Being named the Chancellor of a university is one of the highest honours in Uganda’s education system.
But the recent appointment of Dr. Crispus Kiyonga to this important role at Makerere University is causing some concern among members of the University Council.
Last Saturday, Makerere Vice Chancellor Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe shared on his X page that President Yoweri Museveni had chosen Kiyonga, the former ambassador to China, to be the new chancellor.
Kiyonga will be taking over from Prof. Ezra Suruma, whose term ended last December. However, not everyone is happy with how this decision was made.
Three University Council members, who spoke on condition of anonymity, believe that the rules for making such appointments might not have been followed properly.
These concerns are raising questions about whether the process was fair and if the right steps were taken in selecting the new chancellor.
“His name was forwarded to us to consider him as the new chancellor after the President rejected the two nominees, we had forwarded him,” one member of the Council said.
According to the law governing universities in Uganda, the President, who oversees all public universities, is supposed to appoint the chancellor based on the University Council’s recommendation.
The law clearly states that the President appoints the chancellor “on the recommendation of the University Council.”
However, three University Council members have separately told Uganda Radio Network that they did not recommend Dr. Crispus Kiyonga for the role.
Instead, they had suggested two other candidates: Prof. William Bazeyo, the former acting Deputy Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration, and Dr. Charles Wana-Etyem, the former chairman of the University Council.
This website reported last week that President Museveni had rejected both of these recommendations.
“When the law says the president shall appoint the chancellor on the recommendation of the Council, it simply means that any appointment that doesn’t follow that rule is null and void,” said Ibrahim Kivumbi Kaboggoza, a managing partner at Kivumbi Madina Kikomeko Advocates and Solicitors.
He however was quick to add that the president might have recommended Kiyonga to the University Council which in turn also recommended him to him and hence his appointment.
He added, however, that the President might have suggested Dr. Kiyonga to the University Council, which then officially recommended him back to the President, leading to his appointment. “Well, this is Uganda—anything can happen,” Kivumbi remarked.
He questioned whether any institution in Uganda could refuse a recommendation from the President.
“Can the President tell the University Council to appoint someone and they refuse? If anyone thinks that’s possible, they’re too optimistic,” Kivumbi said.
Even after agreeing to the President’s choice, many Council members still had doubts about Kiyonga’s suitability for the role.
“We were told to consider Dr. Kiyonga, even though many of us had concerns about him,” a Council member told us. They noted that Kiyonga is planning to run for Parliament in Kasese in 2026, which they felt was not suitable for someone in the chancellor position. Another member mentioned that there had been sharp disagreements over the two nominees they originally recommended to President Museveni.
Some members thought Prof. Bazeyo was not fit to lead the university, given that he had been driven out of the university less than three years ago. Others were sceptical about Dr. Wana-Etyem, who led the university during a time of numerous strikes and a lengthy closure. “When Kiyonga was appointed, although we had issues with him, there was relief that at least neither of the two controversial nominees was chosen,” a council member shared with this website.
Last week, we reported that the University Council had recommended Bazeyo and Wana-Etyem. However, Bazeyo faced significant pushback from alumni and staff, who questioned his academic qualifications and accused him of holding a fake PhD. Bazeyo had previously resigned as acting deputy vice chancellor and withdrew from consideration due to these allegations.
Dr. Kiyonga now becomes the fourth non-head-of-state chancellor to lead Makerere University. His predecessors include Prof. George Mondo Kagonyera, who served from 2007 to 2015, and Prof. Apollo Nsibambi, who was the first non-head-of-state chancellor from 2003 to 2007.
Kiyonga has had a long career in public service, including roles as Minister of Health, Minister of Defense, Minister of Finance, and Minister of Internal Affairs, and most recently as Uganda’s ambassador to China.
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