On Thursday, August 8, 2024, H.E. Kyagulanyi Ssentamu Robert was conferred with a Bachelor of Laws degree from Cavendish University, and he was part of the over 700 graduates who were awarded for their academic excellence.
The president, who had been formerly awarded a Diploma in Music, Dance, and Drama from Makerere University nearly two decades ago, opted to return to school in 2016 when he enrolled at the International University of East Africa and later switched to Cavendish University with the advice of his then lecturer and now our Secretary General David Lewis Rubongoya.
Former Nigerian President H.E. Goodluck Jonathan, who is the Cavendish University chancellor, was present at the degree award ceremony, commended the graduates for being exemplary, and went on to task them to be innovators ready to make a difference in the world.
The president’s degree was cleared after a thorough investigation by the National Council for Higher Education, which received a petition from the state detractors that attempted to sabotage his academic achievement.
The President penned down an emotional statement narrating his academic journey and the insane heroes and heroine (First Lady Barbie Kyagulanyi) who pushed him to complete the degree that cost him about seven years to accomplish.
It should be recalled that a few months ago, in June of this year, while we launched the NUP leadership school, the president took it upon himself to rally young people to be educated. In his speech, he tasked young people with seeing value in education. “Opening this school is our humble contribution towards filling the void left and ensuring that every citizen has the opportunity to learn, to lead, and to contribute to the democratic process,” the president said on June 10, 2024.
The President’s academic degree award is now part of our cabinet, which includes notable leaders like the spokesperson Joel Ssenyonyi, who got a postgraduate diploma in law from the LDC, and head of mobilization Nyanzi Fred Ssentamu, who bagged a Masters degree in Peace and Conflict Studies, among others.