By Micheal Atwakiire
Sheema: Lecturers at Ankole Western University (AWU) in Sheema district have spent several months without pay and very soon you might hear that they have been evicted from their house over failure to pay rent.
Our Spies in Kabwohe town, Sheema District, where the University is located, reveal that lecturers have spent full 8 months without getting salaries and whoever comes out to demand for his or her salary loses the job automatically.
A letter these suffering lecturers wrote to the Chancellor Rt. Rev. Bishop Johnson Twinomujuni, indicates that the conditions at the University are too difficult and make it hard for them to operate effectively and efficiently.
They asked the Chancellor to pray for the demon that is affecting AWU.
The letter is reproduced below verbatim;
“Open Letter to the Chancellor Ankole Western University
Dear Johnson,
Warm greetings from AWU and from the community inside campus. Thank you for the support you have rendered to us. God bless you so so so much. I and my colleagues are happy with efforts of going on to raise funds but unfortunately we are de forgotten lot with no food to eat, landlords chasing us from their houses and failing to pay fees for our children. The policies of new management saying there are directives from university council not to pay arrears almost going up to nine months are gonna kill us. De situation is unprecedented. The promises dat no more salary arrears en by failing to pay de former arrears has not worked with more arrears in the short time the new governance structures were put in place. The old workers as being sacrificed wen they talk and had been dismissed. Even NSSF is deducted not paid inspite of promised dat new council will not tolerate failure 2 pay us our NSSF. Lecturers are being tempted to do unethical behaviour for survival trying to get cash from students. Honourable Chancellor, the council cannot just put money on building but forget de critical human resource. How will the fundraising be organised without staff? What is it for? Is a university abt just building? Why can’t you advice the council en mgt 2 be sensitive to our plight?
Lastly, what has killed AWU from beginning is to allow the so called pipo who boast to have started it to use as if it is their own and not allow staff to have input to run university professionally. See Prof Karooro and Rwasheema they resigned. See Prof katusime also resigned largely coz of interferences from largely outsiders inspite of their best efforts to streamline staff matters and general university admin. The present new VC is already contemplating leaving us. Already new staff recruited have resigned realising things are not good. The new Bursar didn’t spend even a month. He went. The university Secretary is already doing interviews elsewhere to go. Mr. Chancellor sort out staff AWU issues and all will be well coz us long serving staff have sacrificed so much but are just neglected and being taken anyhow. Pray de evil spirits in AWU to go. ”
When asked during a phone interview about the matter, Dr. Nathan Karema, Chairman University Council, first refuted the news saying that the University has no problem. But at last he revealed the real situation at AWU.
“We don’t have any problem; our lecturers are well paid and they are at school right now teaching so well. Even our moneys are in good hands. As Council we haven’t intimidated any lecturer. But let me tell you this, don’t write it anywhere and please don’t record my voice. The only problem of Ankore Western University is that we have few students and the expenditure is too high. I therefore sympathize with these lecturers because you can’t spend 3 or 4 months without getting salary and you enjoy your life, unless you are irresponsible.” Dr. Karema said.
Godwin Kizza, the AWU Secretary, accepted allegations although he pleaded with the reporter not to report anything about it.
“It’s true we have financial challenges and I think they are due to the last wars when university leaders fought and chased away the then West Ankore Diocese Bishop Yona Katoneene, who was the university chancellor. Therefore the University Council decided to eliminate on its employees and about 5 lecturers have been sent out but it’s not true that we chased them because of demanding us their salaries. We are planning to pay all lecturers although we shall start with those we sent out but they will be paid in installments.” Kiiza noted.
Ezra Rugatsira, the guild president AWU said the situation at school isn’t good on the side of students especially academically.
“Students pay Shs15,000 per semester as guild fee but we as the guild office we don’t access that money. No one knows who withdraws that money from the bank. Sometimes students don’t get lectures because our lecturers aren’t paid. According to the administration records which are available, our lecturers have spent 8 months without getting any single coin.”
However, Canon Hanning W Kamukama, the Vice Chancellor, refuted all the above, saying that the lecturers haven’t been paid only June salaries and this is about to be effected.
But Kamukama refuted the information not knowing that we have letter in which the University was responding to one of the lecturers who was demanding his Shs6,596,000 in Salary arrears.
Here below is the letter;
