graduation at Makerere

The chancellor of Makerere Prof. Mondo Kagonyera says that the cost of university education is so high for rural communities to afford.

He says while the Government upheld policies including affirmative action, which has increased the number of Ugandans accessing education in the University, some students like those from northern Uganda recovering from war have not benefited as much.

Prof. Kagonyera says the Government’s support in these programs will advance brighter young men and women from disadvantaged backgrounds to achieve their dream careers and contribute to national development.

Kagonyera made the remarks while officiating at a special graduation ceremony at Makerere University on Friday July 22^nd.

Over 1,300 students who had failed to graduate inn previous graduation were awarded degrees and diplomas in different disciplines.

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Professors Mondo Kagonyera and Venacius Baryamureba confer at the makerere graduation ceremony

He says the government funding should ensure that bright but less financially able graduates are able to attend university education.

Prof. Kagonyera says the current government sponsorship scheme that sponsors students based on merit of their performance in advanced level exams has benefited students from rich families who are able to take their students to Grade A schools that produce better grades.

He said this while presiding over Makerere University’s 61^st graduation ceremony. The weeklong event will see a total of 13,296 students awarded diplomas and degrees in different disciplines.

See the different Uganda government sponsorship schemes

Kagonyera says the current government sponsorship scheme is increasing the gap between the rich and poor in Uganda and needs to be reversed if Uganda is to attain equitable development.

President Yoweri Museveni recently said the government has finalised plans for a loan scheme that will offer soft loans to students to pay for their university education and pay back after they get employment.

The government currently offers 4,000 scholarships every year to students to study in public universities including Gulu University, Makerere Univesity, Kyambogo University, Busitema University and Mbarara University of Science and technology.

During the same graduation function, the University Vice Chancellor, Prof. Venasius Baryamureeba said the university is implementing several reforms to improve research and teaching at the university, as well the live of its students.

Other major highlights

• 6,495 of the 13,296 graduates are females (48.8%)
• 236 are being awarded first-class degrees.
• Students now receiving transcripts at or before graduation

Official list of Makerere graduands on Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

Monday 17th: Agric, Forestry, Pub Health, MUIENR, CHS, SCI, TECH, VETMED
PDF Version, Postscript Version

Tuesday 18th: MTSIFA, EASLIS, ISAE, School of Education
PDF Version, Postscript Version

Wednesday 19th: Faculty of Arts, Faculty of Economics and Management
PDF Version, Postscript Version

Thursday 20th: MUBS, IACE, Institute of Psychology
PDF Version, Postscript Version

Friday 21st: FCIT, Faculty of Laws, Social Sciences
PDF Version, Postscript Version

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Prof. Mondo Kagonyera before the committe (NV photo)

The deal was first advertised as car leasing by NSSF to hire purchase after it was awarded to Nissan but the NSSF went on to conduct an outright purchase without re- advertising the deal.

Kagonyera has told the Parliamentary Committee on Commissions of Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises that it is true the procurement procedures were flouted  but it was the heads of the Procumbent departments and that of the Contracts committee that were responsible for this financial irregularity. He says it was not the role of the top management to interfere in such financial transactions even when flawed.

This follows a presentation by Edgar Agaba, the Executive Director of the Public Procurement and Disposal of Assets who blamed the two former NSSF bosses Kangonyera and boss David Chandi Jamwa for flouting several procurement procedures and guidelines.

But Kagonyera who is also the current Chancellor of Makerere University says the role of ensuring that procurement procedures should have been followed in the purchase of the cars lay with the Internal Auditor of NSSF.

Kagonyera says top management was not even allowed to interfere in the financial transactions of the Contracts committee and which curtailed their ability to stop the car deal even when in the purchase of cars the right procurement procedures were flouted.

There is an investigation in this committee in relation to the forensic report of 2005- 2008 on NSSF of the Auditor General which implicates a number of former NSSF officials.

By Ultimate Media

The post Former NSSF boss Kagonyera blames flaws in 30 billion car deal on NSSF technical staff first appeared on Uganda Multimedia News & Information.

According to the Auditor General’s audit report, a decision to purchase 67 cars by the fund using outright purchase instead of the initial hire purchase led NSSF to pay more than it should have done for the cars.

David Jamwa Chandi after arrest

Appearing before the Commissions and Statutory Authorities committee of Parliament today, NSSF’s Chief Administration Officer, George Kyarikunda  said Jamwa and Kagonyera are answerable of all losses the body incurred during the time they were top managers of NSSF.

However, appearing before the same committee, Prof. Kagonyera denied making any decisions to led NSSF to incur losses.

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By Ultimate Media

The post NSSF staff pins Chandi Jamwa first appeared on Uganda Multimedia News & Information.

The report which covers the period between 01 January 2005 to 30^th November 2008 is likely to bring back NSSF into the Uganda public spotlight because it will require the different officials that served NSSF during that period of time to appear before the committee to explain the financial anomalies that have been reported  in the Auditor General’s report.

Reaga Okumu, Chairman of the Committee

The Chairman of the committee, Reagan Okumu says he wants Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises Committee to quickly deal with this report. He appealed to all the officials that will be summoned to explain certain issues concerning the report to quickly adhere to the summons.

Okumu says since this report covers a long period of time, it implicates a number of former officials of the NSSF and therefore if most of these officials delay to adhere to the summons, they will delay the committee in return.

The former Managing Director of NSSF, David Candia Jamwa and the Deputy managing Director of NSSF, Prof. Mondo Kagonyera were forced to resign following the controversial purchase of land in Temangalo from Security Minister Amama Mbazi by the NSSF.

Okumu  also says this time the issue of NSSF should not be made politicized because this will affect  the committee’s ability of finding out all the facts and the truth about the Auditor General’s report.

Related stories

NSSF enters fresh Shs 20bn(USD563mn) land deal The Free Library

How Amama, Suruma survived NSSF saga The New Vision

By Zak Tiberindwa, Ultimate Media

The post Parliament to summon former national Social Security Fund workers to account first appeared on Uganda Multimedia News & Information.