The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Professor Mahmood Mamdani, Director of the Makerere Institute Of Social Research (MISR) has said his team will not cooperate with the Makerere University Vice Chancellor’s Investigation Committee Into MISR.
“The Vice Chancellor lacks the moral authority and objectivity to set up and provide oversight for such a Committee. He is partisan and has a clear conflict of interest due to his close family relationship with Dr. Stella Nyanzi,” Mamdani said.
The Vice Chancellor Prof. John Ddumba Ssentamu, yesterday circulated a memo on the Makerere University webmail setting up an Investigation Committee into MISR following a protest by Dr. Stella Nyanzi. Nyanzi, who was locked out of her office because she refused to teach, stripped at the campus yesterday.
Since nobody can stand up to long oppression of Research Staff at MISR, I am breaking the chains myself. #RotAtMISR pic.twitter.com/Nin8ddTJhV
— Stella Nyanzi (@drstellanyanzi) April 18, 2016
In a MISR press release today signed by Mamdani, he said “MISR Management will not cooperate with the current Investigation Committee instituted by the VC, who has a vested interest in the outcome of the investigation, and who, given his recent maneuvers to circumvent specific MISR initiatives, cannot suddenly be seen to place MISR’s and the University’s interests above those of his kin, Dr. Nyanzi. ”
“The prerequisite to addressing the present situation is three- fold: one, to set up a truly impartial consultative (rather than investigatory) process; two, to transfer Dr. Nyanzi from MISR, given her well-documented insistence that she will not teach in the PhD programme or participate in institutional research at MISR, but immediately to send Dr. Nyanzi for a month long leave with the understanding that she will not return to the Institute for any reason; and, three, to consult all constituencies (students, academic staff, management) in the process that follows and do it only after the new semester begins in mid-May.”
Why The Management Of @MISR_Mak Will Not Cooperate With The Vice Chancellor’s Investigation Committee Into MISR. https://t.co/SAV1WC6oWI
— Mahmood Mamdani (@mm1124) April 19, 2016
Baryamureebe weighs in
Former Presidential candidate Prof Venansius Baryamureebe, also former VC at Makerere , Wednesday weighed into the debate, saying the university needs to act fast in order not to lose the services of Prof Mamdani.
Mamdani-Nyanzi Saga Starts and Ends with Insubordination – https://t.co/ScEfRM1LdN pic.twitter.com/d2AId5QqnI
— Prof. V Baryamureeba (@baryamureeba) April 20, 2016
Here is the MISR statement in full:
MISR’s Response to the VCs Memo-April 19 2016 by The Independent Magazine
I support Prof. Mamdani’s position. For while I totally agree that Dr. Stella Nyanzi utilised her right to deploy symbolism – nude protest – to shock us into consciousness of and into action against what she considers the rot at Makerere Institute of Social Research (MISR). However, I am also a bit skeptical at the tendencies towards propaganda type misinformation that social media supports of Dr. Nyanzi have adopted. It is counterproductive for the messaging from Dr. Nyanzi – it can be used as a smoke screen to dismiss and for inaction. Read more of my two bits https://nowaraga.wordpress.com/2016/04/20/fact-check-state-discrimination-against-dr-stella-nyanzi/