Makerere striking staff accuse security of issuing death threats

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | All is not well at Makerere University as staff remain on strike, protesting the institution’s delay in harmonizing their salaries with those of staff at other public universities.  The situation has taken a darker turn with new allegations that security officials at the university have threatened violence against the striking staff.

The allegations center around orders reportedly issued by Mulindwa Musa, the Gombolola Internal Security Officer (GISO) and Deputy Chief Security Officer at Makerere.  According to staff representatives, Mulindwa allegedly informed the chairperson of the National Union of Educational Institutions (NUEI), Makerere University branch, that he had instructed police officers to “shoot to kill” any university staff who attempted to lock university buildings during the ongoing strike.

In a letter dated October 15, 2024, and addressed to the Inspector General of Police (IGP), the chairpersons of three staff associations—Dr. Robert Kakuru of the Makerere University Academic Staff Association (MUASA), Bennett Magara of the Makerere Administrative Staff Association (MASA), and Isaac Okello of NUEI that URN has seen, the staff leaders claimed they tried to report the matter to Makerere University Police Station, but the officer in charge, ASP Ndegezi Patrick, refused to record the case or provide a reference number.

“During a telephone conversation with the chairperson of the National Union of Education Institutions (NUEI), Makerere University Branch, on Saturday 12th October 2024, at about 18:00 hours, Mulindwa Musa a Giso and the Deputy Chief Security Officer, Makerere University, informed the chairperson NUEI that he had deployed and issued instructions to police officers to shoot to kill staff of the University on industrial action who allegedly lock University Buildings due to the ongoing withdraw of labor by staff at the University over salary harmonization”, the letter reads in parts

“This threat has been dully reported to Makerere University Police Station, but ASP Ndegezi Patrick has refused to record the case and issue a reference number,” reads another part of the letter. In light of these threats, the staff has urged the IGP to take swift action against Mulindwa and to expedite investigations into the matter.

Efforts to reach Mulindwa for a response were unsuccessful, as he did not answer repeated phone calls. Similarly, the Police Spokesperson, Kituma Rusoke, was unavailable for comment, claiming he was in a meeting.

The Makerere University Vice Chancellor, Professor Barnabas Nawangwe said that he had seen the letter and investigations were going to be carried out.

“I have also seen the letter but the authors do not substantiate their allegations. All the same, we will investigate the allegation,” Professor Nawangwe told URN”

However, Kampala Metropolitan Police Spokesperson Patrick Onyango condemned the alleged orders, describing them as illegal. He advised the affected staff to report the case directly to the Kampala Metropolitan Police for proper handling.  “Orders don’t come like that, the instruction is to protect life and property, not to take away life. In fact that lecturer whom that GISO called should come to the Police station, and give us that number and we call that GISO because that is very wrong information,” SSP Patrick Onyango

“Let him come to Kampala Metropolitan and his case be handled. The OC station at Makerere is not the final person in the police,” Onyango added. Meanwhile, this comes just a day after the staff leaders asked their constituents not to back off on the strike that they ignited earlier last week due to the University’s failure to harmonize their salaries with those of staff at other public universities.

Makerere University staff launched an industrial action at the beginning of this week to protest the institution’s failure to harmonize their salaries with those of staff at other public universities. The striking staff argue that it is unjust for individuals with similar qualifications to receive vastly different salaries, with some Makerere staff earning only half of what their counterparts in other institutions are paid.

The staff in their 7th October 2024 letter which communicated their strike to the University Council Chairperson, accused the university management of failure to honor its commitment to pay harmonized salaries by September 2024 which they had agreed on two months back.

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URN