Anxiety as Kyambogo varsity delays new VC search

Kyambogo University staff are agitated that the University Council, has delayed the process to find a substantive Vice Chancellor (VC) before their term expires in July.

Academic staff association chairperson Rev Grace Lubaale said they are disturbed that the council is allegedly insensitive to the institution’s needs and their workers.

For instance, he argued that all the university’s top managers either have expired contracts or have been acting for more than three years, something he said makes the university’s accountability questionable. Some workers are also questioning the eligibility of some applicants who are already 60-years-old, edging them out of a process they have shown interest in.

“We have an acting vice chancellor, acting university secretary, acting bursar, acting auditor general. I don’t know why the VC search committee has delayed,” the Rev Lubaale said.

The university advertised the position in February, attracting six candidates, including four staff at the institution: the acting VC, Prof Eli Katunguka, Prof George Byarugaba-Bazirake (Dean Faculty of Science), Prof Aaron Wanyama (former Dean Faculty of Science), Prof Charles Twesigye (Biology Department) and Makerere University Business School’s Prof Geoffrey Bakunda. The sixth applicant is said to be an Ethiopian whose identities were not yet established by press time.

But since the advert, no shortlist or interviews have been conducted three months later. The university council, headed by Prof John Okedi, has only up to July to leave office.
However, Prof Okedi has assured university workers that his team will appoint a substantive VC.

“We put a search committee and the process is continuing. Any time from now and within the next three to four weeks, the process will be done. We hope to select a new VC certainly before our term expires in July,” Prof Okedi said.

According to the Universities and Other Tertiary Institutions Act, a search committee composed of two members from the university council and three members from the university senate shall identify suitable candidates for the post of vice chancellor and forward them to the senate to nominate three candidates for recommendation to the university council.

But the teaching staff are skeptical of the process which they say is already rigged. They point out that senate membership of majority of individuals expired in March but management has failed to facilitate elections of deans of faculties and heads of departments.

“The delay to elect faculty deans is a plot to rig VC elections. The chairperson of senate is Prof Katunguka who is a candidate. Members of senate are those faculty deans whose term expired and elections have never taken place,” the Rev Lubaale added.

However, Prof Katunguka yesterday said the process of electing new deans was on and hoped it will be complete by end of June.

On the age limit, Prof Katunguka explained that the council has “the right to determine the age limit of the applicants.