Why Makerere shifted from President-Chancellor to appointed Chancellor

By Joel Ogwang                                                                           

Its evolution into a centre of academic excellence in Africa and a knowledge powerhouse globally, is a remarkable tale befitting of the old age adage a journey of a 1, 000 miles, begins with a step.

When it was established as a technical college in 1922, few, if any, may have projected that this child would grow into what it is today, Makerere University (Makerere)!

That the university has weathered past storms to grow from 14 day-students studying carpentry, building and mechanics upon renaming to Uganda Technical College, into its current 30, 000 undergraduates and 3, 000 post-graduate students population, is no mean feat.

Yet, Makerere’s rise has not been a story of the winner takes it all; it has been a team-play but, of course, under able leaderships, shaping the destiny of the institution that has thrust Uganda as a regional higher education hub.

Leadership

To begin with, H.O. Seville was the first principle, in 1922. Four other white leaders followed, until 1964 when Prof. Yusuf Kironde Lule, then a lecturer of education, became the first Ugandan Principal, a position he held on till 1970 when Makerere was designated as an independent national University.

Previously, Makerere was part of the University of East Africa (UEA), which comprised of the University of Nairobi and the University of Dar-es-salaam.

It was not until 1970 when President Apollo Milton Obote, in his first Government (1966-1971), re-wrote history, becoming the first Makerere Chancellor, a norm that run till 2003.

Free to choose the vice- Chancellor, Obote, also Uganda’s first Prime Minister, went for Frank Kalimuzo, who also became the first Vice-Chancellor (VC).

When Iddi Amin Dada, a former army chief, overthrew Obote in 1971, he, ostensibly, assumed Makerere Chancellorship, maintaining Kalimuzo until 1973 when the brutal President’s henchmen picked the Vice- Chancellor and he was never seen again, nor any story told of his life thereafter!

In came Prof. Asavia Wandira, whose spell lasted only until 1975 when he left the country.

From 1977- 1979, Prof. Ssenteza Kajubi took charge, until Wandira was, on his return, first appointed education minister and later, Makerere VC in 1979.

During his tenure as Chancellor, vintage and regularly irrational Amin defeated sobriety, becoming the first and, so far, the only titular head of Makerere, to confer upon himself the Doctorate of Law of Makerere University!

In his second spell as President and Chancellor after seizing power from Amin (1981-85) Obote kept Wandira as VC, and when he left the office in 1985, he had become only the second longest serving VC. 

When President Yoweri Museveni overthrew the Tito Okello Lutwa military junta in 1986, he, effectively, assumed Makerere Chancellorship, appointing Prof. George Kirya VC, till 1990. Prof. John Ssebuwufu took over from 1993- 2004.

But, even after serving as President for 68-days, the shortest by a Ugandan President, soon after the Amin overthrow, Lule didn’t preside over any graduation ceremony, as did Tito Okello Lutwa and Godfrey Lukongwa Binanisa. They, in effect, never served as Chancellors.

Shift from President- Chancellor to none-head of state Chancellor

However, it wasn’t until 2002 when President Museveni, having emerged the longest serving Chancellor, left his role, appointing Prof. Apolo Robin Nsibambi, a distinguished Makerere  alumnus and former Prime Minister,  as the first non-Head-of-State Chancellor in October 2003.

His stint as Chancellor wound-up in 2007 when Nsibambi passed-on the baton to Prof. Mondo Kagonyera, who was appointed by the President on recommendations of the Makerere University Council on 23rd October 2007.

While Kagonyera, the second non-President Chancellor’s mandatory first four-year term elapsed in October 2011, Museveni, in an Instrument signed on December 22, 2011, re-appointed him, and was re-installed on 12th January 2012.

Kagonyera will leave office when his second term expires in January 2016.

Summarily, Makerere has had five Chancellors, including three Presidents since 1970, although Obote held-on to the largely ceremonial position twice, owing to his two-terms as President.

According to Prof. Augustus Nuwagaba, a former Makerere University Academic Staff Association (MUASA) chief, the shift was in implementation of the Universities and Other Tertiary Institutions Act, 2001.

“It was to de-politicise the university and have it run as an independent university,” he says. “The Act gives the university the independence to make its own decision and run as an academic institution and not as a political institution heavily influenced by political decisions.”

The Act

Sect. 30 (1) of the Act states; There shall be a Chancellor for each Public University who shall be appointed by the President on the recommendation of the University Council.

(2) The Chancellor shall hold office for a period of four years, but shall be eligible for re-appointment for one more term.

(3) The Chancellor shall be the titular head of the University and as such shall preside at all ceremonial assemblies of the University and, in the name of that University, confer degrees and other academic titles and distinctions of that University.

(4) The Chancellor shall, at any time, on the direction of the Visitor, cause a visitation of the University to be conducted by a person or persons and for the purposes specified in the directive.

“The university is purely a technical institute and, rightly, it was the wisdom of Parliament to de-politicise Makerere,” says Nuwagaba.

Dr. Tanga Odoi, a former MUASA boss, says the Act removed Chancellorship from the President, bestowing upon the head of state powers to appoint a Chancellor.

“The shift took cognizance of the President’s busy schedule (against other national duties),” he says.

“It was also done on the premise that there were other public universities where the President could be the Chancellor there, too, making him a Visitor who would attend a graduation party when he wanted.”

Prof. Aaron Mukwaya, a senior lecturer of political science, opposed the move, arguing that Makerere University was a ‘political university’.

“Makerere is not just any other university,” he opines. “It is a fundamentally political university. And, to me, the Chancellor should be the President because at the end of the day, he is the custodian of national treasures, for which Makerere University is one.”

Mukwaya maintains entrusting Makerere’s Chancellorship with any other person, other than the President, didn’t “make sense”.

“In fact, Makerere’s problems became harder when the President removed himself from Chancellorship.”

Nuwagaba says, however, that Makerere remains a public university supported by government, even with the President resigned to appointment of Chancellors.

“It was simply a sharing of power,” he says. “It is a well-taken decision where the President appoints the Chancellor who, in turn, appoints his/ her deputies. You can’t simply say just because the President is no longer the Chancellor, Makerere has nothing to do with Government. It still needs state support.”