TOUGH PROPOSAL: Father of Murdered University Student Tells Museveni What He Should Do to Stop Violence at Makerere

The father of a student who died after being stabbed on the final days of guild campaigns at Makerere University has told President Museveni’s government what he thinks should be done to make student politics peaceful. 

Bewatte Betunguura, a second year student of Bachelor of Laws at the Kampala Campus of Uganda Christian University (UCU), died on July 14 after being stabbed during the campaigns in chaos that ensued as supporters of two leading opposition political parties — the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) and National Unity Platform (NUP).

Betunguura had come to Makerere to support FDC’s Justus Tukamushaba, his OB from Mbarara High School. Police has already arrested some individuals, including Kassanda South MP Frank Kabuye of the NUP, to help with investigations.

The deceased was laid to rest in Kamwenge on July 16. Ahead of the burial of his son, Betunguura’s father, Benson Mucunguzi, called for a thorough probe into the events that led to the death of his son and to punish those who had a hand in the law student’s death in accordance with the laws of Uganda. He also wants government to compensate him.

“What government should do is to make thorough investigations and see how this came in and when such people [who killed my son] are got, government should take up what the law says,” said Mucunguzi.

The deceased’s father noted that he has been spending a lot of money, up to Shs5m every semester, to sponsor his son’s education. An OB of Malere Primary School in Kamwenge District, Mbarara High school in Mbarara and Namirembe Hillside, Betunguura obtained a diploma in law at the Law Development Centre in Kampala in 2019 before proceeding to enroll for a law degree at UCU.

Betunguura’s father Mucunguzi also called for the banning of political parties in institutions of learning, with the view of ensuring that no candidates in guild or prefect elections are sponsored by political parties, ruling or in opposition in the central and local government.

“I would again condemn these parties in secondary schools and universities because now how should parties be there? Let them be leaders but not basing on the parties,” advised Mucunguzi, who is the head teacher of Kyabenda Primary School in Kamwenge.

Meanwhile, Makerere guild elections have been suspended until further notice, and the current students’ guild leaders fired. (Read Story Here).