The committee members note that there is need to ascertain what is happening on the ground, listen to key stakeholders including the University Council, top management, staff associations and guild leaders so as to bring an end to the strike.
“Nobody understands their issue. Maybe they are playing tribal politics because if you are accusing somebody, you should have concrete proof to say this man has stolen this money, this man has done and mismanaged this and therefore he can go. So accusing somebody and yelling on top of your voice doesn’t make what you are saying right. They have not provided evidence,” Prof. Obua said.
Appearing before Beatrice Kainza, the City Hall Grade One Magistrate on Tuesday, Chelangat, who is also the last state witness said she had found significant similarities in the signatures on documents the accused used for receipting the money and their statements.
While delivering the ruling, Kiwanuka said the university relied on mere allegations, hearsay as well as unsubstantiated facts and failed to prove the guilt of the respondents.
Saabani Irumba, a parent who had two candidates in the school, says that he paid Shillings 260,000 as demanded by the school but was shocked when the school only took one of his daughters to UNEB claiming the bus was full. Irumba’s daughter, Sophia Karungi, says that she tried to board the bus but Byaruhanga told her that it was already full, adding that those already on the bus would represent them.
On Thursday, Mbarara University of Science and Technology Academic Staff Association –MUSTASA announced a staff strike. The staff accuse the Vice Chancellor Prof. Celestino Obua of incompetence, financial mismanagement, and misuse of university property and flouting of the University human resources manual by illegal staff recruitment.
Martin Obore Okiria, the head teacher Ngora High School and national chairperson ASSHU, says that most USE schools are going to find it very expensive to join the competitions.
