Tensions are rising within Makerere University’s top management following the University Council’s refusal to approve the Senate’s recommended candidate for the position of Deputy Vice-Chancellor in charge of Finance and Administration. The latest clash is pitting the University Vice-Chancellor Professor Barnabas Nawangwe against several senators. Nawangwe even removed some of them from the University senate WhatsApp group where casual senate discussions are held.
Makerere University has lacked a substantive Deputy Vice-Chancellor since 2017 when Nawangwe, the previous officeholder, was appointed Vice-Chancellor. Since then, the university has relied on acting deputies, including Prof. William Bazeyo, Dr. Josephine Nabukenya, and most recently, Prof. Henry Alinaitwe. But, URN reported in June this year that the long wait was finally over after the University Senate’s search committee completed an assessment and selection process, where three candidates were vetted after meeting all the requirements.
Candidates included Interim DVC F&A Prof. Henry Arinaitwe, Associate Prof. James Bruce Kirenga, and Prof. Anthony Mugisha. According to the report of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor Search Committee 2024 submitted to the University Senate, Mugisha scored highest marks with a composite score of 79.88%, derived from 47.64% in face-to-face interviews and 32% in public presentations. Arinaitwe, the acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor, followed closely with a total score of 77.20%, comprising 45.6% from face-to-face interviews and 31.6% from public presentations, Kirenga came third with a score of 75.70%, earning 44.7% in face-to-face interviews and 31.0% in public presentations.
The search committee, which was chaired by Associate Prof. Eria Hisali, concluded that all three candidates were suitable for the position and subsequently submitted its report to the University Senate for final consideration. After adopting the report, the Senate conducted a vote where Mugisha secured 31 votes, narrowly defeating Alinaitwe, who garnered 30 votes, while Kirenga received 10 votes. This outcome meant that the senate would recommend Mugisha to Council for approval and subsequently be appointed by the Chancellor.
According to the Universities and Other Tertiary Institutions Act 2001 as amended, each public university shall have no more than three Deputy Vice-Chancellors, who shall be appointed by the Chancellor on the recommendation of the University Senate with the approval of the University Council. But, six months later, the University Council is yet to approve the Senate’s recommendation but rather resolved that the senate review the search process to ascertain that the search was conducted under the Council guidelines, a decision that has not gone well with many senate members.
For nearly two weeks now, URN understands that several senate members have been pushing the university Vice Chancellor Nawangwe to update them on the status of the position of the deputy Vice Chancellor where they had approved a candidate, six months back. In his communication sent to the University senate WhatsApp group, Nawangwe explained that he received a Council resolution, requesting the Senate to review the search process to ascertain that the search was conducted per the Council guidelines that were provided to the Search Committee and the criteria set out in the advert.
”In my capacity as the Chairperson of the Senate, I appointed a task force from among the members of the Senate to review the search process and advise the Senate. The findings of the task force will be presented to the Senate for consideration at the next regular meeting of the Senate as agreed with the Council,” reads part of Nawangwe’s communique to senate members. “I hope this information is adequate to assure the members of Senate that this matter is being handled in the best way possible,” reads part of Nawangwe’s Communique.
Those leading the onslaught against Nawangwe are Associate Prof. Jude Ssempebwa and Prof Charles Niwagaba who are accusing him of attempting to subvert the Senate’s autonomy by pushing for a repeat process or a list of three candidates to allow Council to choose its preferred option. “It is good that you have had the courtesy to address us on the touchy issue of the position of DVC/FA, but with all due respect, and even if at risk of being misunderstood, allow me to state as humbly, but also as candidly, as I possibly can, that contrary to your hope the information you provided is not adequate to assure me that the matter is “being handled in the best way possible,’ reads a response from Prof Jude Ssempebwa that URN has seen.
“After the last meeting of Senate, in which you ruled me out of order for asking that we discuss the issue of DVC/FA now that Council asked Senate to confirm that the process through which it selected and recommended Prof. Mugisha for the position was fair and followed the guidelines and the law, Prof. Arinaitwe remarked to me that he thinks “I am very interested in his job.” Actually not. But I am very interested in the fact that he is acting DVC for close to three years and still counting, in blatant violation of the same Human Resources manual that he purports to enforce,” reads another part of Ssempebwa’s WhatsApp response reads.
With this, he was soon removed by Nawangwe who is the admin of the group. Other who were also removed are Nuwagaba, and Mugisha.
Although the Vice Chancellor did not explain why the University Council where he is a member, chose not to approve Mugisha’s recommendation, several sources that spoke to URN, on this matter but preferred to remain anonymous to speak freely on the sensitive issue, said that Arinaitwe, who is the current acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor, but was also a contender for the job had complained about the fairness of the search committee.
Speaking to URN, Prof Ssempebwa alleged that the University Council’s reason for reviewing the process to see whether due diligence was followed is a mere pretext, and alleged that the real issue rather is, some council members trying to stampede the search committee process and force a repeat of the entire process, or force Senate to send three names to Council so that it can select and impose their preferred candidate and not the one Senate selected.
“If the Prof. Nawangwe committee recommends that three names be sent to Council for DVC/FA, Council will select the candidate they want, different from the one Senate selected. This would be a violation of the Senate, the top academic policy-making organ of the University,” Ssempebwa said. “This possibility and ways of preventing it must be discussed freely and honestly, but it seems participating in this discussion is the reason my colleagues and I got kicked out. The University, especially Senate, should be the safest space to discourse, including sharing dissenting views. But we are where we are,” Ssempebwa added.
To cement his argument, he cited an incident where the senate elected Prof. Nakimuli for the position of Principal of College of Health Sciences, but the council chose to appoint one of the members she beat in the search process. “Prof. Nakimuli won with 50 votes. Prof. Bruce Kirenga was the third with 27 votes. The three names were sent to the Council and it selected the third person to became the principal,” he said Ssempebwa further alleged that one of the members of the Nawangwe-appointed task force was initially voted out of the search committee that handled the process which he says is a conflict of interest.
“Strangely, Prof. Nkabala was nominated to be a member of the original search committee and the members of Senate voted her out. It is unconscionable that she can be the one to chair a committee to review the work of a committee to which the Senate refused to elect her. That is a clear case of conflict of interest,” Prof. Ssempebwa said.
The position of Makerere University Deputy Vice Chancellor in Charge of Finance and Administration fell vacant in 2017 after Nawangwe was elevated to Vice-Chancellor. Prof. William Bazeyo, who was the Dean of the School of Public Health, was appointed acting second Deputy Vice-Chancellor by Chancellor Ezra Suruma.
In 2018, Prof. Bazeyo was appointed permanently after beating Mugisha. However, Mugisha challenged this appointment in court, arguing that the search committee had overstepped its mandate by recommending only Prof. Bazeyo. In June 2019, Justice Musa Sekaana quashed Bazeyo’s appointment. But, despite this, he was re-appointed as Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor shortly after.
In October 2020, Bazeyo withdrew his candidature amidst questions about his academic credentials, and subsequently Dr. Josephine Nabukenya was appointed for a year before Alinaitwe replaced her to date. Acting appointments are expected to last no more than six months, according to Public Service Standing Orders. Any period beyond six months without an extension is null and void, making the current situation at Makerere University technically illegal.
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