By Joachim Twino
Makerere Vice Chancellor Prof Barnabas Nawangwe has thrown his weight behind Prof Juma Wasswa Balunywa submitting that the flamboyant economist still has the appropriate capabilities and ideas to continue leading “Africa’s biggest business school which he built from scratch 20 years ago.” Nawangwe, who was full of praises for Balunywa, made the remarks Friday while speaking at a public ceremony at Mubs grounds where hundreds of Mubs diploma students graduated. Makerere Chancellor Ezra Suruma presided over the event at which the Stanbic Bank CEO Patrick Mweheire was the commencement speaker. Reciprocating Balunywa, who in an earlier speech had praised him for deliberately working towards deepening positive cooperation between Mubs and main campus (as manifested by his presence at the diploma graduation), Nawangwe recalled the obscurity from which the embattled Principal lifted Mubs 20 years ago. “I remember accompanying you here 20 years ago to start this faculty of commerce in the very obscure premises that used to be Nakawa College of Business Studies as you came to take over. It feels like yesterday but the way you have transformed this place is testimony to your good transformative leadership skills,” Nawangwe said as Balunywa’s supporters ululated. “I can’t believe you are leaving this school which you ably nurtured from scratch to the giant it is today. I don’t want to believe that you are leaving but even if you do, you are leaving a mark on this institution that nobody will ever erase.” Nawangwe added: “Makerere is greater today than it would have been because of what you made Mubs to become. I’m very hopeful you are getting a new term. From what I know, it’s only you to decide when you want to leave.” He fell short of saying nobody can push Balunywa out of what he repeatedly called “the biggest business school on the African continent.” Nawangwe also said that the fact that the overall best humanities student Caroline Namyenya [who got a CGPA of 4.95] at Makerere’s 68th graduation ceremony held January 2018 was from Mubs is indicative of the “very high academic standards” Balunywa’s “excellent management leadership” infused at Mubs. Nawangwe also testified about the integrity of the Mubs teaching, setting and marking of exams stressing that all this testifies to the “very excellent academic stands” Balunywa stands for. “Prof Balunywa I want to inform that the high exams quality control system you have at Mubs is a good model of marking student exams. It ensures integrity and that is why we at Makerere have copied it and it’s what we are using now,” Nawangwe said. This was home ground for Balunywa which explains why students and parents wildly cheered as Nawangwe spoke. Nawangwe also asserted that Balunywa had been exemplary in resource mobilization and management adding that: “The visible transformation that we all see at Mubs is proof that the internally generated funds have been used well at Mubs and the credit goes to the management team you have been leading.” He also commended the Mubs management for investing in staff development which he said was being evidenced by the fact that “staff on PhD have been increasing in number.” In his brief speech as he invited Nawangwe to speak, Balunywa had praised the Makerere big man for the maturity and good will he has always exhibited towards the business school. He enumerated a number of challenges Mubs faced in the recent times but was able to overcome because of Nawangwe’s maturity as the Makerere VC. “There was the issue of Makerere increasing fees and people became nervous here but you told us Mubs wouldn’t be affected. We had new programs being introduced at the Mbale center and you were very supportive and understanding. We had problems last December as Mubs students were on the verge of missing graduation but you exhibited maturity and prudent leadership and we together succeeded. And now you are here with us gracing our graduation yet in the past that chair [for Mak VC] used to be vacant,” Balunywa said in praise of Nawangwe. It should be recalled that the two professors share contempt for Mubs Council chairman Prof Venescias Baryamureeba who has lately been having public spats with Balunywa insisting he must leave because his time is up. Nawangwe has twice competed with Baryamureeba for the post of Makerere VC-and it’s a public secret at the Ivory Tower that the two have very low opinion for each other.
SURUMA’S TURN:
On being called by Nawangwe, Makerere Chancellor Ezra Suruma said many things including validating Nawangwe’s remarks by equally praising Balunywa. The gracefully ageing scholar from Kabale saluted Balunywa for reciprocating Nawangwe’s efforts aimed at ensuring cordial working relationship between the two institutions. “I’m happy to acknowledge the new chapter of cooperation you have spearheaded between Mubs and Makerere,” Suruma said at the start of his speech. He saluted Mubs for preserving high integrity levels for its research outputs, teaching, the setting and marking of exams. “Your standards when it comes to the integrity of exams has always been impeccable and I commend the Mubs management for that,” he added before proceeding to thank the AfDB for the funding with which state of art buildings have lately been erected at Mubs. A former high-performing finance minister, Suruma also urged Ugandan scholars and researchers not to become complacent because “in the long term World Bank and IMF won’t solve Uganda’s problems which is why we should do research and come up with models that will develop our Sub Counties since these two institutions are even a threat to our independence.” In his commencement address, Mweheire who graduated with his bachelor’s degree 25 years ago, elaborated on the difference between hard and soft skills. He said as an employer, he considers soft skills (things like interpersonal skills, emotional intelligence and problem-solving capabilities) more vital than hard skills (comprising of the academic qualifications young graduates get from College). He said that at his institution, when they are making recruitment decision soft skills contribute 85% whereas only 15% is dependent on the hard skills manifested in one’s transcript and other qualifications obtained from the classroom environment. Balunywa said Mweheire was considered for the commencement speaker because, being a Harvard MBA graduate, he has good experiences to share in terms of both soft and hard skills. See more in our pictorial accompanying this story. For comments, call/text/whatsapp us on 0703164755!
