Having been part of the efforts to promote youth governance in East Africa, Mr Emmanuel Wabwire a former Guild president of Uganda Christian University (UCU), Mukono, has now returned to the institution as Chairman of the convocation.
Mr Wabwire, the Executive Director of Faraja Africa Foundation, an organisation that focuses on innovation in youth economic empowerment and creative advocacy was elected to represent the over 200,000 alumni of the UCU supreme body.
He returns to the University eight years after defying all odds to be elected Guild President at the same institution after openly identifying as a supporter of the opposition Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) the party through UCU never cherishes partisan student leadership.
The elections for the new convocation leaders was held at UCU on Friday and were presided over by the outgoing Deputy Speaker Ms Edith Kamukune.
Mr Wabwire who defeated four other former students to the the top leadership of the 2021-2024 convocation replaces Mr David Alira the current Secretary-General of Peoples Progressive Party (PPP).
“This expands an opportunity to strengthen policy resolutions on employment and most importantly education reforms at the national and regional (East Africa) level” Mr Wabwire said after being elected.
With the experience from youth advocacy-based programmes at Faraja Africa, Mr Wabwire who has been pushing for the East African Youth council/assembly said that he wants to push for affordable and quality education.
“I am not going to push for affordable education only at UCU but all institutions in the region. Most key is the mentorship of more effective leaders in our systems. This achievement will help me carry the voice of many youths and increase the application of voices that were once minutely heard” he added.
Mr Wabwire has played a significant role in pushing for policy reforms in Uganda and East Africa at large where he has participated in creating platforms for e-diplomacy between Parliaments and young people in the region.
Asked about what this experience brings to the table, he said that; “as a young leader who has been pushing for good governance and participatory democracy, I am going to use this position to revamp the students and youth movements in these shrinking political spaces”.
At the regional level, Mr Wabwire has participated in organising the East African Youth Caravan of 2018 which ended with a mock youth Parliament in the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) chambers in Arusha, Tanzania.
During this caravan, the youth made resolutions among others, arguing the regional leaders to domesticate the African Charter on Democracy, Elections, and Governance (ACDEG), saying it would be paramount for organising free and fair elections.
Others elected
Among others elected to the UCU convocation leadership are; Ms Esther Nakirulu as Vice Chairperson, Mr Julius Oboth, General Secretary, Mr Tonny Tumukunde, Speaker, Ms Prime Komuhunde, Deputy Speaker, and, Mr Eliab Ikyiriza, Secretary for academic.
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