By Otim Nape
Eng Wana Etyem’s term as the Chairman Makerere Governing Council is coming to an end December this year and the process is underway by government to prepare to constitute a new Council. Etyem has done two terms having replaced Mathew Rukikaire. He will be remembered as a man who supervised many Vice Chancellors including Livingstone Luboobi, Venescias Baryamureeba, Ddumba Sentamu and now Barnabas Nawangwe. Etyem is a water engineer from Lango sub region. In his many years as Chairman Council, many things have changed at Makerere in terms of the staff structure, positions and even infrastructure-wise. It has been a turbulent period with many strikes but Etyem’s experience ensured a lot was equally achieved including introducing the College system. It was during his tenure that the issue of staff retirement benefits was comprehensively streamlined and it’s a struggle that to which a number of MUASA chairpersons progressively contributed including Prof Augustus Nuwagaba, Tanga Odoi, Mohammed Kiggundu and now Dr. Deus Kamunyu Muhwezi. It was during Etyem’s reign that Museveni the President ceased to be the Chancellor of the University paving way for initially Apollo Nsibambi and later on Mondo Kagonyera who was replaced by the incumbent Ezra Suruma. Wana Etyem has also introduced a comprehensive insurance scheme under which staffers and their families are covered. In the past, the University spent over Shs3bn annually on its staff members and their family members’ treatment in Uganda and abroad. It’s now IAA that was contracted for this assignment. “He was wealthy and was never a problem to the University,” says a top official when asked to comment on how Etyem will be remembered.
KABASA’S TIME;
All said and done, Wana Etyem also mentored many people including the fast-rising Appointments Board Chairman Kabasa Bruce. He started out as a students’ leader, joined Council as the Convocation Chairman and later chaired a number of Council committees. The flamboyant young man from Kabale currently remains a council member and is also the chairman of the Makerere Appointments Board. He is the youngest to chair this all important board in Makerere’s history. Stephen Malooba, whom he replaced, was a frail grey haired old man who took the role after retiring as a commissioner in the Ministry of Education. There is emerging consensus that Bruce Kabasa could replace his mentor Wana Etyem as the next chairman for Makerere University council. “He has the experience and all the credentials to make a perfect council chairman. He is experienced having been a member for all these years, is personally well established and his political line can’t be doubted. He is an NRM loyalist with strong family background. He has worked for Makerere and understands its problems like the back of his palm. He is young, energetic and morally upright. He has the necessary levels of integrity to hold that position,” said a stakeholder enumerating the many times Kabasa has firmly resisted being manipulated or compromised by actors seeking to get deals or their people into influential positions at Makerere. As chairman Appointments Board, he is the man with the last word on many things regarding recruitment and this naturally comes with a lot of temptations which, gratefully, Kabasa has always resisted. He has had the opportunity to be mentored under the different Council chairs (Rukikaire and Etyem) and Chancellors namely Nsibambi, Kagonyera and now Suruma. Being a Public University, the government always determines who becomes Council Chairman and there is no doubt Bruce Kabasa, who is a renowned Museveni supporter, can be considered by State House as suitable. In fact even now, he is one of the government representatives on the governing council and directly reports to the education ministry through which he is appointed to the Council. As one of the ministry’s delegates, Kabasa has worked very well with both the political and technical authorities at the ministry. Watch this space for more. For comments, call/text/whatsapp us on 0703164755!
