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Speaker Kadaga assures sacked Makerere staff
The Speaker of Parliament, Ms Rebecca Kadaga
What you need to know:
- The petitioners were led by James Ocita, a lecturer of Literature, who was sacked over alleged insubordination and use of abusive language.
Kampala. The Speaker of Parliament, Ms Rebecca Kadaga, on Friday assured sacked Makerere University staff of a fair hearing of the grievances that they presented to Parliament.
The university appointments board chaired by outgoing chairperson Bruce Kabaasa on December 22, 2018, fired 45 staff from the university over insubordination, assault, handing in marks late and absconding, among others.
The sacked staff then petitioned Parliament, citing irregularities in sacking them, among other issues affecting the university.
While receiving the petition from a section of the sacked staff, Ms Kadaga said the House is currently on recess but when they resume next week, she will present the issues and the petition before Members of Parliament for further discussion.
“The Members of Parliament at the moment are not around since Parliament is on recess. But I can assure you that when we resume next week, we shall handle this case with urgency on the floor,” Ms Kadaga said.
Procedure
According to the Rules of Procedure of Parliament, Ms Kadaga is supposed to select one MP to present the petition before the floor, after which it is forwarded before the Education Committee of Parliament for hearing.
This means that staff and Makerere University management would be summoned to defend themselves.
The vice chancellor of the university, Prof Barnabas Nawangwe, recently said the university followed legal procedures and they are ready to defend themselves if Parliament summons them over the same.
The sacked staff want Parliament to initiate a commission of inquiry into alleged irregularities in their sacking university management.
They also want Parliament to investigate alleged fraudulent sale of university land and properties, irregular appointment on campus and nepotism, among others.
The petitioners were led by James Ocita, a lecturer of Literature, who was sacked over alleged insubordination and use of abusive language.
Prof Charles Niwagaba, the associate professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, was among those sacked over alleged refusal to perform official work and negligence.
