MUK professors threaten to strike
Aug 16, 2009
MAKERERE University professors have said they will not teach when the new academic year starts this week due to their unpaid leadership allowances.
By Francis Kagolo
MAKERERE University professors have said they will not teach when the new academic year starts this week due to their unpaid leadership allowances.
The professors told journalists on Saturday that the university council, which is the institution’s top governing body, had failed to pay the money.
The university owes the professors and associate professors about sh180m that has accumulated in the last about 18 months.
The leadership allowance, which is a top-up to salaries of professors and associate professors, was introduced in 2004 following a lecturers’ strike against poor remuneration.
The lecturers demanded for an increase in salaries, but the Government ceiling dictated that professors in public universities should not be paid more than sh3m.
This compelled the council to introduce the leadership allowance to top up the salaries.
Louis Kakinda, Makerere University Academic Staff Association (MUASA) spokesperson, said each professor and associate professor was supposed to earn sh500,000 as leadership allowance.
“We are not happy with how things are going. We shall hold a meeting on Wednesday to come up with a final verdict about the matter. If the council fails to provide answers, we shall be tempted to lay down our tools,†he added.
Kakinda said professors’ salaries should be increased to sh6m, adding that in Kenya, professors in public universities earned sh8m.
“The Government last year opened the salary ceiling, which means the university can now increase our salaries,†he said.
The acting vice-chancellor, Lillian Tibatemwa-Ekirikubinza, declined to comment on the matter.
But a member of the council, on condition of anonymity, said the university would not pay the leadership allowance.
“After we approved the allowance, we realised we had made a mistake,†the source said.
MAKERERE University professors have said they will not teach when the new academic year starts this week due to their unpaid leadership allowances.
The professors told journalists on Saturday that the university council, which is the institution’s top governing body, had failed to pay the money.
The university owes the professors and associate professors about sh180m that has accumulated in the last about 18 months.
The leadership allowance, which is a top-up to salaries of professors and associate professors, was introduced in 2004 following a lecturers’ strike against poor remuneration.
The lecturers demanded for an increase in salaries, but the Government ceiling dictated that professors in public universities should not be paid more than sh3m.
This compelled the council to introduce the leadership allowance to top up the salaries.
Louis Kakinda, Makerere University Academic Staff Association (MUASA) spokesperson, said each professor and associate professor was supposed to earn sh500,000 as leadership allowance.
“We are not happy with how things are going. We shall hold a meeting on Wednesday to come up with a final verdict about the matter. If the council fails to provide answers, we shall be tempted to lay down our tools,†he added.
Kakinda said professors’ salaries should be increased to sh6m, adding that in Kenya, professors in public universities earned sh8m.
“The Government last year opened the salary ceiling, which means the university can now increase our salaries,†he said.
The acting vice-chancellor, Lillian Tibatemwa-Ekirikubinza, declined to comment on the matter.
But a member of the council, on condition of anonymity, said the university would not pay the leadership allowance.
“After we approved the allowance, we realised we had made a mistake,†the source said.