Mbarara University staff throw out chairperson

Dr John Emenyu

The bickering at Mbarara University of Science and Technology has taken a new twist after staff fired their chairperson and replaced him with his deputy.

According to the letter dated June 28, addressed to all staff and signed by the general secretary Julius Taremwa, they say Dr John Emenyu, who has been the Mbarara University of Science and Technology Academic Staff Association (MUSTASA) chairperson, has been replaced by his deputy Simon Kawuma.

In the letter, the staff alleges that Emenyu is incompetent and has failed to execute his duties.

This comes at the time when Mbarara University is embroiled in conflict between staff and top management. The staff accuse management of maladministration and mismanagement of university funds and want the vice-chancellor Prof. Celestine Obua and the university secretary to step aside and be investigated.

Last week, they reactivated their industrial action, saying the university council had failed to fulfill their demands. After realising that things were not moving on as planned, they seem to have turned their guns on their own chairperson.

"It was observed that on June 26, Emenyu refused to sign on behalf of MUSTASA the resolutions of the joint emergency general meeting for staff, which he convened and chaired," reads the letter.

They say such actions are in violation of the MUSTASA constitution, which states that the chairperson shall be responsible for overall administration and welfare of the association, particularly in promoting the interests of the members and the good name of the association.

"Based on the above cases and in the protection of interest of MUSTASA, the meeting resolved that the deputy chairperson shall assume the roles of the chairperson and all MUSTASA correspondences shall be handled by the deputy and general secretary," they say.