Makerere to appoint new council

KAMPALA.

Makerere University Council’s four-year tenure will expire in December and the process is underway to constitute a new one.
The University Council is the institution’s supreme organ that formulates policies on behalf of government that guide the management of the university to oversee their implementation.
While confirming the development, the university’s spokesperson, Ms Ritah Namisango, yesterday said details will be available after the secretariat completes its report they are supposed to hand over to the Ministry of Education and other stakeholders in November.
“Work is going on in compiling the report on the achievements and pending business to hand over to the incoming council members in December. It should be ready in November and the authorities will share it at the right time,” she said without offering further explanation.
The council has 27 members, some elected from their constituencies such as the staff associations, guild body representation and convocation, while others are appointed persons from the public and ministries such as Finance and Education.
Once the composition is complete, the members then elect among themselves who will chair the council and the deputy.

Last term
Dr Charles Wana-Etyem, who has been serving his second and last term as council chairperson, was deputised by Ms Irene Ovonji Odida.
His eight- year tenure at the helm of the country’s oldest university is tested barely six months after he had been inaugurated as council chair with a strike that culminated into the university closure.
During the industrial action, there were back and forth negotiations with government from which a position was reached to put in place a task force that was headed by Prof Francis Omaswa to re-evaluate their staff performance and study their workload to match their remuneration.
The task force’s recommendations would later benefit other public universities.
President Museveni also promised to increase their salaries, which has risen from the then Shs2 million for a professor to the current Shs9 million and is expected to rise to Shs15 million.
Other developments have included the launch of the Mak Holding Company that is supposed to manage the university’s investment.
For instance, the company last year offered 32 acres of its land to investors with the hope that the collections will benefit the Makerere community and help improve both the students and staff welfare.

Tuition
For the first time in more than 10 years, the university was able to raise tuition by 15 per cent this academic year, something that has always caused unrest at the campus receiving resistance from all corners.
Dr Wana-Etyem was not available for a comment on his achievements four months away to complete his service as a council member nor was the vice chancellor, Prof Barnabas Nawangwe.