Kyambogo staff have asked the University Council to expedite plans to appoint a substantive vice chancellor to ease operations there.
Speaking on behalf of the Kyambogo University Senior Administrative Staff Association (KYUSASA), the chairman, Jackson Betihamah said they were frustrated at the large number of officials in acting capacity.
“Kyambogo is in a unique situation; we have an acting vice chancellor, acting university secretary, acting chief auditor, and acting dean of students, to name a few … this is too much,” he said.
Betihamah cited the acting vice chancellor Prof Eli Katunguka, who he said his hands are tied by uncertainty of their positions.
“Since his appointment, he has achieved so much at Kyambogo but he is unable to act on some other things since he is not the substantive vice chancellor,” he said.
“He has been able to secure scholarships for senior academic and administrative staff … for instance 16 PhD and 25 Master’s slots under [Sweden’s] Sida Sarec as well as 10 PhDs from Norway.”
Asked about the matter, the university council chairperson, Prof John Okedi, said he was yet to meet KYUSASA members and would comment formally later.
However, he recalled that the formal search for a vice chancellor was stopped by a court case, instituted by the former officer holder, Prof Isaiah Omolo Ndiege, who sought to be reappointed for second term, among other issues.
The High court agreed with Ndiege, citing the University Council for wrongful dismissal. However, Kyambogo has appealed against the ruling. To this, Betihamah said the staff at Kyambogo had resolved never to work with Prof Ndiege, even if he was re-imposed as vice chancellor by court.
“We don’t see why Ndiege thinks that he can put the university’s future at stake … he is aware that we will never accept to work with him again.”
mtalemwa@observer.ug