Court orders Makerere to pay Dr Nyanzi Shs120m

The High Court in Kampala, has awarded former Makerere University Research Fellow, Dr Stella Nyanzi Shs120 million in damages after the institution defied the orders of the Staff Appeals Tribunal to reinstate her.

Presiding judge, Lydia Mugambe said that Makerere University had a duty to implement the decisions of its Staff Appeals Tribunal but they instead rejected to implement the same in regard to Dr Nyanzi.

"It is therefore, wrong for the respondent (Makerere University), which set up the Appeals Tribunal for this purpose to be the one that disregards or circumvents the Tribunal’s decisions. The respondent has an overarching duty to implement the decisions of its Staff Appeals Tribunal," ruled justice Mugambe.

Adding: "It is not within its powers to cherry pick which ones it implements and which ones it circumvents. The respondent officers who overtly or covertly refused to implement the tribunal decisions were in contempt. Issue one is therefore, resolved in the affirmative and the applicant (Dr Nyanzi) is entitled to remedies. The applicant is awarded general damages of Shs120m."

Court also awarded her costs of the suit after she successfully prosecuted it.

Further, court ordered that any timelines set in the Tribunal decision that have since lapsed, should be treated to take effect from the date of its decision.

The other orders of the Appeals Tribunal that Makerere staff refused to implement included; to pay Dr Nyanzi all her salary, benefits and emoluments due to her by virtue of her employment and to consider her long overdue application for promotion from the post of Research Fellow to Senior Research Fellow.

While refusing to implement the aforementioned orders of its Staff Appeals Tribunal, Makerere administrators claimed Dr Nyanzi was no longer their staff after she was fired over alleged indiscipline.