Court dismisses lawsuit against Prof. Openjuru’s appointment

Gulu, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The High Court in Gulu has dismissed a lawsuit challenging the appointment of the institution’s Vice Chancellor Prof. George Ladaah Openjuru.

Three University staff filed applications for judicial review in September 2021 seeking the court to declare null and void Openjuru’s promotion as a Professor and his appointment as Vice Chancellor alleging forgery of academic documents.

They demanded that the court issues an order restraining Prof. George Openjuru Ladaah from further using the title of Professor and to refund all the money he received from the University as a Professor and Vice-Chancellor.

The complainants, Henry James Obol, an Assistant Lecturer in the Faculty of Medicine, Andrew Ayella, a System Analyst, and Godfrey Epolu, an Assistant Internal Auditor also filed another suit in July 2022 challenging Openjuru’s reappointment by the University Council.

Prof. Openjuru was appointed Gulu University Vice Chancellor in 2018 and later got a five-year contract extension in August 2022.

Justice George Okello, the Resident Judge, Gulu High Court however in a ruling on Friday dismissed the suit on grounds that the cases lacked merit.

Justice Okello noted that the applicants failed to prove the grounds for the applications in their respective affidavits arguing that the subsequent suit was a total abuse of court as it was brought in bad faith and also time-barred.

The judge consequently ordered the applicants to pay the cost of the suit to the professor.

Moses Omara, the University Acting Legal Officer told Uganda Radio Network in an interview over the weekend that the University has always been operating in line with the policies and all the relevant laws of the country.

“The suit was just an abuse of the court process as it lacked directions and focus. I employ all the staff of the University to always exhibit and to uphold the spirit of Ubuntu for the betterment of the University and for the Community Transformation because personal differences shouldn’t be brought into the public office,” Says Omara.

Prof. Openjuru however said he felt happy that the process had been validated adding that it will be a lesson for the lecturers to understand how a Vice-Chancellor is appointed into office.

He noted that it was a disgrace for the lecturers to accuse of him of forging academic papers from Makerere University where he studied and was employed for more than 20 years.

Prof. Openjuru replaced the first Gulu University Vice Chancellor Prof Jack Nyeko Pen-Mogi in 2018.

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URN