Gulu university staffing crisis deepens as human resource director resigns

Gulu, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Gulu University is on the lookout for a new Human Resource Director following the resignation of its subsistence Director, Safina Naggayi in February this year. 

Naggayi, who had served the university from September 2017, resigned her position on February 1st, 2021.  She bid farewell to staff on February 10th, 2021.

In her resignation letter to the Gulu University Secretary, David Obol Otori, Naggayi explained that she decided to resign to enable her to contribute to the services of another institution, with effect from  March 1st, 2021.

“I wish to thank the entire management of the University and the Appointing Authority for giving me an opportunity to serve in this prestigious institution of higher learning,” Naggayi’s February 1st, 2021 letter reads in part.

Speaking to URN in a phone interview on Tuesday, Prof. George Openyjuru Ladaah, the Gulu University Vice-Chancellor, said Naggayi resigned her position after finding greener pastures elsewhere. He lauded her for her services to the University and wished her the best in her future endeavors. 

However, Naggayi’s departure has worsened the staffing problems at the university.  Gulu University’s approved staff ceiling stands at 1,343 including the teaching and non-teaching personnel. However, only 441 positions representing 33 percent have been filled up. 

A 2018 Auditor General’s report indicated that the University does not have the requisite number of academic staff despite teaching and research being its core mandate. The report revealed that out of 183 approved posts for key academic staff, only 37 were filled leaving 146 positions vacant.

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URN