Dr Kamunyu was fired for his personal transgressions and not as Chair MUASA, Prof Nawangwe explains staff association boss sacking

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MAKERERE – Prof Barnabas Nawangwe, the Makerere University Vice Chancellor has explained his decision to sack Muasa boss Dr Deus Kamunyu.

In a January 22 statement issued on social media, the VC said that Dr Kamunyu was fired for his personal transgressions and not as Chair Muasa.

Prof Nawangwe also castigated many people jumping up to shed crocodile tears about the suspension of Dr Kamunyu saying the Muasa boss was meddling into management affairs.

He also wondered “where were you all when Deus [Kamunyu] was busy damaging the reputation of Council, Management and
many colleagues who have worked for long to build their reputation?”.

The duo has since last been at war, throwing  bitter words to each over governance matters at the University.

In June last year Dr Kamunyu ran to the staff e-mail list to report harassment and intimidation by Prof Nawangwe.

This was after the VC issued Dr. Kamunyu with a June 12 warning letter for his stance on university management matters including illegal appointments and land grabbing among others.

Dr. Kamunyu, in an e-mail circulated to all staff reported Prof. Nawangwe’s letter, addressed to him not as Muasa Chairman but as a lecturer in the Department of Forestry, Biodiversity and Tourism at the University was not surprising because he had received prior waning that management planned to clamp down on the staff association leadership to kill its zeal in inquiring into the university affairs.

“Colleagues, it’s now official that we are being intimidated by Management to stop our quest for the restoration of systems and accountability for resources,” Dr Kamunyu wrote, vowing that the association will not waver in asking some questions.

“We will remain strong in our mandates because those who read industrial relations literature know very well that it’s never easy,” Kamunyu wrote.

The VC accuses Dr Kamunyu of making “unsubstantiated allegations” in the media and on the university e-mailing system against officers and organs of the university intended to create bad publicity of the institution and officers in the management.

The VC cited that Dr. Kamunyu made allegations” key among them — illegal appointments by the board, illegal amending of the Human Resources manual by the Council, internal land grabbing among others.

“These un-substantiated allegations coming from coming from a person with responsibility in the university are damaging not only to the individual officers but to the image of the Makerere University,” the VC wrote.

“This is therefore to require you to desisit from making such allegations … failure to abide by this directive will leave me with no alternative but to forward you to the University Appointments Board for further handling,” the VC wrote.

In a letter dated 17th January, the University Vice-Chancellor, Prof Barnabas Nawangwe, says Dr Kamunyu has consistently ignored various warnings to desist from disobeying university guidelines.

“Despite various, you have continued to engage in acts that amount to misconduct, including offences under the Computer Misuse Act, incitement with intent to cause disobedience and or strikes to undermine the university administration, acts that bring the university to disrepute, intimidation of university officials, using abusing language, slander, insubordination, making false statements, among others,” Prof Nawangwe’s letter to Dr Kamunyu reads in part.

It adds: “Your aforesaid unlawful activities contravene the terms and conditions of your employment with the University and also violate provisions of the Employment Act 2006, the Uganda Public Service Standing Orders 2010 and the University Human Resource Manual 2009, and other policies governing employment with the university.”

The Vice-Chancellor adds that despite being routinely advised to stop the alleged misconduct, Dr Kamunyu has not taken heed, hence the suspension.

“Therefore, to protect the reputation of the university, I hereby suspend you from the university in accordance with Section 5.9 of the Makerere University Human Resource Manual. A committee will be constituted to investigate your said conduct and you will be invited to participate in the proceedings,” the suspension letter adds.

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