Kyambogo Staff Root for Homegrown University Leaders

A section of Kyambogo university staff are pushing for the appointment of top officials from their own ranks. They claim that the university council, which is the supreme governing body of the institution, has in the past issued recruitment guidelines that favor outsiders.   

 

This, they say, has created disharmony and affected the confidence of staff who started their professional careers at the University.  Rev. Dr. Grace Lubaale, the newly elected Kyambogo University Academic Staff representative to the University Council, says the appointments board has been putting across adverts for senior management positions that tend to exclude Kyambogo University staff.   

He argues that majority members of the university senior management are all from outside, which he says has its shortcomings as they lack a grasp of the university philosophical background. According to Dr. Lubaale, Kyambogo University Vice Chancellor Professor Eli Katunguka Rwakishaya was head-hunted from Makerere University.

He observes that Professor Maria Musoke, the Kyambogo Deputy VC in charge of Academic affairs is also from Makerere University while Fabian Nabugomu, the Deputy VC for Finance and Administration is from UCU.  

 

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Dr. Lubaale says he will advocate for a review of the requirements for some of the administrative positions in order to give chance to Kyambogo university staff to compete for them. For one to be a Vice Chancellor at Kyambogo, they must be between 45-70 years of age and should have eight years of experience service in senior management position such as Dean or Principal.  

But Dr. Lubaale says the current requirements only favor candidates outside Kyambogo University. “It is true that the jobs were advertised and these people competed and they got the jobs. But they are from outside. It is also true that they have impacted both positively and negatively,” Dr. Lubaale observed.  

Adding that; “Although they come with new and fresh ideas, they don’t understand the philosophy and mission of this university. And part of the problems this university has is having people from outside who don’t understand its philosophy and its foundational background.”  But Dr. Lubaale says he will push for revisions in the current guidelines.  

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Dr. Alexander Paul Isiko, the out-going Kyambogo University Academic Staff Association- KYUASA representative to the Council, says university managers who come from other institutions are largely biased. 

He says a person who is selected from within Kyambogo University is likely to manage well since they know the issues at the institution.  

 

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Dr. Robert Ojambo, a Senior Lecturer in the Department of History and Political Science, says there is a need to encourage and motivate staff to work hard and become part of management.  

“We need our homegrown leaders. We need a bursar who has grown from this place who understands it. We need a University Secretary who has grown through systems. Why should we be picking people from local government to come and be our University Secretaries here. I think it is not right. Because even local governments operate differently from how a university does its things,” Dr. Ojambo says.  

Dr. OJambo, who also represents academic staff on the council, argues that there is a general feeling of concern among staff at Kyambogo over ‘imported’ staff who become senior members of management.  

   

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Katunguka has been Kyambogo University Vice Chancellor since February 2014. His term of office is expected to come to a close next year.   

He replaced Prof. John Opuda-Asibo who served in acting capacity following when the contract of Prof Isaiah Omolo Ndiege expired on January 12, 2014. 

Ndiege spent almost half of his term out of office due to administrative conflicts that led to several strikes at Kyambogo University.