Students drag Prof Mamdani to court over terminating scholarships, frustration
Two students attached to Makerere Institute of Social Research have sued the director, professor Mahmood Mamdani over what they term as negligence and abuse of office among other cases.
The students; Judith Ikiring Obore and Vincent Nuwagaba who enrolled at the institute on scholarships before being kicked out on orders of Mamdani claim that the professor is excessively exercising his powers.
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Judith Ikiring narrates that she was admitted on scholarship to MISR in 2014 to pursue a Masters of Philosophy in Social Studies until 2019, but to her dismay, Prof. Mamdani terminated her scholarship in late December 2017 accusing her of late submission of her research proposal.
She now wants court to make the professor liable of all damages and humiliation that raised from this claim as she postulates that she submitted her proposal in time.
Vicent Nuwagaba, also joined Ms Ikiring in pinning Prof. Mamdani saying that he was also granted a scholarship at the MISR before the Professor terminating it, just four months after admission.
He now seeks courts intervention saying the decision left him depressed and he was recently admitted to Butabiika National Psychiatry Hospital for rehabilitation.
" I was very depressed because I didn't have money to apply in another institute. This made me sick and left me in a manic depression. I was admitted to Butabika," Nuwagaba told journalists.
The student adds that he was also arrested on orders of Prof. Mamdani after being discharged from Butabiika and now wants court to make him pay for the damages on top of according him a genuine reason for the decision.
When contacted for a response on the said accusations, Prof. Mahmood Mamdani denied all the accusations through his lawyers of M/s Tumusiime, Kabega and Company Advocates.
"Ms Ikiring's suit is bad in law and therefore should be struck out. She didn't comply fully with the rules and regulations governing the scholarship awarded to her by the Institute,” a response of the lawyers reads in part.
On Nuwagaba’s case, the lawyers argued that Nuwagaba's mental health got in the way of his studies and this could only stop him from registration as student at Makerere.
Court is yet to set a date for the case hearing.
