We don’t mean to make light of a serious situation, but we can’t help but wonder: did Isaac Byaruhanga not get the memo about virtual elections?
The fourth-year student at Makerere University was apparently so upset about being suspended for “spearheading” a scuffle during an unauthorized political debate that he attempted suicide by consuming poison. Yikes.
Byaruhanga denies taking part in the scuffle, but we have to ask: if you’re going to participate in an unauthorized political debate called “Kimeza” and it results in a scuffle, shouldn’t you be prepared for some consequences? Just saying.
And speaking of consequences, National Unity Platform candidate Margaret Nattabi and independent Sulaiman Namwoza were disqualified from the 89th Makerere guild election for organizing the same debate. Apparently, they missed the memo about virtual elections too.
We can only imagine how frustrated the university must be about these incidents, especially since they’ve already banned physical electoral activities to prevent violence. Maybe they need to send out a reminder memo, or perhaps a singing telegram to make sure everyone gets the message.
In the meantime, we hope Isaac Byaruhanga recovers and learns a valuable lesson about the consequences of his actions. And to Margaret Nattabi and Sulaiman Namwoza, we suggest finding a less controversial topic for your next debate. Maybe something like “Who has the best campus food?” That’s a debate we can all get behind.
