Makerere University probes sexual harassment claims against senior lecturer
Buyinza has recently been accused on social media by his former wife, Hanifah Nakiryowa.
Makerere University. (File)
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Makerere University has constituted a committee to investigate allegations of sexual harassment raised against a senior lecturer.
The university said on Wednesday (October 7) that the vice-chancellor had appointed the committee following concerns raised about Dr Faisal Buyinza, the head of the Department of Economic Theory and Analysis at the College of Business and Management Sciences (CoBAMS).
Buyinza has recently been accused on social media by his former wife, Hanifah Nakiryowa.
“The inquiry is being conducted under the university's Safeguarding Policy, the Policy and Regulations Against Sexual Harassment, and the applicable staff disciplinary procedures,” the university said in a statement.
The committee has been directed to conduct the inquiry expeditiously and submit its report to the vice-chancellor, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe.
The university reiterated its zero-tolerance policy towards sexual harassment, gender-based violence and any misconduct that threatens the safety, dignity and welfare of members of its community.
The allegations against Buyinza were raised publicly by Nakiryowa, who has in recent weeks used social media to recount her experience following an acid attack in Kampala in December 2011.
Nakiryowa, who is now living with a surgically reconstructed face, has accused Buyinza of arranging the attack. Buyinza has not publicly responded to the allegations in the material available for this report.
In a series of social media posts and videos, Nakiryowa has also accused her former husband of inappropriate conduct towards young women.
Nakiryowa met Buyinza in 2003 while she was a student at Makerere University and he was a lecturer. They later had children together and separated after what Nakiryowa calls a series of domestic violence while in Buyinza’s marriage.
In December 2011, she was attacked with acid outside the university accommodation where she had gone to collect her children. She sustained severe injuries to her face and spent about three months in the hospital.
Her family reported the attack to police and raised suspicions about Buyinza's possible involvement. The matter subsequently went through the justice system, although Nakiryowa has continued to maintain that she was denied justice in what the court called a lack of evidence.
She later moved to the United States, where she underwent 28 reconstructive procedures. Her account of the attack and its aftermath has also been documented in her recently released biography titled 'Hanifah'.
Makerere's latest statement does not make a finding against Buyinza but says the committee will examine the allegations under the university's safeguarding, sexual harassment and staff disciplinary frameworks.
The university said it would provide further information as appropriate following the inquiry.