In response to allegations of sexual harassment, Kyambogo University has taken decisive action by establishing a committee comprising six distinguished members to investigate the claims against Senior Lecturer and Dean of the Faculty of Special Needs & Rehabilitation, Dr. Lawrence Eron. The Governing Council instigated the inquiry, and Dr. Eron, also the Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor in charge of Finance & Administration, is affiliated with the department of Hearing Impairment & Sign Language Interpretation Studies.
An internal memo circulated within Kyambogo University on November 24 urges victims to come forward. The allegations under investigation involve claims that Dr. Eron sexually harassed both a minor with a disability and a staff member within his department.
The memo, addressed to staff and students, outlines that public hearings to examine Dr. Eron’s conduct will take place in the University’s Main Library Board Room from Wednesday, November 29, to Friday, December 1 (10 am-3 pm).
The university encourages individuals interested in volunteering evidence, even confidentially, without disclosing their identity to do so. This approach aims to address the issue of sexual harassment at Uganda’s second-largest and prestigious university definitively. Testifying anonymously will be protected under the Whistle-blowers Act and the University’s Human Resource Manual.
Sources close to the ongoing investigations revealed to Mulengera News that certain individuals at Kyambogo may engage in sexual harassment targeting students and learners with disabilities as a form of ritual cleansing, following instructions from witch-doctors. This alleged practice is believed to ward off bad omens, enemies, and those perceived as adversaries in maintaining their positions at the university.
Anonymously speaking to Mulengera News, some students and staff expressed reluctance to step forward and provide information to the inquiry committee. They cited concerns that certain committee members might have committed more severe sexual violations than the accused, Dr. Lawrence Eron.
A female insider at Kyambogo, who had previously experienced harassment, remarked, “How can I go and report to such people when one of the guys in the Committee’s Secretariat is a renowned sex offender in collaboration with a powerful HR individual from Busoga?”
