Makerere University finally has a substantive Deputy Vice Chancellor in charge of Finance and Administration — a position that has been held in acting capacity for years, passed between senior professors amid political intrigue, personal rivalries, and allegations of deliberate marginalisation.
But the manner in which Prof Henry Alinaitwe was confirmed into the role at last Thursday’s Governing Council session has left a trail of disquiet that insiders say could, if left unaddressed, eventually erupt into the kind of institutional instability that Makerere can ill afford.
To understand Thursday’s controversy, it helps to understand the history of the DVC Finance and Administration position at Makerere — a history that is, in itself, a study in how institutional politics operates at Uganda’s premier university.
The last substantive holder of the DVC F&A position was Prof Barnabas Nawangwe himself, who served in that capacity under Vice Chancellor Prof Ddumba Sentamu. When Nawangwe succeeded Ddumba as Vice Chancellor, Prof William Bazeyo was tapped to serve as DVC F&A — but only in acting capacity.
Bazeyo’s tenure in the role was turbulent. Prof Anthony Mugisha, a senior and self-described assertive scholar, mounted a persistent campaign claiming he was more suitable for the position and had been unjustly passed over. The pressure proved too much for Bazeyo — described by those who know him as a proud and accomplished scholar from Ankole who felt he was doing Makerere a favour by accepting the acting role — and he eventually stepped aside.
Prof Henry Alinaitwe, who had been serving as Principal of CEDAT, was then brought in to hold the position in acting capacity. Mugisha’s supporters — largely operating within what insiders describe as the “MUASA universe,” referring to the Makerere University Academic Staff Association — continued their campaign, arguing that their candidate was being systematically marginalised by Vice Chancellor Nawangwe and powerful figures on the Governing Council.
Alinaitwe eventually exited in February 2025, handing over to Prof Winston Tumps Ireeta — who has since been holding the position in acting capacity while the formal appointment process ran its course.
After the process was cleared by the Inspector General of Government, the Governing Council convened last Thursday with the substantive DVC F&A appointment at the top of the agenda.
The Senate’s search committee had vetted and scored three candidates — Prof Alinaitwe, Prof Ireeta, and one other — and submitted its report to Council. The Senate scoring favoured Prof Alinaitwe with over 95 percent performance, with Prof Ireeta placing a close second.
Under normal Council procedure, members would proceed to a vote and elect one of the three candidates. Instead, according to multiple sources familiar with the proceedings, Council members were steered away from voting and pushed toward simply ratifying the Senate scoring — on the argument that the Senate search committee, being technically more knowledgeable, had already done the substantive work of assessment, and that proceeding to a divisive vote was unnecessary.
The result: Prof Alinaitwe was confirmed as the substantive DVC F&A without a Council vote.
The decision to bypass the vote has drawn sharp criticism from within the Council itself. Several members viewed the approach as procedurally irregular and substantively manipulative — specifically designed to deliver the outcome that Vice Chancellor Nawangwe preferred while avoiding the unpredictability of an open vote that might have gone differently.
The concern centres on Prof Ireeta. He is described by those close to the university as a naturally aggressive and independent-minded figure — qualities that make him popular among staff and students who value assertive leadership, but that also make him a potentially difficult colleague for a Vice Chancellor attempting to drive institutional reforms and realign conduct across Makerere’s student and staff bodies.
“Alinaitwe is the man Prof Nawangwe prefers because he is obedient, predictable and unlikely to antagonize him in any way,” said one insider who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Whether or not that characterisation is fair, it reflects a perception within sections of the Council and university community that the process was managed toward a predetermined outcome — and that the Senate scoring mechanism was used as cover to avoid a vote that might not have delivered the desired result.
What makes the contest particularly fascinating — and the controversy harder to resolve cleanly — is that both Prof Alinaitwe and Prof Ireeta are not peripheral figures. Both are heavyweight academics with significant connections to Uganda’s most powerful networks.
Prof Alinaitwe is described as a senior construction consultant with strong relationships among Uganda’s top echelons — the kind of academic who gets retained as the expert adviser on multi-billion shilling projects belonging to the country’s most powerful individuals. His academic credibility is not in question. What his critics question is whether his willingness to work within the system without friction makes him the right choice to provide independent oversight of Makerere’s finances and administration.
Prof Ireeta’s support base within the university — particularly among staff and students — is described as genuine and substantial. His perceived alienation through Thursday’s process is seen by his supporters as the latest chapter in a pattern of sidelining academics who are considered too independent for comfort.
Hanging over the entire saga is the unresolved question of Prof Anthony Mugisha — the veterinary and animal health consultant whose years-long campaign for the DVC F&A position appears to have faded from the immediate picture but has not disappeared entirely. His described connections to the livestock farms of the first family and other powerful actors in Uganda’s political universe make him a figure who cannot simply be written out of Makerere’s institutional politics.
Whether Mugisha’s interests align with Alinaitwe’s confirmation or against it — and what role, if any, his network played in Thursday’s proceedings — remains unclear. But his presence in the background of this story is a reminder that Makerere’s governance disputes rarely involve only the individuals whose names appear on the official shortlist.
