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Makerere promotes over 150 lecturers
Mr Yusufu Kiranda, the Makerere University secretary.
Makerere University management has bowed to pressure and promoted more than 150 members of staff to different ranks, ranging from assistant lecturers to professors, in its mass promotion that was announced yesterday.
The staff promotions came weeks after the university’s teaching staff threatened to go on strike next month if the institution had failed to promote all those due for promotion.
According to the July 24 circular signed by the Acting Director of Human Resources, Mr Lawrence Sanyu, the decision to promote 159 staff was taken during the 711th meeting of the Appointments Board, which sat on July 21.
Five have been promoted to the rank of professor, 18 to associate professor, 52 to senior lecturer, and 84 from the rank of assistant lecturer to lecturer.
The promotions come with a salary increment after university management implements them.
After the government released Shs50m in 2020 to facilitate the salary enhancement of teaching staff in public universities, a professor became one of the highly paid staff in universities, after the vice chancellor and the deputy vice chancellors.
To date, a professor earns Shs15.6m, followed by the associate professor earning about Shs14.8m.
A senior lecturer earns about Shs8.1m and lecturer earns Shs5.7m, while the assistant lecturer earns about Shs3m.
Before the staff announced their sit-down strike, the plans to have staff promoted were in the offing.
The university secretary, Mr Yusufu Kiranda, last month communicated to the university staff, notifying them about the abolition of their allowances to cater for the promotion of staff.
Mr Kiranda stated that the Ministry of Finance gave them a green light to use the more than Shs3b the university was spending on staff allowances to promote staff on the ground that the salaries of lecturers had been enhanced by the government.
“The government noted that Makerere University suffers considerable wage-related pressure, including overdue staff promotion requirements. Therefore, the funds hitherto used for non-pensionable and clinical allowances will be used for staff promotion effective Financial Year 2023/24,” Mr Kiranda said in his June 26 letter.
The staff, in their letter dated July 17, threatened to go on strike if the university did not effect the promotions, reinstated the staff tribunal, and ensured salary harmonisation among the support staff.
The chairperson of Makerere University Academic Staff Association (Muasa), Mr Robert Kakuru, yesterday welcomed the move by the university but asked management to promote those who did not benefit.
“I wish to congratulate all the MUASA members who have been promoted. We are truly happy for you. We kindly request you to use these positions to serve humanity so that we can leave behind a better Makerere University. On the same note, we want to remind the University Council/AB to promote the remaining categories of staff,” Mr Kakuru said.
