Warning, suspension letters will continue flying here, says Nawangwe

Makerere University Vice Chancellor, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe has said he is not about to stop issuing warning and suspension letters against students and their leaders involved in “indiscipline” at the university.

“By the way, we will keep warning when we see that you are going on the wrong way and when we warn you, we have always realized that you have repented,” Prof.Nawangwe said.

He was on Friday afternoon speaking during a public dialogue organized by the Makerere guild leadership about corruption.

There has been outrage among student leaders at the county’s oldest university after the vice chancellor issued warning letters to a number of their colleagues accused of holding “illegal” meeting to incite students into rioting against the current fees policy.

Speaking during the dialogue, a number of students accused Prof. Nawangwe of  using his powers to curtail their rights.

“The number one perpetuator of corruption is abuse of power. By abusing his powers to issue suspending and warning letters to our colleagues, Prof. Nawangwe is practicing corruption. When we talk of corruption, we should not only think about government officials who eat money but also people like the vice chancellor who abuses his power,” Moses Nsamba, a second year student said during the dialogue.

Nwangwe responds

Speaking in response, Prof. Nawangwe insisted that the student leaders are being untruthful by claiming there has been an increase in tuition by the university.

“It is being untruthful of leaders mobilizing students to protest yet they are aware there is a fees policy since 2016 and has not been changed. It is being untruthful to pass messages around saying management has come up with a new policy and that I(Nawangwe) negotiated with the guild president,” Prof.Nwangwe said.

“You are abusing your power because you are telling lies to the students. We can’t claim to be the leading university at the African continent and we are behaving in ways that don’t reflect that.”