Yusuf Serunkuma Kajura, a columnist with The Observer newspaper, has asserted his affiliation with Makerere University, despite the institution’s recent denial.
Last week, Makerere University issued a statement distancing itself from Serunkuma, clarifying his status with the university. In a statement signed by the university’s principal public relations officer, Rita Namisango, it was stated that Serunkuma misrepresents himself by signing off his columns as a political theorist based at Makerere.
The statement further explained that in 2012, Serunkuma enrolled in a university-funded five-year interdisciplinary PhD program in social studies, which included a master’s degree component. However, Serunkuma failed to meet the academic requirements necessary to progress to the PhD stage and was subsequently terminated from the program.
“Serunkuma does not hold a PhD from Makerere University, is not currently affiliated with the university, and has no ongoing relationship with the institution,” the statement read in part.
This could be interpreted to imply that Serunkuma does not hold a PhD at all. In response, Serunkuma, speaking to The Observer, acknowledged his misrepresentation but clarified that he holds a PhD from Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg in Germany and is still pursuing another at Makerere University.
“It is interesting how the university seems unwilling to engage with the facts or even intellectual discourse. Instead, they have chosen to malign me, sadly ignoring the truth. I have never met Prof Nawangwe, but we have built a remarkable correspondence spanning years. This is the fourth time he has written to or about me. Namisango communicates nothing without the explicit instructions and approvals of Prof Nawangwe; so, this was definitely Nawangwe writing about me,” Serunkuma remarked.
Yusuf Serunkuma Kajura further elaborated on his ongoing clashes with Prof Barnabas Nawangwe, vice chancellor of Makerere University, recounting an incident from three years ago. According to Serunkuma, Nawangwe accused him of xenophobia in his writings and of tarnishing the reputation of individuals within the university.
“We were in court at the time, dealing with a lawsuit I had filed against the celebrity academic, Prof Mahmood Mamdani. I had sued Mamdani for violating university regulations and acting maliciously. Justice Lydia Mugambe found my evidence convincing. Around the same time, Mamdani wrote a bombastic column in The Monitor accusing members of the Makerere University Academic Staff Association, who were merely fighting for better working conditions and pay, of being ‘regime change intellectuals.’ He insinuated that their advocacy, though focused on Makerere, was tactfully aimed at Yoweri Museveni. I strongly countered Mamdani’s arguments, and Nawangwe quickly came after me, accusing me of bringing the university and its people into disrepute,” Serunkuma explained.
Serunkuma also revealed that Nawangwe had reached out to The Observer, demanding they remove the part of his profile that reads, “based at Makerere University.”
However, Serunkuma praised the publication’s editors for standing firm.
“The editors of this publication aren’t pushovers; these are warriors of the trade. They knew the facts,” Serunkuma remarked, adding that, despite the pressure, he has no intention of dropping the reference to Makerere University from his profile anytime soon.
