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Controversy as Tibatemwa remains Makerere deputy VC
Prof. Tibatemwa will be serving her second and last term in office. PHOTO BY Faiswal Kasirye
What you need to know:
The Senate opted to re-advertise DVC F/A position even when the candidates obtained more less the same marks as Prof. Tibatemwa
Makerere
Abdu KiyagaControversy in the search for substantive Makerere University top administrators continues to unfold as Prof. Lillian Tibatemwa retained her position as the Deputy Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs even when she had the least marks in a report from the positions search committee.
According to a report done by the search committee that Sunday Monitor has seen, Prof. Tibatemwa got 63.84 per cent while Prof. Grace Bantebya Kyomuhendo had 85.99 per cent. This report was submitted to the Senate, the body charged with making the final decision through a vote.
The search committee chaired by Dr Euzobia Mugisha Baine had presented the two names to the Senate after they excelled in the first three phases of interviews similar to those undergone by contestants of vice chancellorship.
The results
However, in results from the voting process presided over by acting Vice Chancellor Venansius Baryamureeba, Prof. Tibatemwa got 45 votes from the 62 Senators who voted while her opponent got 15 votes. Two votes were invalid.
“Today-Friday August 24, 2012, the University Senate has recommended Prof. Lillian Tibatemwa Ekirikubinza to the University Council for the position of the First Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic Affairs),” Makerere University spokesperson Ritah Namisango said in a statement.
Prof. Tibatemwa has, however, also been short-listed among the 35 that are vying to fill eight vacant positions in the Court of Appeal.
Efforts to get comments from the team chair were futile as Prof. Baryamureeba did not respond to our repeated calls or text messages. Sources that attended the meeting, however, told Sunday Monitor that Prof. Bantebya was thrown out by the body on allegations of attempted bribery, the accusations she vehemently denied.
“I have challenged them to bring the recording but no one has brought it. Whoever came up with that was looking for something that would definitely push me out of the race,” Prof. Bantebya said.
Meanwhile, the top decision making body has opted to re-advertise the post for the Deputy Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration to “allow time for more competitive candidates to be considered for the position”.
A report submitted by Prof. Joseph Mugisha ranked the candidates Associate Professors, Philip Kwesiga and Anthony Mugisha with 64 and 63 per cent respectively while Prof. Elisam Magara scored 55 per cent. He therefore suggested to the Senate to either consider the candidates with at least 60 per cent or to allow more time for competitive candidates for the position.
