The Inspector General of Government has ordered Makerere University to halt the recruitment process for its Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Finance and Administration, citing corruption, abuse of office, and mismanagement in the handling of the position.
In an April 3, 2025 letter addressed to Vice-Chancellor Prof Barnabas Nawangwe, IGG Beti Kamya said her office had launched a formal investigation following complaints about deliberate manipulation of the selection process.
The directive comes just days after Makerere re-advertised the positions of its two deputy vice-chancellors – for academic affairs and finance – in a move that has now drawn fresh scrutiny.
“The Inspectorate of Government has launched an investigation into all the allegations of abuse of office, abuse of authority, and maladministration,” Ms Kamya wrote.
The order follows a directive from the Minister for Ethics and Integrity, Rose Lilly Akello, for the IGG to probe corruption complaints at Uganda’s oldest public university.
But sources familiar with the matter said Kamya’s office had also received a separate dossier from university staff and other concerned parties, detailing claims of persistent mismanagement since the position became vacant in 2017.
The IGG said the complainants allege that Makerere management, under Prof Nawangwe’s leadership, has deliberately kept the post in acting capacity by frustrating lawful recruitment efforts.
Despite four attempts since 2018, the university has failed to fill the role substantively.
In 2022, Prof William Bazeyo, the acting deputy at the time and front-runner in the search, withdrew from the race after questions arose over the credibility of his academic qualifications, particularly a disputed PhD.
The university abandoned the process altogether without offering an official explanation.
Last year, a fresh search in May 2024 produced Prof Anthony Mugisha, Dean of the School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Resources, as the top candidate.
He edged out Prof Henry Alinaitwe by one vote in the Senate vote, which was subsequently endorsed by the University Council. But Prof Nawangwe, who had earlier appointed Alinaitwe in acting capacity, ignored the Council's recommendation and declined to forward Mugisha's name for appointment.
Months passed without communication, prompting disgruntled staff to petition President Museveni on November 27, 2024, highlighting what they described as a culture of impunity and internal decay.
“There is growing anger and dissent between the staff and students at the university due to persistent mismanagement and violation of laws and university policies," the letter to the President read.
“Qualified staff have been systematically blocked from key positions, creating a culture of favouritism and impunity.”
Prof Nawangwe dismissed the petitioners’ claims at the time, saying they had no legal standing in appointments.
However, matters took another turn in February this year when the University Council – at a controversial sitting – walked back on its own recommendation of Mugisha’s appointment and declared the search process null and void.
The meeting took place a day after the interdiction of Dr Deus Kamunyu, an academic staff representative on the Council, who was primed to present a Senate position on the appointment of Prof Mugisha.
Prof Nawangwe said Kamunyu was being investigated over irregularities in his past employment, but reinstated him hours after the crucial Council meeting without convening the disciplinary committee he had promised.
According to the IGG, Nawangwe set up an “illegal task force” to review an otherwise lawful process.
Sources say the task force reviewed the Senate's search process and decided it was null and void.
“The process… was yet again interfered with by appointment of an illegal ‘task force’… which culminated into a decision to repeat the whole exercise for the fourth time,” Ms Kamya noted in her letter.
She said the search must stop until the inquiry is complete or her office lifts the directive.
“Pursuant to Article 230(2) of the Constitution, you are DIRECTED to halt the new search process of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Finance and Administration) until our investigations are complete or until this order is vacated by the Inspector General of Government,” she wrote.
The Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Finance and Administration oversees budgeting, planning and general administration of the university – a role widely viewed as central to Makerere’s stability and development.
The prolonged delay in filling the post has not only deepened internal divisions but also raised concerns about the university’s governance under Prof Nawangwe.