Nkumba guild president leads strike.

Prof.Edward P Mugambi,VC convicing the president to call off the strike.

By Philimon Badagawa

Nkumba University guild officials went on a peaceful demonstration last week over the alleged deans’ involvement in guild financial matters. The guild president, Derick Lufunya says that the Dean of students, Christopher David Kasasa wants to take over guild powers. “The dean wants to be the guild president and control guild finances, the activities of the guild should be carried out with out any interference” Derrick Lufunya says.

They also claimed that the dean of students was using the guild car and had not given the car keys to the guild president who is supposed to use the car.

Derrick and some of his ministers started their demonstration at the guild grounds in the morning and later moved to the deans’ office where they put two mattresses and sat on them to express their grievances.

By the time the president and his group camped at the dean’s office, David Kasasa was already out. Later the vice Chancellor, Prof. Paul Edward Mugambi intervened but his endeavors to convince the president to call off the strike were futile. “We shall solve your concerns, stop the demonstration”, the vice chancellor pleaded to the guild president who insisted on not vacating the deans office until their problem is attended to. Struggles to talk to Dean failed.

For the last one month, Nkumba guild activities were put on hold to foster reconciliation because the guild president was allegedly accused of causing financial loss to the guild. Lufunya printed and sold calendars to new students but the income obtained from the calendars was mishandled. When students realized that the person they had entrusted with power was embezzling money instead of serving them, students demanded for his censorship. “We expected Lufunya to server students’ interests, but his involvement in guild financial scandals means that the president has lost focus for the students’ cause” a student who voted for him expressed his worry.

The administration came in to solve the matter and a committee was set up to investigate the incidences under which the money was lost. And according to the findings of the report, Lufunya is meant to refund the missing money amounting to 590,000 shillings. However, Lufunya dismisses claims that he embezzled guild funds. He says that the money he is told to refund was part of the two million shillings that was stolen from his office a few days after he was sworn in as guild president.

“You should remember that leadership comes with challenges and am not an exception but all this is because of character assassination, I personally condemn corruption”, Lufunya lamented.

However, most students saw no guanine cause for the demonstration. “There are better avenues for solving such issues other than demonstrating” One of the students said.