With just a day to the Makerere University 70th graduation, the institute has been hit by a shortage in graduation gowns. The graduation ceremony is meant for 14 – 17 January. However, despite the proximity of the event, only 7,000 graduation gowns out of the 13,509 required have so far been delivered and distributed.
This created a panic mode among students. According to a statement released by the University “The official supplier of gowns for students graduating next week informed Management at the last minute that he was experiencing challenges supplying all graduation gowns on time. His actions are a breach of contract.”
However, the university management has assured students that it has put in place emergency measures to ensure that gowns for all graduands are ready by the day they attend the ceremony.
In a statement, Makerere said the “Official Supplier of gowns for students graduating next week informed Management at the last minute that he was experiencing challenges supplying all graduation gowns on time. His actions are a breach of contract.”
The university did not indicate if any serious actions would be taken against the supplier but regretted the “inconvenience and anxiety created by the Contractor’s failure to honour the contract and assures all graduands that everything necessary is being done to ensure a smooth graduation ceremony.”
They further urged the public, graduands and their parents, guardians to disregard malicious propaganda being spread on social media and other media platforms claiming that graduands will attend the graduation ceremony without the necessary academic dress.
The university has also vowed to take serious actions against the supplier for the inconvenience and potential embarrassment that they have caused.
