Tension as school head fights for job

A desperate intervention by a section of old students of Kakira Secondary School in Jinja averted a protest by teachers and students, who had planned to march to the head offices of Kakira Sugar Limited (KSL) last Friday over the ‘reinstatement’ of their headteacher.

The teachers, backed by parents, say they intend to push ahead this week.

Ms Emilly Auma, the headteacher of the Madhvani-founded private school, was in early September placed on paid leave following a fallout with her deputies and teachers.

The fallout had sucked in parents and students, with the latter pasting placards on her car and around the estate, demanding she leaves the school.

But last week, Ms Auma was redeployed to the Education office of KSL after the HR insisted that termination of her contract would be too expensive for KSL.

“She demanded that KSL pay her Shs90m her to accept mutual separation,” a HR staffer in Kakira said, preferring anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.

The ‘reinstatement’ set the teachers and parents on edge, with calls for a protest march.

Mr Morgan Yeka, an old student and a community mobiliser in Kakira Town Council, appealed to the teachers and students’ leaders to remain calm, saying any protest would adversely affect the ongoing national examinations.

“The S4 candidates are writing their exams, it’s best the teachers, parents and students remain patient as the issue is being sorted,” Mr Yeka told Monitor.

Roses wilt

Ms Auma replaced a retiring Josephine Kasozi in late 2021. With a gross salary of Shs4.4m, complementary fuel and amenities such as free water, electricity, housing and medical, she became the highest paid head teacher in Kakira’s history.

Kakira is a community of migrants with various cultures deeply interwoven into a subset. A new head teacher from outside needed time to gel.

But Ms Auma took to quickly stamping her authority by attempting to instill mindset she had carried from schools like Green Hills and Nabbingo. She hit a rock.

Soon she was at loggerheads with her deputies, the teachers and students.

“She started serving memos to her deputies, accusing them of insubordination and a litany of offences,” a teacher said.

This reporter has seen copies of some of the memos, including one dated November 14, 2022, in which she cited insubordination because, among others, her deputy Maria Nabwire insisted on doing most of her work from the staffroom among fellow teachers.

Ms Nabwire’s employment was terminated earlier this year while a second deputy, Mr Andrew Kemba, was demoted.

“Emilly ran paranoid and claimed we all hated her,” a teacher said.

Ms Nabwire’s sacking led to resignation of three Science teachers; Mr Lawrence Arum, Mr Denis Odwar, and Mr Godfrey Kintu, as well as the bursar Ms Olivia Abenakyo, all citing toxic work environment.

As well as banning prayers accusing members of the Scripture Union of praying for her fall –Eveline Achar, a teacher would tell a PTA meeting in August – she also recommended the sacking of five teachers.

But Ms Auma told his paper she did not ban any prayers. She also told the old students’ probe committee in August that the teachers undermined her because of the company policy she was laying down.

The straw that broke the camel in Ms Auma came in August when KSL advertised 32 teaching posts as well as the position of director of studies as a standalone job.

All the teachers were on open-ended contracts.

The ad, placed in a national daily, led to loss job security. The teachers also complained about the timing being so close to the national exams (that have since started).

As matters heated up, it emerged that the job ad was irregularly prepared.

“The GM who should have signed off the ad was away on leave so the HR took advantage of this to advertise the jobs,” said a source within Kakira.

In an audio recording, Ms Mataka is heard telling a staffer that the ad was not to replace the teachers but to create a data bank in case they resigned.

She also told this reporter that the ad had been endorsed by management. Asked later to confirm the same after management quietly quashed the ad, she said: “That is nothing that I can comment about”.

This reporter, however, independently confirmed that the general manager had only authorised the advert for four positions to replace departed teachers.

Mr Christian Vincke, the GM, returned from leave to find the school in a turmoil with the teachers, parents and students demanding Ms Auma’s immediate sacking.

He sent her on paid leave, recalled the Science teachers who had resigned and re-engaged them. He also informed Mr Kamlesh Madhvani, a joint managing director, that Ms Auma would not return to her post as head teacher and that Mr Subbaro Rao, the group human resources manager, would engage her for a separation agreement.

However, with the backing of HR Mataka, Ms Auma stood her ground, insisting on a severance in lieu of two years of her gross salary.

Ms Mataka, in a communication seen by this paper, insisted there is no ground for termination. She said separation would be an expensive undertaking.

Last week, she ‘reinstated’ Ms Auma in nondescript position in KSL’s education office.

The decision set the teachers standing on their ears.

“It is clear that the HR is determined to return Auma to the school,” a teacher said, “the school cannot go down because of one person.”

Mr Stephen Awile, the PTA chairman, blamed the impasse on a “weak board” that he said had not paid attention to a report from an investigation he had chaired.