Makerere probe given three more months
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The defiant lecturers did not resume work until the University Council set up a committee to look into the internally generated revenues and identify sources to raise money for the 70 per cent salary increment to staff as an incentive as they waited for government to raise their salaries
KAMPALA.
Makerere University Visitation Committee has been given three more months to complete its investigations into the alleged mismanagement of the country’s oldest university.
Dr Abel Rwendeire, the committee chairperson, yesterday confirmed the tenure extension saying that during the proceedings, their terms of reference were expanded which required more time than originally agreed upon.
When the committee was commissioned last November, they were expected to review reports of previous committees, identify what had been implemented or ignored and make new recommendations in three months.
However, the committee was later asked to also do a staff and students headcount and forensic audit of the university’s finances in order to have a comprehensive report.
Since the university had been closed, these two issues could only be addressed after the reopening which came on January 2.
“Our terms of reference at first didn’t have students and staff headcount, forensic audit and special audit. When they were later added, we did what we could but we could not complete in time. The appointing authority has added us three more months to complete the work,” Dr Rwendeire said.
The committee was expected to submit its findings to President Museveni by end of February, but with the new extension of time, its report will be out in May.
President Museveni commissioned the nine-member committee two weeks after he closed Makerere University on November 1 following lecturers’ strike over Shs27b arrears of incentives that had been outstanding for five months.
The incentives were introduced in 2013 as a remedial measure after a lecturers’ strike that had paralysed the university for a month, demanding increase of their wages.
The government insisted there was no money that time and promised to meet the lecturers’ demands in the subsequent financial years.
The defiant lecturers did not resume work until the University Council set up a committee to look into the internally generated revenues and identify sources to raise money for the 70 per cent salary increment to staff as an incentive as they waited for government to raise their salaries.
The university is still grappling with imminent strikes by lecturers over salary issues every year.
