| By Timothy Murungi,
:: 29-11-2011
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Teso Student’s Development Association (TESDA) have won this year’s cultural gala, pushing out Nkobazambogo Students Association who were disqualified for including non-UCU participants in the gala.
Nkobazambogo were declared winners of November 5 gala, However their victory was short-lived when TESDA lodged a complaint with the guild tribunal over Nkobazambogo’s competing and winning in violation of the rules and regulations. Rule 8 stipulates that non-UCU members are not allowed to compete and that their inclusion leads to automatic disqualification.
In their judgement on 21 November, the three-member tribunal chaired by Grace Mercy Kisinza ordered that the “runners-up of the cultural gala be moved up one position and the awards be given according to the ranking.”
The TESDA witnesses testified that the unidentified participants in the video footage and other photographs were outsiders, specifically from Kyambogo, who had previously been seen competing in inter-university Baganda Nkobazambogo Students Association for Kyambogo.
All UCU cultural associations were supposed to submit their albums containing the names and identities of their participants before the event, a rule some associations didn’t observe including Nkobazambogo.
“We are very happy that the tribunal listened to our prayer of serving justice. What we wanted was to see justice being done even if we were not crowned winners,” Tabitha Akello, the chairperson of TESDA said.
Meanwhile, TESDA was also found in violation of not including all participants in the album. However the tribunal ruled that according to rule 8 and the intention therein, the violation did not lead to disqualification.
Lango students had besides the petition against Nkobazambogo accused the minister of Culture and social affairs of negligence during the gala.
The tribunal ruled that suing of the minister should have been directed at the Attorney General, who is the guild’s legal advisor.
TESDA was awarded the Sh.800,000 (equivalent of a bull) which is always taken taken by the winner.
Nkobazambogo is still resisting handing over the trophy to the newly declared winners.
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Uganda Christian University's community newspaper
:: Uganda Christian University 2008