Makerere staff to hold meeting to evaluate council Judgment

KAMPALA - Makerere staff under the three associations, Makerere University Academic Staff Association (MUASA), Makerere Administrative Staff Association (MASA) and National Union of Education Institutions (NUEI) will hold an emergency assembly on Friday.

The emergency meeting is to discuss the results that their agreement with the council in February has yielded to date.

In an interview with Prof Edward Mwavu, the vice chairman of MUASA he said they were going to evaluate the agreement they had with the council to see if it reached their expectations.

He said they called off the strike at the beginning of the year because the council promised to handle their grievances amicably.

"We agreed because the council was still new and had assured us they were opening a new chapter where everybody will live in harmony at the University," he said

He added that they gave the council a grace period of one month, but remained patient because they wanted an environment of tranquility in the University.

"We expected the council to promote reconciliation and forgiveness amongst the University management and the staff moving forward," he said

However, Mwavu retaliated that they were not happy with the decision of the council against their Chairman, Dr. Deus Kamunyu adding that they expected the charges to be lifted to promote coexistence.

"What came out of the council is worse than the previous suspension because he had previously served only two months and a half before he consented with the University management before the civil division of the High Court in Kampala," he said

"Actually our chairman agreed to consent because he loves the University and he believed settling the differences amicably would breathe a new life in the running of the University," Mwavu said.

However, Mwavu had a sigh of relief because some of the things they agreed upon had been fulfilled like the reinstating of the MASA chairperson Bennet Magara and the general secretary Joseph Kalema and the retaining of Ruth Etewu as the MASA representative on the University council.

Mwavu said the ruling against their chairman will be top on their agenda and that they were going to reach a resolution on the matter.

He added that they invited the council to attend their meeting and listen to their plight and resolution to the agreement they had made early this year.

He explained that the emergency meeting was not to organise a strike but look at what they had agreed upon with the council then come up with a way forward.

Agreement with the council 

On February 15, this year the council requested the University staff to call off their strike and promised to handle their grievances expeditiously.

The staff immediately called off the strike and resumed lectures giving the council a grace period of one month to work on their demands.

They were demanding the reinstating of their leaders, and also retaining one of their colleges on the council.