Kampala, Uganda — The Ministry of Education and Sports has been petitioned by a member of the Uganda National Students Association (UNSA) seeking clarity on whether sitting members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) can seek re-election to the same offices they currently hold.
The petition, filed on June 2, 2026, by Makerere University student and UNSA member Keta Patience, was received by the Ministry’s Security Registry and copied to the UNSA Executive Secretary and UNSA Speaker.
In her letter to the Permanent Secretary, Keta argues that conflicting interpretations of the amended 2022 UNSA Constitution and election guidelines have left students uncertain about the legality of incumbents pursuing another term. Citing Article 7 on Elections and Article 7(2) on Term of Office, which provide that NEC members serve from their swearing‑in until the next Annual General Meeting before the end of December each year, she notes that student leadership is generally understood, under global leadership norms, to be a one‑year mandate.
Previous UNSA election guidelines — specifically Regulation 6 of the 36th National Students’ Council & Elections Guidelines — barred current leaders from being registered as delegates if they had previously served as UNSA NEC members or represented UNSA in other bodies, except for secondary school students. Keta contends that attempts by some NEC members to seek re‑election to the same positions contradict these principles and risk undermining UNSA’s governance standards. She frames the matter as one of public interest consistent with UNSA’s objectives under Article 3(1.4) of its Constitution and asks the Ministry to issue an official interpretation and binding guidance to prevent future disputes.
The petition comes at a time when UNSA is led by president Shillah Ainembabazi, Victoria University’s 8th vice guild president, who was reappointed in the 9th guild government as Minister for Gender and Persons with Special Needs — a move some student leaders view as a calculated step toward securing another UNSA presidential term. Under the UNSA Constitution, candidates for president must be either a Speaker, Guild President, representative of persons with disabilities, or a Guild Representative Council (GRC) member elected to represent their institution at UNSA.
With the 37th Annual General Assembly and election of new leaders slated for December 2026, and UNSA leadership mandated to be elected annually, the Ministry’s interpretation is expected to shape who is eligible to contest in the upcoming polls and could set a precedent for student leadership transitions across the country.
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