By Our Reporters
New shocking information has emerged showing how discomforted the embattled Makerere University bursar, Augustine Tamale, faced the unusual situation right from his first day at work in 2016 when he first got appointed. In the Makerere main building is a powerful very influential and deeply connected lady that would eventually work closely with him. On learning Tamale had been rated the best candidate for the job, this sexually-seductive lady started calling Tamale insisting “always never forget the person who first broke this news to you.” That was days before Tamale got the official communication announcing his recruitment for juicy job of bursar. Being one that is naturally laid back, deeply spiritual Tamale didn’t show any excitement and flatly rejected all the lady’s offers to take him out for a drink. Incidentally this lady, famous for befriending and monopolizing males who get big positions at Makerere, is a high flier and likes spending cozy evenings at either Serena or Sheraton hotels. She started insisting they go with Tamale to have fan to celebrate his new appointment. This was days before Tamale officially moved in to begin working. Reliable sources close to him say that to the seductive lady’s surprise, the former New Vision financial boss was reluctant. She is fairly a pretty woman and her seductive ways have seen her bed some powerful men at the Ivory Tower including one in whose office she sneaks almost every morning for kissing and romantic sessions. For spying on these morning romantic sessions, a long serving driver (KT) in the main building was recently redeployed to a college and ordered to hand over the bluish Pajero that had been assigned to him. Poor KT has since been absorbed in the College of Health Sciences.
BACK TO TAMALE;
On taking up office, Tamale was surprised the woman hadn’t given up on her attempt to seduce him to bed and eventually blackmail and make him hostage. “She would every morning come to his office rolling her eyes to clearly seduce him but Augustine told her point blank; I’m a deeply spiritual man of God and I don’t do those things,” a source said of Tamale’s resistance to this famously very seductive lady. “She is married but the husband was indisposed for long and by the time he recovered, he had become a retired Colonel in those things.” Sources say having failed to seductively get Tamale to bed, the lady started deploying intrigue on her. She would falsely accuse him to his superiors including one who she eventually bedded and the romantic relationship is still on up to this day. This big man used to write warning letters to Tamale threatening to crack the whip on him if he doesn’t stop making life hard for this lady. “She started fighting him and used her sex network to alienate him from many would-be allies in the Main Building and this made life hard for him gradually leading to his exit.”
OTHER FACTORS;
But away from sexism, we have established the big cash deals that Tamale refused to be recruited into. One concerns a one James, who has over the years distinguished himself as a very untouchable accountant in one of the colleges. When he became bursar, Tamale started getting reports how the guy was always receiving gratifications from almost all service providers and contractors and would always tell them that “this is for big man so and so in the main building.” Having come from Vision Group, an employer famous for being very serious on corporate values, Tamale felt this was unacceptable. He moved to crack the whip on James by recommending to have him fired. He expected support from his fellow big officials in the main building but to his surprise, they ganged up on him with one writing warning letters to him if he didn’t leave the rampaging James alone. This is fairly a recent happening and it expedited Tamale’s moves to look for the nearest exit and get out of Makerere. “He felt that this particular accountant’s conduct would cause big problems some day and as the head finance who is supposed to supervise him would be in very big problems personally. This is why he decided to leave having realized he was too powerless to change anything,” recounted a source that happens to be Tamale’s close friend. There is also another powerful lady in the Finance department who Professor Ddumba tried to transfer and Tamale actively supported this move but some other top management members objected and foiled Ddumba’s decision, something that exposed Tamale to more ridicule especially after Ddumba ceased to be VC. He was also uncomfortable that a one Jackie Ayorekire was being promoted, actually fast-tracked, at the expense of other equally qualified colleagues in the Finance department. “Yes she has ACCA but she isn’t the only one who is equally qualified and Tamale always wondered why her only?” said a knowledgeable insider. One of those that Tamale always felt deserved to be equally promoted for his equal qualifications to Jackie’s was Everest Bainomugisha who quit sometime back to become Bursar Kyambogo University. There is also a one Lubowa of the Graduate School who is now the Ag Finance Manager Makerere University. Tamale’s supporters in the finance department were also uncomfortable with the circumstances under which Jackie Ayorekire got possession of the University Pajero UAA 459F that she these enjoys as her self-driven car. Tamale’s supporters argue this is contrary to the University policy which requires all University vehicles to have drivers as opposed to officials driving themselves. The Tamale camp members protested as to what personal privacy was being enhanced for Jackie but were shut up. Said to be very professional and one who pays attention to detail, Tamale is understood not to have been comfortable with the manner in which Ag Director HRM Dorothy Senoga Zzake conducted the HR business. He felt the HR office under Zzake wasn’t very enthusiastic each time his staff brought to their attention the issue of ghost employees on the payroll. It will be recalled that recently a Makerere top team appeared before MPs as part of the budgeting process and the MPs were very furious at Tamale regarding ghost employees on the payroll including hundreds that had ceased being Makerere employees. “He was uncomfortable that Ms Zzake who was handpicked by the VC Ddumba to act as HR Head was never in a hurry to ensure the bursar’s office is given accurate information regarding the number of staff and the salary each of them must get. Bursar simply authorizes payment depending on the listing that the HR department sends him,” says a source. “There was concern why the ex-VC considered Zzake who wasn’t qualified and hadn’t even exhibited much interest in holding the position even in Ag capacity. Though she has been in the HR department since 1988, Ms Zzake had never applied for the job and Ddumba’s insistence to put him there intrigued many including Tamale.” Zzake’s imprudence and unsuitability for the job perhaps explains why Makerere has ended up with a situation where a young man called Alexander Mpanga Zzake (born on 5th November 1986) got recruited as Planning & Maintenance Manager for the DICTS department. This has led to nepotism claims which the IGG has commenced investigating and people are going to be sanctioned for this and many other sham recruitment cases.
VISITATION COMMITTEE;
It will be recalled that when President Museveni got the Rwandeire Visitation Committee report, he summoned Nawangwe to Rwakitura and ordered him to come up with a paper guiding on its applicability and possible implementation. Nawangwe dully put together a committee to formally respond to the report on Makerere’s behalf regarding the anomalous situation the report authors highlighted. We are impeccably informed that Tamale firmly opposed Nawangwe’s decision to include his allies DVC William Bazeyo and Jackie Ayorekire but the Professor from Busia ignored the Bursar’s reservations with utter contempt. This left Tamale, who felt the duo had well known publicly stated contempt for some of the matters raised therein, terribly deflated and feeling more compelled to ponder resignation. For comments, call/text/whatsapp us on 0703164755!
