Sort out the mess at Makerere University

The strike by the teaching staff at Makerere University has entered the fourth day. There is no sign that it will end soon. On Tuesday, the incoming chairperson of the University Council, Ms Lorna Magara, and the Acting Vice Chancellor, Dr Eria Hisali, failed to convince the lecturers, whose action was precipitated by the decision by the Appointments Board, to suspend some of their colleagues, to return to work.
The strike was always coming. Though President Museveni used the 69th graduation ceremony to lavish praise on Prof Barnabas Nawangwe for having done a “better job” at tackling indiscipline at the university, there have always been accusations of high-handedness on the part of Prof Nawangwe.

Last month, a section of the teaching staff petitioned the Speaker of Parliament, calling for the constitution of a parliamentary committee to probe Makerere University. The petitioners claimed that many of the disciplinary cases that have recently been instituted at the university have been actually attempts on the part of the current administration to silence those who seek to hold it to account.

The Appointments Board decision to suspend Dr Deus Kamunyu lends credence to such claims. Dr Kamunyu has since last year been up in arms against the current administration, questioning its management style and asking questions about amendments to the university’s Human Resources Manual; the sale of university property; and illegal appointments.
The decision by the teaching staff to go on strike to protest their colleagues’ suspension speaks volumes about what they think about how the current administration has been managing affairs of the university. The administration should revisit its management style to avoid further turbulence at the university.

The students are contemplating joining in the strike action. That should not be allowed to happen. The University Council must move very fast and stop the dangerous slide of the university down the precipice.
The next steps should be the implementation of the recommendations contained in the 2016 report of the Visitation Committee and establishment of a special committee to carry out a forensic audit and have public hearings with a view of cleaning the rot at the university.