Uganda’s Parliamentary Committee on Education has expressed sharp displeasure with Kyambogo University Vice Chancellor Prof. Elly Katunguka after he failed to appear before it twice in a row over allegations that the university enrolled government-sponsored students on a diploma programme never accredited by the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE).
The matter stems from a petition MPs on the committee received from aggrieved students, who accuse Kyambogo’s top management of admitting them onto a two-year diploma programme whose courses had not been accredited by NCHE.
The students, who were on government sponsorship, say their concerns were raised as early as orientation week but were ignored, with the university proceeding to graduate them with qualifications the regulator does not recognise.
The university reportedly continued enrolling students onto the same programme in subsequent years.
Two Missed Appearances
The matter was first tabled before the Committee on a Friday, with complainants present and Kyambogo represented by its Deputy Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration. Prof. Katunguka, as Vice Chancellor and the university’s chief executive, was not present, prompting the Committee to push the matter to a resumption session the following Wednesday, attended by Education Minister Peter Ogwang, Permanent Secretary Kedrace Turyagyenda, and representatives from NCHE and Kyambogo.
At that session, MPs were again unhappy that Kyambogo sent representatives from the Office of the Academic Registrar rather than the Vice Chancellor himself, a choice several MPs described as inappropriate given the seniority of the officials present, including the Minister and Permanent Secretary. Some MPs characterised Katunguka’s continued absence as disrespectful to the Committee.
Several MPs argued that the university’s continued enrollment on an unaccredited programme amounted to a loss of government funds, since taxpayer money had gone toward sponsoring students on a programme not recognised by the regulator. A section of MPs proposed that an arrest warrant be issued to compel Katunguka to appear before the Committee, while Minister Ogwang appealed for leniency.
MPs also noted that Katunguka had not responded to a letter from NCHE seeking an explanation on the unaccredited courses, which some members cited as further evidence of the university’s failure to engage with the regulator on the matter.
NCHE Under Fire Too
Ogwang and Turyagyenda told the Committee that beyond ministry-level engagement, a full investigation into the unaccredited programmes would need to be carried out by NCHE, adding that similar issues could exist in other academic programmes that have not yet come to light.
That response drew criticism from UPDF Representative Gen Henry Matsiko, who questioned NCHE’s own effectiveness in the matter, pointing out that the regulator had taken about four months to communicate with Kyambogo after receiving the students’ complaint before demanding an explanation from the Vice Chancellor.
Some MPs used the session to call for a wider inquiry into other institutions facing similar complaints, specifically naming the Mengo-based Ernest Cook Ultrasound Research Institute/University, which is the subject of a separate petition before the Committee over the authenticity of its qualifications.
CampusBee will continue to follow developments in this matter as the Committee’s inquiry proceeds.
