Court dismisses suit against Makerere University

Kampala, Uganda |  THE INDEPENDENT |  The High Court has dismissed an application filed by eight Makerere University Staff accusing the institution of contempt of court. 

The staff are Sarah Nabawanuka, George Mbabazi, Epaphrah Barenga, James Grace Sseruga, Paul Kiggundu, Herbert Tumukunde, Teddy Tusabe and Godfrey Kato.

They have been serving in acting positions ever since they joined the university between 1988 and 2007. 

According to the application, the staff argue that they were receiving the same salary at the lowest rank of M15 and M13 (Shillings 1.2 and 1.6 Million respectively) at which they joined university service, despite having attained higher qualifications and job experience in the higher office of Accountant.

The group notes that they applied to the Appointments Board for promotion but it was illegally blocked by the University Human Resource Director Andrew Abuyang, Yusuf Kiranda the Acting University Secretary. 

The applicants had in March 2019 obtained a court order from Justice Musa Ssekaana directing the University to determine their applications for promotion within 90 days.

But the applicants later through their lawyer Dr James Akampumuza returned before Justice Ssekaana saying that his orders were never implemented. 

In his Judgement on Monday, Ssekaana ruled that he found part of the submissions of the applicants to involve merits of the decision of the Appointments Board adding that the court at this stage cannot delve into the board’s decision. 

“Similarly, some of the orders sought by the applicants are untenable in an application for contempt. The applicants’ counsel wants to circumvent the established bodies that are supposed to consider the promotion of the applicants”, said Ssekaana. 

Ssekaana adds that the orders sought by the applicants in this application are misplaced because the evidence adduced before he indicates that Makerere University complied with his earlier orders in the given time frame. 

He dismissed the suit with no order of costs. 

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URN