Kyambogo University has officially dismissed its Guild President, Benjamin Akiso, following disciplinary proceedings related to his involvement in a recent student protest.
The university cited violations of student regulations, including breach of peace, mounting of roadblocks, and insubordination to university authorities.
According to a letter issued by the Office of the Vice Chancellor on July 3, 2025, the Students’ Affairs and Welfare Committee found that Akiso had contravened several provisions of the Kyambogo University Students’ Regulations 2003, as amended in 2016.
The committee’s findings were endorsed by the University Council during its 111th meeting held on June 27, 2025.
“After the hearing of the case, the Students Affairs and Welfare Committee’s findings are that you breached peace, mounted road blocks and you were insubordinate to the University authority… The University Council agreed with the Students Affairs and Welfare Committee recommendation and dismissed you from the University,” reads the letter signed by Vice Chancellor Prof. Eli Katunguka-Rwakishaya.
The dismissal took immediate effect, with Akiso barred from attending academic or extracurricular activities, using university facilities, or representing the Students’ Guild or University in any capacity.
Akiso’s removal comes in the wake of a protest he led concerning tuition policy, which he and other students argued was financially burdensome for learners from low-income families.
While university authorities classified the protest as disruptive and in breach of regulations, some observers see it as a broader issue of student activism and governance.
Opposition leader and National Unity Platform (NUP) president Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, commonly known as Bobi Wine, criticized the university’s decision, alleging political interference and suppression of student voices.
“The Vice Chancellor of Kyambogo University Eli Katunguka has dismissed the @NUP_Ug Head of Institutions and current Guild President… His crime? Leading his fellow students in a peaceful protest against unfair tuition policies targeting students from poor families,” Kyagulanyi wrote in a public statement.
He added: “Museveni and his enablers have taken over all public institutions and [are] doing everything possible to silence any kind of dissent… We are exploring legal remedies. I salute you, comrade Akiso, for standing up for justice and fairness. History will be kind to you.”
As the matter garners national attention, legal experts and student rights advocates are urging a review of the university’s disciplinary mechanisms and their intersection with constitutional freedoms, particularly the right to peaceful assembly and expression.
The situation is likely to stir debate about the balance between institutional order and student activism within Uganda’s higher education system.
