By Mulengera Reporters
Opinion sharply got divided during the Makerere governing council session that was held on Thursday. During that session, members determined who becomes the substantive DVC in charge of Finance & Administration for Uganda’s premier University.
There hasn’t been a substantive DVC F&A since the days of Prof Barnabas Nawangwe who served as the substantive Deputy VC under Prof Ddumba Sentamu. When Nawangwe succeeded to become VC immediately after Ddumba, Prof William Bazeyo was tapped to serve as DVC F&A but that was in acting capacity.
He had no much peace because Prof Anthony Mugisha, another very assertive scholar, relentlessly fought him claiming that he was more suitable for the same. Being a wealthy and proud scholar from Ankole, Bazeyo couldn’t stand being insulted at a time he believed he was just doing Makerere a favour, and he eased out and left the thing.
That’s how Prof Henry Arinaitwe (an equally senior Professor who had also been serving as Principal CEDAT College) was tapped to hold the position in acting capacity. Supporters of Prof Mugisha, mostly in the Muasa universe, didn’t relent.
They undermined him too while claiming that their man Prof Anthony was just being marginalized and persecuted simply because powerful actors like Nawangwe and others in the all-powerful Governing Council weren’t comfortable having him in the top echelons. Alinaitwe eventually exited in February 2025 at a ceremony during which the same was handed over to Prof Winston Tumps Ireeta.
The controversial truth is that Mugisha was/is as powerful as Prof Alinaitwe because, whereas the former is a top veterinary/animal health consultant rendering expert advice at livestock farms of the first family and other powerful actors in the Museveni universe, the latter is also equally connected, being the construction consultant who always gets deals to be retained as the expert advising on multi-billion projects belonging to the mighty in Uganda’s top echelons.
After the process getting cleared by the IGG sometime back, the Governing Council convened last Thursday and the business of who becomes the substantive DVC F&A was top on the agenda. There was a report from the Senate whose search committee had vetted and scored the three top contenders. These included Prof Alinaitwe, Prof Wilson Tumps Ireta and one other.
The Senate report had scored and favored Prof Alinaitwe with over 95% performance closely followed by Prof Ireta. The three names were forwarded to Council which is mandated to conduct a vote and choose one best to take the job.
Chairperson Ms Lorna Magara was in the chair as always and instead of voting, members were controversially pushed into sticking to and merely ratifying the Senate scoring. It was argued there was no need to go into the divisive voting since the Senate search committee, whose members are presumed to be technically more knowledgeable, had already guided on Alinaitwe being the most suitable of the three as seen in the highest score he was allocated.
This decision turned out to be very controversial as some Council members saw all this approach as being manipulative and aimed at paving way for the more aligned and submissive Alinaitwe while disadvantaging Prof Ireta, a naturally very aggressive figure, who some feared might antagonize Nawangwe and thereby complicating the ongoing reforms and realignment of students and staff conduct at Makerere.
Ireta remains popular among key stakeholders like staff and students. And his perceived alienation and alleged lack of transparency in the circumstances surrounding the Thursday decision (which controversially delivered Prof Alinaitwe, who insiders say is the man Prof Nawangwe prefers because he is obedient, predictable and unlikely to antagonize him in anyway) could ferment resentment which gradually could explode into total chaos some day.
“There is maximum quietness but many people remain uneasy and feel disgruntled over what happened at that Thursday meeting and this could in the near future escalate into chaos and thereby threaten the prevailing stability at Makerere, which at best can only be described as the uneasy calm,” said one insider on condition of anonymity. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
