Lecturer drags Basajjabalaba, KIU to court over termination

Businessman Hassan Basajjabalaba has been dragged to the Civil Division of High Court by one Mathias Tumwesigye over sh256m.

Basajjabalaba was sued alongside Kampala International University (KIU). 

Tumwesigye alleges that on April 15, 2015 he was employed by the duo as the executive chairman at KIU Teaching Hospital under a four year employment contract, renewable period depending on satisfactory performance at sh8m per month. 

He claims to have carried out his duties diligently until September 30, 2016. He says throughout that period he (Tumwesigye) was never given his annual leave nor did he receive any payment in its absence yet he kept on carrying out his duties diligently. 

Tumwesigye says he was issued a termination letter on September 30, 2016, with immediate effect while still in the midst of his lecture without any prior notice. He argues that his termination amounted to breach of contract of the employment agreement signed in April 2015. 

This allegedly caused the plaintiff to suffer psychological torture and emotional distress and suffer loss of earnings.

The plaintiff wants sh289m in lost earnings and special damages including; loss of unpaid salary for the remaining 32 months of his contract at sh256m, unpaid salary for September 2016, sh8,000,000 and the unpaid airtime benefits for the remaining 32 months at sh25,600,000.

In Basajjabalaba and KIU's defence, they denied the contents of the plaint. 

However, the duo admits to some of the contents only to the extent that he was an employee of the university for a period of four years.

They also note that for the purposes of improving on administration, the university had to put an age limit and lay off those above the set limit of 65 years.

They claim that the said resolution restricting the age limit was circulated to all the effected staff and communication duly made to staff including Tumwesigye to prepare them for a smooth transition.

They further allege that Tumwesigye was not stopped by any of the defendants to take leave that he was contractually entitled to.