Tribunal orders Makerere to stop deleting dismissed staff with appeals off payroll

Kampala, Uganda |  THE INDEPENDENT |  Makerere University will no longer delete the names of dismissed staff from the payroll with pending appeals before the Staff Appeals Tribunal. 

The Makerere University Staff Tribunal Chairperson, retired Justice Patrick Tabaro made the ruling while reviewing an application by Dr. Juma Anthony Okuku and others challenging their dismissal and nonpayment of their salaries despite their appeals before the staff tribunal.   

In his application, Dr. Okuku, a former Senior Lecturer in the Department of Political Science in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, notes that the university dismissed him in December 2018 prompting him to appeal the decision. 

He explains that he was struck off the payroll, which affected his livelihood. The other complainants include Dr. Stella Nyanzi, Dr. Denis Assimwe, Dr. Steven Tumutegyerize, and Dr. James Ocita.   

Both the Employment act and Makerere university human resource manual stipulate that an employee is deemed to be on suspension until the expiry of the period allowed for the appeal and would therefore be entitled to half pay. 

However, the university has been acting to the contrary. Delivering his ruling on Tuesday, Justice Tabaro noted that the applicants were entitled to remain on the payroll with half pay until their appeals are disposed of.

He therefore directed the university to reinstate Dr. Okuku on the payroll and all other affected employees until the determination of their appeals.  

“All university employees who, in future, file appeals in the staff tribunal after they have been removed from service by the appointments board be left on the payroll and be paid half of the salary until their appeals are concluded by the staff tribunal,” the seven-member tribunal so ordered.  

The tribunal also ordered the university to clear the arrears of the affected staff from the time they were struck off the payroll.

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URN