Makerere University Vice-Chancellor Barnabas Nawangwe has abruptly lifted the interdiction of Dr Deus Kamunyu Muhwezi, just days after barring him from attending a key University Council meeting.
The reversal, communicated in a February 12 letter, has intensified debate over the motivations behind his initial suspension, which some viewed as an attempt to sideline a vocal critic ahead of a contentious Council session.
Dr Kamunyu, a lecturer in the Department of Tourism and a member of the University Council, had strongly condemned his February 10 interdiction, calling it “malicious and capricious.”
He argued that the decision was a blatant abuse of office and lacked proper administrative procedures.
His suspension came alongside that of another senior academic, Dr Jude Ssempebwa, at a time when Prof Nawangwe himself is facing intense scrutiny over his qualifications for the vice-chancellor position.
The University Council sitting Dr Kamunyu was barred from attending debated the appointment of the deputy vice-chancellor for finance and administration.
Prof Anthony Mugisha, who was last year appointed by the Council on the recommendation of the Senate, saw the process nullified.
Sources say Mr Nawangwe, who has kept Mugisha away from the job for months, wanted to be bulwark the Council into rescinding the appointment.
In Dr Kamunyu's interdiction, he had removed an opposition voice. The Council walked back on its decision.
Speaking to The Nile Post before his reinstatement, Dr Kamunyu noted that he was the only Council member affected by the suspensions, a move that effectively prevented him from participating in discussions regarding the university’s leadership.
“He should have called me first and put in this information without causing alarm,” he said, accusing Prof Nawangwe of orchestrating a public spectacle to distract from more pressing governance concerns.
The February 10 interdiction letter had cited concerns over Dr. Kamunyu’s employment history, particularly a past dismissal from Makerere University Business School (MUBS).
Prof. Nawangwe framed the move as part of an effort to enhance transparency in hiring practices, instructing Dr. Kamunyu to hand over university property and barring him from campus while an investigation was conducted.
However, Dr. Kamunyu dismissed the allegations, emphasizing that he had previously been cleared by the Inspectorate of Government (IG) regarding his employment record.
“The IG declared me, and it’s on file,” he said, insisting that the suspension had no legal basis.
The timing of the interdiction raised immediate concerns among university staff and governance observers. It coincided with a University Council meeting set to address mounting accusations of irregular promotions and corruption within Makerere’s leadership.
Staff associations, including the Makerere University Academic Staff Association (MUASA), the National Union of Education Institutions (NUEI-MAK Chapter), and the Makerere University Administrative Staff Association (MASA), had recently petitioned the Council to investigate what they described as “unconscionable corruption” at the university, specifically questioning Prof. Nawangwe’s promotion to professor in 2013.
A leaked audio recording, allegedly capturing a University Council member soliciting a bribe of Shs5 million from staff seeking promotions, had further fueled concerns about governance at Uganda’s premier institution.
The controversy over Dr. Kamunyu’s interdiction was therefore seen by many as part of a broader struggle over the university’s leadership and transparency.
Prof. Nawangwe’s decision to rescind the suspension just two days later has only deepened suspicions.
In his February 12 letter, he acknowledged receipt of a report on Makerere University’s recruitment practices from 2005 to 2010, which covered the period when Dr. Kamunyu was hired as an Assistant Lecturer.
While the report had been forwarded to an investigation committee, the vice-chancellor said he was lifting the interdiction and reinstating Dr. Kamunyu to his teaching position.
The move has raised questions over whether the initial suspension was ever about recruitment transparency or simply a tactic to exclude a critical voice from governance discussions.
Meanwhile, the wider struggle over Makerere’s leadership continues. Prof. Nawangwe has been accused of using disciplinary actions to suppress dissent, most recently blocking a planned joint staff meeting and deploying security personnel to prevent its convening. Agora Discourse, a digital platform focused on human rights and governance issues, has launched a campaign highlighting what it calls “censorship and suspensions” at Makerere.
As scrutiny of the university’s leadership deepens, Dr. Kamunyu’s brief suspension and swift reinstatement may come to symbolize the broader tensions over governance, accountability, and academic freedom at one of Africa’s most prestigious institutions.