Court Declines to Halt Recruitment of Makerere University Deputy Vice Chancellor

The High Court has dismissed an application seeking to halt the recruitment process for Makerere University’s Deputy Vice Chancellor in charge of Finance and Administration (DVCF/A).

Professor Anthony Mugisha had applied for a temporary injunction, arguing that allowing the recruitment to proceed before his main application was determined would render his case nugatory.

Mugisha had previously emerged as the successful candidate for the position after being recommended for appointment by the University Senate selection committee, where he competed against Professor Arinaitwe Mwanaki Henry and Associate Professor Kirenga James Bruce.

However, Professor Arinaitwe later petitioned the University Council, which ordered a repeat of the recruitment process in March 2025. In response, Mugisha sought court intervention to stop the fresh process.

But in his affidavit, University Secretary Yusuf Kiranda explained that during its 166th sitting on February 20, 2025, the Makerere University Council declared the DVCF/A position vacant. He added that although applications were received, the Inspector General of Government (IGG) halted the recruitment on April 3, 2025, just one week after the application deadline.

Following investigations, the IGG directed the university to conduct a fresh recruitment exercise in September. Kiranda warned that halting the process, again, would jeopardise the effective governance of the university.

In his ruling, Justice Bernard Namanya found that Mugisha had failed to demonstrate that he would suffer irreparable harm if the recruitment proceeded. The judge noted that the applicant did not prove that the IGG’s orders had been set aside through any legal process, meaning they remain valid and binding on the university.

The court further held that Mugisha had not established that there was a serious question to be tried in the main suit, a key requirement for granting a temporary injunction.

Justice Namanya explained that irreparable injury must be substantial and incapable of being adequately compensated through damages, a burden the applicant did not discharge. He added that any potential injury could be addressed through compensation.

Makerere University has not had a substantive Deputy Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration since 2017, when Professor Barnabas Nawangwe, who then held the role, was appointed Vice Chancellor. The position is currently being held in an acting capacity by Professor Tumps Ireta.