Once again Makerere University is set to pay more money in compensation after losing another case in court. This has come following the The High Court’s ruling that the university should pay researcher Dr.Stella Nyanzi shs120 million for refusing to give her back her job.
It should be recalled that in 2017, Nyanzi was suspended by the Makerere University Vice-Chancellor Prof Barnabas Nawange for attacking the Minister of Education and Sports Janet Museveni.
The Staff Tribunal later ordered the University to reinstate her as a research fellow at the Makerere Institute of Social Research, which wasn’t done, a move that forced her to run to court.
During today’s (Thursday June 11th) court ruling, Justice Lydia Mugambe concluded that it was wrong for Makerere to refuse to reinstate her.
“It can easily be inferred that after failing to get their desired end from the Tribunal process, the Respondent officers resorted to finding ways of circumventing it. In this case, the respondent officials appear to have acted in defiance of the Tribunal decision. This was irregular, irrational, and unreasonable,” the judge ruled.
Mugambe further explained that the purpose of an appeal tribunal in an institution like Makerere is to give a forum to staff members to challenge the decision of their employers before matters are taken to court.
“It is, therefore, wrong for the Respondent which set up the appeals Tribunal for this purpose to be the one that disregards or circumvents the Tribunal’s decisions. The Respondent has an overarching duty to implement the decisions of its Staff Appeals Tribunal. It is not within its powers to cherry-pick which ones it implements and which ones it circumvents.” She added.
Mugambe added that following the trouble and embarrassment Nyanzi went through, she is entitled to a compensation.
“I am satisfied that the Respondent’s continued contemptuous disregard of the Tribunal’s decision has caused the Applicant embarrassment, inconvenience, and psychological torture for which she is entitled to general damages.”
The court, therefore, directed the university to pay shs120 million to Dr. Stella Nyanzi in general damages and a 10% interest per year from the date of ruling until her payment is cleared fully.
