Makerere University Vice Chancellor, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe, has stated that at least 1000 students are dropping out of the university every year due to sports betting.
Speaking during a function held at the university to recognize the best-performing students, Nawangwe mentioned that before their investigations, they received excuses citing the main reason for students failing to complete their courses annually as the inability to pay school fees.
“But our investigations have shown that these individuals haven’t failed to raise school fees. Instead, they receive the fees from their parents but opt to invest it in betting,” stated Nawangwe.
He further added, “Many of them, of course, end up losing it and subsequently start fabricating stories to their parents; some even go to the extent of inviting their parents on graduation day when their names are not on the graduation list.”
Meanwhile, according to a case study conducted by students at the College of Business and Management Sciences, one in four (1 in 4) adults in Uganda participates in various sports betting and gambling activities across different regions of the country.
The prevalence is particularly high among the youth, with approximately 40% admitting to having been involved in the practice at some point, despite government regulation.