KAMPALA – The embattled Makerere University Research Fellow Dr Stella Nyanzi has today morning told court that she lost her baby due to high pressure.
The jailed researcher had appeared before Justice Lydia Mugambe Ssali for the hearing of her case in which she sued the university seeking payment of her wages as per orders of the Staff Appeals Tribunal about three months ago.
Nyanzi, who had her dreads cut off, looked in a somber mood with a cannula on her left hand moved slowly through the court corridors with the escort of two prison warders.
When asked what she was suffering from by the judge, this time round a soft-spoken Nyanzi said, “ My lord I had a miscarriage last week on Friday (January 4) and I lost my baby because of the high blood pressure.”
Today January 9, Makerere’s new human resource director, Mr Andrew Abuyang, appeared in court to be cross-examined on why he allegedly concealed vital information from court about the minutes regarding Dr Nyanzi’s appearance before the university’s Appointments Board on October 23, 2018, however this could not go on because Nyanzi had not been in touch with her lawyer to swear a supporting affidavit in the case.
Although the trial judge tasked Mr Abuyang to tell court what is wrong with the university since this looks like they just want to push Nyanzi out, Mr Abuyang insisted that Nyanzi’s contract expired and she did not make any efforts to renew it even when she got to learn that she had been transferred to the school of Law .
However, Nyanzi responded to him that she has never done law and that she has a pensionable contract that never expires until she gets to her retirement age.
“Why are you always in court? You are not above the tribunal, just do what you were ordered to, your work is to implement what you are told to do,” Justice Mugambe told the university human resource.
Nyanzi has been on remand at Luzira prison since November last year on charges of cyber harassment and offensive communication to the person of president M7 and his late mother Esteri Kokundeka.
The tribunal held that the indefinite suspension to Dr Nyanzi was illegal and contravened Sections 63(2) of the Employment Act 2006.
Section 63(2) demands that any suspension under sub-section (1) shall not exceed four weeks or the duration of the inquiry.
Dr Nyanzi contends that despite the orders of the Staff Appeals Tribunal, the said orders have been ignored by the university administration.
The case has been adjourned to February 13 for hearing.
