Guild Council Elections at Ugandan Universities Explained

What the guild is

At Ugandan universities, the students' union is called the guild. It functions as a student government, with an elected guild president, a cabinet, and a representative council. The guild speaks for students on tuition, accommodation, and academic issues, and organizes clubs, welfare programs, and campus events.

Makerere University's guild is the oldest and best known in the country, and its structure is copied, with variations, at other public and private universities in Uganda.

The guild president

The guild president is elected by the student body for a one-year term and leads the guild cabinet. The president also sits on the University Council, the top governing body of the university, giving students a direct voice in decisions on fees, policy, and administration.

Guild elections at Makerere happen in the second semester of each academic year. James Churchill Ssentamu became the university's 91st guild president after winning with 3,459 votes, and Gracious Kadondi, backed by the National Unity Platform, was declared the 92nd guild president , the fifth leader chosen under the university's electronic voting system.

The Guild Representative Council

Alongside the president, students elect members of the Guild Representative Council (GRC), who represent halls of residence and academic colleges. The GRC debates and passes guild resolutions, approves the guild budget, and holds the guild cabinet to account between elections. Tens of thousands of students are eligible to vote in a Makerere guild election, though actual turnout varies by election.

How campaigns run

Guild campaigns at Makerere resemble small-scale national election races. Candidates form campaign teams, hold rallies across halls of residence, and canvass support along hall, regional, and sometimes party political lines. Campaign spending, promises of hall improvements, and backing from national political parties such as the National Resistance Movement or opposition parties can shape who wins.

This closeness to national politics is not incidental. Several Ugandan politicians started their careers as Makerere guild leaders, and guild elections attract attention from national media and political parties looking to build youth structures for the future.

Beyond Makerere

Other Ugandan universities run their own guild systems with similar features: an elected president, a representative council, and a guild constitution that sets election rules and term limits. Guild leaders across universities also link up through national student bodies to coordinate on issues like tuition policy and university funding.

Why this matters for you

Your guild president and GRC representative are your direct line to university management on issues that affect your daily life on campus, from hall conditions to exam timetable disputes. Read the candidates' manifestos before voting, and know who your hall or college GRC representative is so you can raise concerns through them between elections, not just at campaign time.