By William Opio
Uganda Christian University (UCU) Easter Semester Guild Bazaar officially kicked off on January 27, 2025. The event, organised by the guild government every semester, aims to provide students with affordable shopping options while helping them cut costs. Traditionally, the bazaar takes place in the second week of the semester, but this time, it was delayed.
According to vendors, the delay was due to the guild government’s late approval, which prevented businesses from setting up in time. Some students and traders believe this affected sales, as most students spend a significant amount of their money on shopping within the first two weeks of the semester.
Sarah Namubiru, a student selling oil perfumes, jewellery, and peanut butter, noted that business has been slow this time around due to the low number of students enrolled in the Easter semester. She also blamed the delay in inviting vendors, saying it cost them the chance to sell to students when they had more money to spend.
“This semester has fewer students, and many of them had already done their shopping before the bazaar began,” she said.
In response, Guild President Samantha Mwesije acknowledged the challenges faced during the bazaar. “As the Guild President, our primary aim for the UCU Easter Semester Guild Bazaar was to create a platform for students to access affordable goods and services while offering vendors an opportunity to thrive. While we anticipated a higher turnout, the delayed approval process indeed affected the initial setup, which we are actively working to streamline in the future. We recognise the challenges vendors faced and are committed to improving communication and logistical support to ensure smoother operations in subsequent bazaars. Moving forward, we plan to initiate the approval process earlier and launch strategic marketing campaigns to boost student participation. Despite the hurdles, we are optimistic that as students settle in, business activity will pick up, benefitting both students and vendors,” Mwesije said.
Among the first-time vendors at the bazaar was the CEO of Hers Select Uganda, who expressed excitement about the experience. She said interacting with other traders gave her new insights into business operations. However, she admitted that sales had been lower than expected.
“The turnout is fair, but the low number of students has had an impact. Besides, January is a tough month for everyone financially, including students,” she noted.
The UCU Guild Bazaar usually attracts a large number of students in the first week, but this semester’s turnout has been lower than usual. Vendors remain hopeful that business will pick up in the second week as more students settle into campus life.
