Search Page

Women and girl child rights activists are calling for tougher and broader sexual harassment guidelines at institutions of higher learning in Uganda to avert cases of lecturers and other university administrators taking advantage of the students they teach. After indecently assaulted a student in 2018, a former administrator at Makerere University has been sentenced to only two years in prison or he has the option to pay a fine of UGX4 million (US$1,080). The 2019 Annual Police Crime Report for Uganda tallied sexual violence-related cases, including assault and rape, at 1,528.

Makerere University Council has approved the revised anti-sexual harassment policy aimed at eliminating the rampant sexual abuse at the institution. The University Vice-Chancellor said that the policy requires lecturers and all staff to declare any relationship they have with their students. He added: "If cases are reported to people and they sit on them, they will be liable to sanctions.

Ugandan police have made no arrests among the 88 suspects – some of them alleged to be politicians and business people – implicated in the altering or forging of marks at Makerere University, months after university officials reported the offences. Up to 69 degrees are to be cancelled at Makerere University following the findings of a university audit initiated in September. The audit report, which is not available to the public, has revealed that results were altered at senate level after lecturers and college and school registrars made their submissions.

The executive director of National Council for Higher Education (NHCE) noted that a number people including public servants have been rushing to obtain academic certificates without even attending classes. He warned that universities found issuing such certificates risk having their charters and letters of interim authorities withdrawn. He added that the council was keen to ensure the 'fake' degrees' rush stops in efforts to streamline higher education in Uganda. He also expressed concern over cases of university students missing their marks, thus denying them the opportunity to graduate in time.

A first-year law student at Makerere University, is eager to use "Not In My Country". The website, launched in May, asks students in Uganda to report corruption in higher education – such as lecturers trading higher grades for money or sex – and lets students rate classroom experiences. Confronting corruption, even at university level, is risky, therefore various safeguards are used to protect identities.

Investigations into alleged misuse of Dutch government funds at Uganda's main university are deepening. The vice chancellor of Kampala's Makerere University is being questioned about 810,000 euros reported missing. And it's not the first time the top academic administrator is quizzed about where money has gone.

A website called Notinmycountry.org targets the corruption faced by students in Uganda. The secured site enables students to report acts of corruption by individuals at universities anonymously using a randomly generated username that cannot be linked to the user.