The Makerere Staff Appeals Tribunal has ordered the university appointments board to hear afresh the disciplinary case that resulted into suspension and transfer of Dr Stella Nyanzi, a research fellow at Makerere Institute of Social Research (MISR).
According to the tribunal report dated October 16, 2017, the appointments board has been tasked to hear the case again in 60 days.
As the appointments board hears the case afresh, the tribunal directed that Dr Stella Nyanzi be reinstated as a research fellow at MISR.
The tribunal further directed the appointments board to consider Dr Nyanzi’s application for promotion to the position of senior research fellow within sixty days.
This means the tribunal has quashed the decision of the appointments board that resulted into suspension Dr Nyanzi and transfer from MISR.
“The decisions of the appointment board made against the appellant (Dr Stella) at its 544th meeting held on Wednesday 10th February 2017 are hereby set aside. The appointments board is hereby by directed to hear and complete the disciplinary proceeding against Dr Stella Nyanzi arising from the findings of the investigations committee set up by the appointments board to carry out in depth investigation into MISR issues within sixty (60) days from the date of this decision,” the tribunal report read in part.
The tribunal said that at the said hearing, the party representing Makerere University shall first call witnesses to testify against Dr Nyanzi.
Other committee members are; Public Service Ministry representative Herbert Kiguli, Makerere University Academic Staff Association representatives Dr. Rose Nakayi and Prof. George W. Lubega; Makerere Administrative Staff Association representatives Tom Otim and Ruth Iteu Eyoku and Senate representative Dr. Consolata Kabonesa.
The decision of the tribunal was informed by the fact that the appointments board did not give Dr Nyanzi a chance to defend herself and that none of the parties produced witnesses.
Controversy
Dr Nyanzi was suspended from Makerere in April 2016 after she undressed in public to protest what she called mistreatment by MISR executive director, Prof Mahmood Mamdani.The university appointments board later instituted a committee chaired by Sharifah Bukenzi, an assistant commissioner for human resource management at the Ministry of Public Service, to probe among others the disagreement between Prof Mamdani and Dr Nyanzi.
After evaluating the committee report, the appointments board on February 10, 2017 found Dr Nyanzi guilty of misconduct, confirmed a six-month suspension, recalled her from suspension and transferred her to Human Rights and Peace Centre (HURIPEC) at the School of Law in a bid to mitigate conflict at MISR.
