Makerere University through its different staff associations have accused the institution’s Appointments Board of corruption while it carries out its duties.
The associations are Makerere University Academic Staff Association which brings together the teaching staff, the National Union of Education Institutions brings together all public universities and the Makerere University Administrative Staff, brings together non-teaching staff of the university.
Through a letter written to the University Council chairperson Lorna Magara alleges that some Appointments Board and Council members have solicited for bribes before considering job applications.
“We have an audio recording in which a member of the University Council, Mr Jackson Byamukama, audaciously solicits bribes of Shs 5,000,000/- from a group of staff—to purportedly “seduce” the Chief Human Resource Officer to support the movement of the staff from salary scale M15 to PU62.
Irrespective of the staff’s qualifications. In the solicitation of the said bribe, Mr Byamukama emphasizes that incentivizing the Chief HR Officer by urgently paying the 5milion in full is more important than the staff’s qualifications,” the three-page letter reads in part.
The staff also points out the promotion of Barnabas Nawangwe to the position of professor in 2013 and his eventual appointment as vice chancellor in 2017 and 2022 as also smirking at corruption.
Their allegation is based on what they said was Nawangwe’s lack of 10 peer-reviewed publications and two books in his area of specialization.
The staff are also stunned by the flagrant disregard for the Human Resource Manual of the University that bars appointing people in acting capacities beyond 12 months.
However, to their dismay, Prof. Henry Alinaitwe has been acting as deputy vice-chancellor in charge of finance and administration for now over three years.
“This makes Prof. Alinaitwe’s illegal tenure as acting DVCFA in blatant violation of the same Human Resources Manual that he purports to enforce even the more suspicious,” the letter reads in part.
These abuses and corruption, the staff allege are bringing unprecedented “notoriety…are humiliating staff, who are inevitably suspected of having been hired/ promoted corruptly,” and therefore are hurting staff’s prospects for professional advancement and collaboration.
“The more hurting aspect is that some staff are being asked by partners whether they were recruited, and promoted through corrupt methods. The negative publicity is likely to undermine the careers of our students,” the letter adds.
The staff want Magara to address these issues to restore the confidence of the public it has in Uganda’s largest and oldest university.
“The Joint Staff Associations reiterate the University’s zero-tolerance to academic fraud and corruption, and as the legal guardian of the University’s proud legacy and posterity, the University Council cannot remain silent in the face of egregious allegations that affect the way the public perceives the staff, our work and the students we train,” the letter reads.
Asked for a comment, Ritah Namisango, the Principal Public Relations Officer said the University Council will be sitting in two weeks and it will respond to the issues raised.
“I have consulted the appropriate offices regarding the letter…The letter was addressed to the Chairperson of Makerere University Council. The University Council is scheduled to hold its meeting within two weeks. The issues contained in the letter will
be tabled at the next Council meeting. After the meeting, the University Council will issue a statement,” Namisango said in an email.
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