Prof. Nawangwe asks Makerere university council to close law school

Makerere University Vice Chancellor, Prof Barnabas Nawangwe has recommended that the school of law be closed indefinitely for over the ongoing strike.

In a report to the university council, Nawangwe said the school of law has continued to be defiant by refusing to resume  lectures.

“Given the position taken by the school of law to defy authority and incite the rest of the university to follow their bad example, it is recommended that the school of law be closed indefinitely,” Prof. Nawangwe said in his report.

The Makerere University Vice Chancellor explained that despite all other schools resuming with lectures, the school of law has continued to defy orders and has gone on to instigate the defiance seeds into the students, a thing he said cannot be tolerated at the Ivory Tower.

He added that the perpetuators of the sit down strike want to make the university ungovernable for him but warned this would not be allowed.

“The staff(for School of Law) should be required to handover university property and the students advised to return home and await further instructions,”Nawangwe said.

Since the beginning of the strike caused by the suspension of Makerere University staff leaders by the university council led by Prof.Nawangwe, the school of law has supported the striking lecturers saying the suspension of their leaders is illegal.

The School of Law on Monday asked striking staff not to be intimidated by the university council, adding that they will offer legal support to them.

“Let us continue putting our tools down. When you are in a lawful industrial strike, no disciplinary action can be put against you and we shall stand with you as the law school,” Prof John Jean Barya, from the School of Law told lecturers on Monday.

The law students on Tuesday threatened to sue the University for failure to conduct lectures.

“The University Council is put on notice that unless a resolution of this impasse is reached by close of business on Friday February,15 2019, the student community as a whole will file a representative suit against the university for breach of contract and violation of the right to education, leaving it upon the university to seek indemnification from the staff associations if they so wish, ”said Kenneth Kotura Kiapi, the law students president.