Makerere University top administrators are being interrogated and must explain why the previous strikes happened and why they ignored recommendations of the previous reports that could have prevented the strikes that led to the University closure.
Campus Bee has also learnt that the Makerere probe committee that was selected by President Museveni is to to recommend that they lose their offices if tb don’t give adequate explanation to the questions.
According to Prof Abel Rwendeire, the chairman of the probe committee, for the last two weeks, they have been reviewing various documents to inform their investigations before they can come up with a report that will explain in detail why the strike happened and why the top administrators did not act immediately to avert it.
“We are beginning consultations with former chancellors such as Prof Mondo Kagonyera, deputy vice chancellors, council members, Senate, staff, senior management members and the public tomorrow [which is Today],” he said.
He explained that these are important stakeholders who are supposed to provide the committee with relevant information as to why they ignored previous reports whose recommendations needed to be implemented to prevent future strikes.
Though Prof Rwendeire says the interrogation and their findings will remain a secret out of the media, all the top University administrators from the Vice Chancellor to the lowest ranks will be queried and interrogated properly.
Two years later after government instituted a Prof Omaswa-led committee in 2011 to look at the university’s resultant grievances and disputes, it seems the guidelines set by the committee were not followed thus the recent strike that saw the campus closed.
However, the Makerere committee of top administrators and lecturers under their MUASA umbrella faulted government for paying attention to lower education by promoting Universal Primary Education and Universal Secondary Education, leaving higher education to the private sector.
They noted that the university was underfunded, available resources not well utilised, while there were also some duplications in administrative positions.
Makerere closure
Last month, President Yoweri Museveni ordered for an indefinite closure of Makerere University following strikes from both lecturers and students which began towards the end of October.
The lecturers were demanding their salary and allowances arrears amounting to Shs32b which had not been paid for nine months.
Although this is not the first time that Makerere University has been subjected into public inquiries, this time round members of Administration will be grilled and must answer for the strikes and their participation in it or why they did not avert it immediately
In 2015, there was the Omaswa report, the Kabaasa report and the 2008 McGregor report. While assuming office last Month, Dr Rwendeire said part of their terms of reference is to inquire why recommendations from these reports have never been fulfilled and after take necessary measures.
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