. After the party, one person stood up and proposed to appreciate Tanga’s executive by giving them a new term. With Tanga’s acquiescence, a resolution was passed and that’s how Tanga and his team renewed their mandate contrary to what the Alumni Constitution (made when Sebaana Kizito was Convocation Chairman) provides. The procedure is there must be an AGM preceded by a two months’ notice published in a newspaper of wide circulation along with the agenda. If the agenda is to be amended midway, the same must be published in the newspapers two weeks to the AGM. So what happened was voting by ambush in absence of prior notice to enable those wanting positions to adequately prepare to vie for them. Tanga is now in trouble as academic staff members are saying all these procedural requirements weren’t complied with. In fact a team led by a one Chris and Muasa treasurer Hussein Oria has decided to challenge the entire Kabanyolo proceedings in courts of law. “These are executive members we elected with a lot of good will even when a person like Deus Kamunyu studied at Sokoine and Mubs and new Makerere, because I remember voting went on till late in the night and we all felt this was time well spent. But they have now let us down. We know Tanga is now contaminated by politics but even when you are to do it politically be smart and do it well and get your term,” said a Muasa member close to plans to challenge the matter in court as soon as the festive season ends and courts reopen.

GANGING UP ON KAMUNYU;

Muasa Chairman Deus Kamunyu is a member of Tanga’s executive and serves as the Publicity Secretary. Since that day, life hasn’t been easy for him as his own members on the intranet and staff whatsapp forums are busy accusing him of being double faced. The exchanges on staff whatsapp chat platforms clearly show brewing rebellion against Kamunyu. “He has always been a Mr. Clean ever blowing the whistle on impropriety but on this one he is totally quiet,” says a member. “For days we have been demanding explanation because as Muasa we are big stakeholders in Convocation but Deus Kamunyu has kept a deaf ear to our concerns.” We are told the way Tanga has opted to go about the Convocation mandate has caused many to feel alienated especially Muasa members who were planning to compete for the positions through an open process. The next Convocation elections were slated for April 2019 and Tanga says that day will be used to give the opportunity to members at the AGM to ratify the Kabanyolo resolution that remains widely disputed. It will be interesting seeing the NRM chief Electoral Commissioner being grilled in the dock for being against electoral processes which he is ironically employed in the NRM party to promote. Kamunyu says the requirement for the two months mandatory notice was complied with when the notice was put on the Convocation website but critics in Muasa say this is untrue because the said website has been inactive and hasn’t had anything posted there for the last three years. For comments, call, text or whatsapp us on 0703164755.