By Our Reporters
The FDC party has sympathized with vocal Makerere employees who continue to be purged merely because they hold an opinion different from that of Vice Chancellor Prof Barnabas Nawangwe. Addressing the party’s weekly press conference today Monday in Najjanankumbi headquarters, publicist Semujju Nganda said Nawangwe (who President Museveni praised last week) isn’t a bad man parse. “He is merely under intense pressure from State House to rid Makerere of the critical voices and that is the same pressure all heads of public institutions have had to deal with. The difference are those who become firm and say no and then deal with the consequences of acting independently,” Semujju told reporters. “Nawangwe is okay and it will be a mistake for the affected staff to direct their anger at him because he is simply a conveyer belt working on State House orders.” Semujju said it was increasingly difficult for Nawangwe to resist State House directives because more than enough number of State House agents have been deployed at Makerere to ensure free thought is buried forever. He claimed the likes of NRM EC Chairman Tanga Odoi, Ruhinda MP Thomas Tayebwa and Bruce Kabasa (both of them council members) are the conduits through whom State House directives are delivered for Nawangwe to implement. Semujju added that the recent posting of President Museveni’s lawyer Kiwanuka Kiryowa (who is also a partner with Edwin Karugire in their law firm) was the last nail in the coffin of academic freedom and free thought at Makerere. “Tanga Odoi is just NRM and doesn’t hold any position at Makerere yet he is always the first one to comment whenever there are strange developments coming out of Makerere. I hear he is the chairman Convocation which unites all the alumni including myself but then who elected him? Why must he claim to speak for all of us yet he keeps getting elected through sham elections? As alumni we must rise and do something to save our University from being captured,” Semujju said. In reference to the last week graduation ceremony to which President Museveni (The Visitor) was escorted by Education Minister Janet Kataha (who is also his spouse), Semujju said “its sad Makerere has been captured and graduation ceremonies now look like Museveni family parties.” Ironically Tanga Odoi, for whom Semujju had no kind words regarding purging of critical staff, has been critical of Nawangwe’s actions and has condemned the ongoing purging of staff that has seen Muasa/Academic Staff chairman Deus Kamunyu, Administrative Staff Association/MASA Chairman Bennett Magara and General Secretary Joseph Kalema suspended. The trio is accused of disrespecting Nawangwe who also accuses them of inciting violence and a range of offences under Computer Misuse Act. This is in relation to their frequent use of the internet and social media platforms to propagate their views critical of the VC’s approach of purging critical voices.
FLOGGING DEAD HORSE
If the Nawangwe motive was to cow staff into silence, he evidently must do more because the employees don’t seem to be getting cowed as yet and VBC must be flogging a dead horse. In their latest media release, the Makerere staff (uniting as Muasa, MASA and NUEI for support staff like cleaners) have vowed to engage the power of the powerless by downing tools as an act of solidarity with their suspended leaders who they say have been purged because of their conscience. At their joint general assembly meetings, the staff have denounced divide and rule efforts arguing that an attack on one is an attack on all of them. They have also condemned the humiliation of Kamunyu against whom soldiers have allegedly had to be deployed to ensure he doesn’t access his house at the main campus consequent to his suspension by Nawangwe. They say that this amounts to harassment and traumatizing of Kamunyu’s family members and other dependents who have nothing to do with his activism against what he deems excesses of Makerere top bosses. They have also contracted public spirited city lawyer Isaac Semakadde to, on their behalf, file cases in court challenging the high-handedness manifested in Nawangwe’s actions resulting into suspension of staff association leaders. They are also sticking to their 6 outstanding demands issued earlier including the exclusion of Bruce Kabasa and Thomas Tayebwa from the new University Council to which they were duly elected as representatives of the public. They are also demanding reinstatement of Kalema, Kamunyu and Magara. They are also demanding the immediate admission of Ruth Iteu to the Council as MASA representative having been previously elected. She was blocked on grounds that she was procedurally not elected properly because MASA (which elected her) is registered as a company yet the Universities’ Act recognizes staff associations’ representatives and not private companies. The rampaging staff accuse Prof Nawangwe of double standards because his ally Euzobia Baine Mugisha (Iteu’s predecessor) was elected in the same procedure and those who challenged her ascendance were told MASA status (company or association) was immaterial. They are also demanding that VC stops making utterances and actions that interfere with the independence of staff associations. They are also demanding that management immediately releases money for the staff tribunal to hear their petitions challenging the suspension of their leaders. It’s after the tribunal decision that the aggrieved staff can proceed to courts of law in case of dissatisfaction. They are also rejecting recent amendments to the University HR Manual making it more repressive. They insist these amendments weren’t made in good faith and want them halted.
NRM BASHES NAWANGWE
James Tweheyo, who represents workers in the NRM CEC, has this evening released a media statement condemning Nawangwe’s actions as being very draconian. Tweheyo says there is no way his Workers League in the NRM is going to keep quiet when Nawangwe is gagging workers from expressing themselves under the guise of reviving Makerere’s lost glory. Saying the Nawangwe actions are unacceptable in absence of ratification by the mandated University organs like the Disciplinary Committee, Tweheyo (renowned for defending teachers’ rights) advises Prof Nawangwe to “eat a humble pie” and lift the suspension to prevent the situation from escalating as staff in other public universities are likely to join in showing solidarity with colleagues at Makerere.
MIRUNDI BASHES VC
In a related development, influential media consultant Tamale Mirundi has opened war on Nawangwe calling him Uganda’s enemy number one. Mirundi says the unrivalled academic freedom and freedom of thought is what had continued to attract hundreds of forex-paying students from Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and elsewhere to Uganda and specifically Makerere. He says by reversing that reputation, Nawangwe is working against the President’s efforts to increase foreign exchange receipts for Uganda. Mirundi says like Idi Amin in the 1970s, Nawangwe’s efforts to kill off academic freedom at Makerere will fail. Mirundi predicts a sad ending for Nawangwe. “I know the people who are using you Nawangwe and they are going to dump you the day you begin stinking. You will struggle to find your way back to Busia the day those people turn their back on you and that day is fast coming. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. If they can turn against a man like Mirundi or even Jennifer Musisi, how about you mere Nawangwe? I know you are under pressure but go slow because you aren’t the first one they have used.” Mirundi was this evening appearing on his Monday Top Radio program ably moderated by Dunstan Busuulwa. Mirundi had previously equally had no kind words for Nawangwe on another media show at NBS with Simon Muyanga Lutaaya last week. “It’s okay to do their donkey work but please be reflective because there will be a day when you are dumped and not in that office anymore and you have nowhere to hide as all fellow Professors will turn against you. Do what you can but be reminded that honey moon you are enjoying will end someday like it has had to end with all of us,” a tough-talking Mirundi said adding he would disclose people using Nawangwe in one of the books he will release in the coming months.
