The Industrial Court of Uganda has dismissed a claim by former Victoria University lecturer Mathias Bbaale, who had sued the institution for alleged unfair termination, breach of contract and unpaid salary arrears amounting to Shs50 million.
In a ruling delivered on July 9, 2026, the court found that Bbaale was engaged as a part time lecturer and not a full time employee as he had claimed. The court ruled that his contract ended after the expiry of the academic semester and that Victoria University was not liable for unlawful termination.
The case, Labour Dispute Reference No. 278 of 2016, arose from a complaint initially filed before the Kampala Capital City Authority Labour Office after mediation between the parties failed.
Bbaale told the court that he was appointed by Victoria University on October 6, 2014, under a two year contract as a full time lecturer with a monthly salary of Shs3.2 million. He claimed that although he started teaching in January 2015, the university failed to pay him his full salary and accumulated arrears of about Shs50 million by March 2016.
He further alleged that in March 2016, he was informed that his name was missing from the staff list for the semester. He claimed that when he approached the Vice Chancellor to resolve the matter, his appointment letter was confiscated on allegations that it was forged.
Bbaale told court that he was later arrested in May 2016 and detained at Central Police Station, Kampala, for three days over allegations of forgery. He argued that his employment had been unlawfully terminated and sought payment of salary arrears, damages, a certificate of service and costs.
Victoria University denied the allegations, arguing that Bbaale was never a full time employee but a part time lecturer who was paid according to the number of hours he taught. The university maintained that his engagement ended after the expiry of his semester contract.
The university also challenged the authenticity of the appointment letter presented by Bbaale, arguing that it was not issued through the institution’s normal recruitment procedures for full time academic staff.
The Industrial Court, headed by Justice Linda Lillian Tumusiime Mugisha, with panelists Rose Gidongo, Beatrice Achiro Okeny and Charles Wacha Angulo, examined evidence from both parties, including witness testimony, employment documents and a handwriting analysis report.
The court noted that although a handwriting expert confirmed that a signature on an application letter attributed to Bbaale matched his specimen signatures, the evidence did not prove the existence of a valid full time appointment.
The judges found that the disputed appointment letter relied upon by Bbaale did not sufficiently establish a full time employment relationship because it lacked supporting evidence such as the alleged job advertisement, application process and proof of approval through the university’s recruitment structures.
The court also considered Bbaale’s qualifications at the time of his engagement and found that he did not meet the requirements for appointment as a full lecturer under the National Council for Higher Education’s 2014 Quality Assurance Framework.
According to the framework, a lecturer is required to hold a master’s degree and be pursuing a PhD, while an assistant lecturer requires a master’s degree. The court observed that Bbaale only started his PhD programme in 2018, years after his engagement by the university.
The court further relied on payment records presented in evidence, which showed that Bbaale was paid based on teaching hours and received honoraria allocated to part-time lecturers.
The judges said it was inconsistent for Bbaale to accept payments as a part-time lecturer while later claiming he was entitled to a full-time salary.
“It is unbelievable that he agreed to be paid as a part-time lecturer for work done as a full-time lecturer, moreover, for the entire period of the purported contract,” the court observed.
The court ruled that Bbaale’s engagement was a part-time arrangement based on fixed term academic assignments and not permanent employment.
On the question of termination, the court held that his contract ended through expiry of the agreed period and that Victoria University was not required to renew his engagement.
“The termination of his contract by effluxion of time was both procedurally and substantively lawful,” the court ruled.
The court rejected Bbaale’s claims for Shs50 million in salary arrears, Shs38.4 million for future earnings, general damages and aggravated damages, saying he had failed to prove that he was entitled to a full time salary or that his employment was unlawfully terminated.
However, the court granted his request for a certificate of service, noting that employees are entitled to receive such certificates upon termination of employment when requested.
The court also declined to award costs against either party, maintaining that labour disputes require a balance between protecting employees seeking justice and avoiding unnecessary financial burdens.
“In the final, this claim fails. With no order as to costs,” the court concluded.
The award was signed and delivered electronically on July 9, 2026, by Justice Linda Lillian Tumusiime Mugisha and the panel members.
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