Gulu University has dismissed its former faculty of law dean Dr Shadat Ssemakula Mutyaba Mohmeded over inconsistent academic documents and personal information.
Mutyaba was interdicted by the university management in December last year after his academic documents were found to bear inconsistent names, dates of birth, and years of study. Mutyaba had applied for a promotion as an associate professor at the time this was detected.
Mutyaba reportedly submitted his documents alongside his national identity card that show he was born on July 25, 1983. His academic documents, however, indicated that he sat for the primary leaving examination (PLE) in 1991, his ordinary level education in 1995, and finished his advanced level education in 1998.
This implies that Mutyaba initially started his primary education while aged only one, sat for PLE at 7 years, and finished O’level at 12. In a circular issued on February 15, James Ojok Onono, Gulu University communications officer explained that Mutyaba was tasked to explain the variations after the inconsistencies were detected.
Onono, however, noted that instead of explaining, Mutayaba submitted new documents to the chairperson of the appointments board further adding changes to his date of birth from 1983 to 1978 leading to his interdiction.
Onono said although Mutyaba was offered a chance to be heard on January 31, this year, he failed to show up and instead went on to tarnish the university’s image in the media. Consequently, Mutyaba’s contract at the university was terminated on February 1, on the recommendation of the appointments board.
Onono said that Mutyaba still has another chance to appeal against the dismissal to the staff tribunal as a last resort in seeking justice if he feels the decision was unfair. Gulu University vice chancellor Prof George Ladaah Openjuru said that Mutyaba’s inconsistent academic documents were irreconcilable.
Openjuru said the university management forwarded the matter to the appointments board and took the final decision to terminate his contract. Mutyaba didn’t respond to repeated phone calls on his known mobile phone number. However, in an earlier interview with URN, he alleged that his documents were certified by the National Council of Higher Education (NCHE) adding that his interdiction was an internal fight.
According to the 2023 Auditor General’s report, a total of 203 employees at Gulu University had inconsistencies in their names, national identification numbers, dates of birth, and gender captured in the main and short-term contract payrolls and data captured by NIRA on the national identity cards.
The report also indicated that out of 488 employees at the university, a total of 478 (98 per cent) who appeared for the validation exercise presented all the prerequisite documents/information and were fully verified.
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