Following last Thursday’s unceremonious end to a general assembly by lecturers seeking to reopen the institution, the head of the Makerere University Academic Staff Association (Muasa), Dr Muhammad Kiggundu, found himself the butt of jokes by the dons.
The general assembly had been called after a series of meetings with the university council and management over a deal to reopen the university. According to Dr Kiggundu, the assembly had been called to persuade the staff to accept their November pay and one of the nine months’ arrears.
When the assembly started at 3pm, there was calm as Dr Kiggundu explained the issues at stake. But suddenly, the assembly descended into chaos, with accusations flying in from the staff.
“You have been bribed to get us back in office, but that won’t work,” one don yelled, before the matter descended into a shouting match. Kiggundu’s denials of not being influenced were not helped by his failure to control the meeting.
According to a transcript of what transpired on several WhatsApp groups, the university dons accused Kiggundu of failing them, by attempting to rush them into an unclear agreement.
“That was the same deal we rejected in October before we went on strike … how dare [Kiggundu] think we will comply just like that?” one of the dons asked.
Yet others cited Kiggundu’s predecessor, Dr Fred Tanga Odoi, and argued that if they had wanted a quick solution, there was a way to do it.
“He could have done what Tanga Odoi did, where he simply declared that the general assembly had agreed to resume classes by affirmation rather than calling for a vote,” yet another said.
Others openly doubted that Kiggundu would secure a second term of office, mid next year, when Muasa calls for elections.
“He has betrayed us … we can’t allow him to come back in the next term,” a don added.
Dr Kiggundu’s failure to get the lecturers to return to work is a setback for him, as he now has three unhappy clients to deal with. The most bitter are the administrative staff, who were made redundant by the strike, even when they were not part of it.
The second party is the university council and management who were assured by Dr Kiggundu that the institution would be reopened soon. Finally, there is the academic staff who now view Dr Kiggundu with suspicion, especially since he was a major driver in the strike.
The move to reopen the university would have seen the lecturers return to their classes in early January, but now that looks unlikely. The earliest such a move can happen is in mid or late January.
Following the failed general assembly, Muasa was scheduled to meet the university council in the coming days. It is not clear what the agenda of the meeting will be, but some at Makerere have speculated that it may be to chart a way ahead to get the university reopened before the end of January.