Africa-Press – Uganda. KAMPALA-
Makerere University’s finance and legal departments are under investigation over alleged corruption.
Sources told Daily Monitor that the State House Anti-Corruption unit took away the university bursar, Mr Everest Bainomugisha, last Thursday for interrogation.
“I saw the Nakalema team take the university bursar at 10:30pm on Thursday night after he had been interrogated. The team also took CPUs from his office and brought them on Friday. Bursar’s office was locked on Friday until evening when the team brought back the CPUs they had taken,” one source close to the university said.
The Finance Department sits on Level 4 at the Central Teaching Facility (CTF) where these offices were shifted after the Main Building was burnt. The same level houses the Vice Chancellor, Prof Barnabas Nawangwe, and the University Secretary, Mr Yusuf Kiranda, sit.
Sources said as of Friday, the Finance department on 4th floor was sealed off by the Nakalema team and all staff with offices on this floor were seen stranded in the Council Room.
Sources also said Nakalema team interrogated other staff from Finance department and checked all their computers. He also said Mr Kiranda’s computer was taken but returned later.
Sources said the State House unit after interrogating the finance department officials went to the Legal department and grilled a number of staff.
The Nakalema team allegedly accused Makerere of conniving with litigants in court to help them win cases against the university and thereafter share the money.
“The team went to legal department because it is where the rot is. You have been seeing how Makerere loses cases. You pay the court award faster than the person who has retired. A person who has retired can chase his or her packages for years but a case which has just been determined in court gets paid, isn’t that connivance?” the source said.
Currently, Makerere University has more than 200 cases with claims of more than Shs100b.
Last year, Makerere University management wrote to government requesting Shs1b to pay former sacked staff who won cases against the university.
In the 2018 Auditor General’s report, Makerere’s legal costs had shot to Shs63b.
University management respondsWhen contacted last Friday, Mr Kiranda confirmed that Nakalema’s team interrogated a number of Makerere managers including him over various allegations.
He said he left the university last Thursday night while the State House team was still holding the bursar.
The bursar was taken to CID where he recorded a statement and was released thereafter.
Daily Monitor could not reach Ms Nakalema as calls to her phone were always diverted to a call centre. We could also not get her comment through messages.
Prof Nawangwe referred us to Mr Kiranda, who did not answer our calls.
