MUBS ROT UNMASKED! Staffs give Janet 17 reasons why Balunywa contract should not be renewed

Just days before Prof Wasswa Balunywa contract as MUBS boss expired, a section of staff penned down a dossier listing several grounds why he should never step back at the institution.

The dossier, titled ‘PETITION AGAINST REAPPOINTMENT OF PROF. WASWA JUMA BALUNYWA AS PRINCIPAL OF MUBS’ and dated 19 May, 2023 was addressed to line Minister of Education and Sports, Janet Museveni.

Balunywa’s contract expired on 31^st May, 2023 and he has since been replaced by Prof. Moses Muhwezi in acting capacity.

Below is the slightly abridged version of the dossier verbatim:

May 19, 2023

Hon. Janet Kataha Museveni,

First Lady and Hon. Minister of Education and Sports

KAMPALA

Dear Hon. Mama Kataha Museveni,

RE: PETITION AGAINST REAPPOINTMENT OF PROF. WASWA JUMA BALUNYWA AS

PRINCIPAL OF MUBS

We are the concerned Heads of Departments, Deans of Faculties and Academic staff at Makerere University Business School (MUBS). We are writing to you in confidence but are ready to meet with you and throw more light on the matters in this letter if our security and job safety is guaranteed.

FRONTING HIS BROTHER TO SUCCEED BALUNYWA

We have received information that either Prof. Waswa Juma Balunywa or his young brother Prof. Mohamad Ngoma will be appointed the next Principal of MUBS on the basis that they are the only suitable candidates for the job. Please note that Prof. Wasswa Juma Balunywa and his young brother Prof. Mohamad Ngoma are the most undesirable and unsuitable candidates to lead MUBS.

There are many MUBS staff who are suitable candidates for this job.

THE CHAIRMAN MUBS COUNCIL’S LETTER TO H.E. THE PRESIDENT:

It has been reported that the Chairman MUBS Council wrote a letter to H.E. the President indicating that all Heads of Departments and Deans of Faculties and academic staff of MUBS unanimously endorsed Prof. Waswa Juma Balunywa to continue as Principal of MUBS. This is not true. There has never been any Management meeting to discuss the Prof. Balunywa’s reappointment. Given that Council deliberates on business from Management and that this issue has never been presented in any Management meeting, it means that Prof. Balunywa turned himself into Management and presented himself to Council. Please note that the Council Chairman, Eng. Isaac Ngobya is an inside trader and directly conflicted. His companies are the ones doing construction works at MUBS as per the attached petition REF: 2563/20 submitted to the State House Anti-Corruption Unit on 16th March 2020 (attached). To make matters worse, the Vice Chairman of Council is our year one student registered on the Bachelor of Business Administration courtesy of Prof. Balunywa’s generous scholarship. Council members are highly compromised and live to serve Prof. Balunywa’s interests. Prof. Balunywa gives them many benefits such as scholarships, foreign trips, tenders, cash, and jobs for their children among others.

A PETITION SIGNED BY OVER 400 MUBS STAFF:

It has also been reported that there was a petition to H.E. the President signed by over 400 MUBS staff petitioning the President to reappoint Prof. Waswa Juma Balunywa as Principal of MUBS. Most of the staff who signed are new junior staff who were irregularly recruited during COVID 19 lockdown for this purpose. Prof. Balunywa single-handedly recruited the staff without following known procedures. A few senior staff who signed are his allies and accomplices in abuse of office and corruption at MUBS. Some of these have been appointed heads and deans irregularly.

FAILURE TO REMIT PAY AS YOU EARN (PAYE) TO URA:

Over the years, MUBS has not been remitting the right PAYE and other taxes to the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA). This is made possible through a high-level syndicate. For example, a taxable payment to heads of departments and administrative units, deans, Principal and Deputy Principal dubbed “Responsibility allowance” is currently being paid as a non-taxable item in the name of “Research allowance” in order to evade tax and NSSF. This has led to loss of Government Revenue in billions of shillings. In the year 2020, a whistleblower reported this criminal act to the State House Anti-Corruption Unit but to date, no action has been preferred against the culprits. See attachment.

FAILURE TO REMIT NSSF OF STAFF:

As indicated above, MUBS has not been remitting the correct amount of staff NSSF and in a timely manner as per the law.

IRREGULAR PAYMENT OF RESPONSIBILITY ALLOWANCE:

Prof. Balunywa has abused this fund in many ways. He single-handedly determines how much to pay the beneficiaries. For example, he pays himself a responsibility allowance of over Shs. 40,000,000 per month, whereas he pays faculty deans and heads of departments only Shs. 3,000,000 and Shs. 2,500,000 respectively. Note that most of the work is done by heads and deans given that the Prof. Balunywa is rarely on campus. There are many staff who are not eligible for this allowance but are being paid.

REFUSAL TO RESPECT LAWFUL DIRECTIVES OF H.E. THE PRESIDENT ON RECRUITMENTS:

In the year 2020 when there was a COVID 19 outbreak, the President directed all government ministries and agencies to stop recruitments. This was further emphasized by circulars from the Ministries of Public Service and Finance, Planning & Economic Development. In the circulars, Accounting Officers were directed not to recruit staff without budget approval by the Ministry of Finance, Planning & Economic Development. However, Prof. Balunywa went ahead and recruited new staff during COVID 19 lockdown when the School was closed. Between the year 2020 and now, the Prof. Balunywa has recruited over 400 new staff without budget approvals. This has increased the wage bill deficit from Shs. 3 billion to over Shs. 25 billion currently. Because of this, many staff are underpaid outside the established salary structure issued by the PS, Ministry of Public Service.

IRREGULAR RECRUITMENTS OF STAFF:

Some academic staff were recruited into teaching even when they still had retakes and had not completed their Bachelor’s degrees. A case in point is Mr. Robinson Ogwang Apunyu, a former Guild President, who had a retake (failed) in Accounting II but was recruited as a Teaching Assistant, and moreover, with a Second-Class Lower degree. Further, most of the over 400 staff who were recruited never went through Management Committee Meetings. Some were recruited without even applying for the jobs. They were called to pick appointment letters and then asked to write and back date their job applications. This is destroying the academic system in MUBS.

VICTIMIZATION OF MEMBERS OF MANAGEMENT:

Over the years, Prof. Balunywa has victimized members of Management who do not agree with him over the above abuses. Many have been forced to resign their academic leadership positions. For example, Prof. Stephen Nkundabanyanga and Prof. Sulait Tumwiine, Professor Mwesigwa Rogers and others were coerced to resign their Management positions illegally. Other Deans such as Dr. Isaac Magoola and Dr. James Akampumuza were illegally suspended from the School single-handily by the Principal. Dr Magoola’s case was decided by high court in which the high court ordered for his reinstatement but Prof Balunywa refused. Other deans victimized are Dr. Geoffrey Bakunda and Prof. Geoffrey Kituyi. This has eroded the quality of management in the School as Members of Management with dissenting views are punished illegally and severely.

REFUSAL TO PAY TUITION FOR STAFF ON PHD STUDIES:

Prof. Balunywa personally mobilized staff to enroll on PhD study programmes at ICT University in Cameroon. However, when he developed personal grudges arising out of conflict of interest with the leadership of the university, he refused to pay tuition for the students. He unilaterally directed the affected staff to register in other universities and begin studies afresh. This is despite Council’s directive that the tuition be paid. Most of the affected staff were already in their final year of PhD studies and had submitted their final thesis but are now stuck. Below is the list of affected staff. Pontius Byarugaba, Asiimwe George, Francis Yossa, Martha Abeja , Maureen Tweyongyere, Massy Nabasirye, Eldred Kyomuhendo, Gladys Angundaru , Judith Among , Olema Hamiza, John Ariko Okelai, Matovu Augustine, Nalowoza Ruquaya , Twesigyomwe Jalo , Nabafu Robinah , Robert Balle Tabani , Regis Namuddu , Phipler Tusubira , Shafic Majabi , Keefa Bwiino and Eunice Kabahinda.

IRREGULAR CREATION OF NEW DEPARTMENTS AND FACULTIES AND APPOINTMENT OF HEADS AND CAMPUS DIRECTORS WHO DO NOT QUALIFY:

Despite the wage bill deficit of Shs. 25 billion, Prof. Balunywa unilaterally created new departments without approval of the Academic Board. He went ahead and appointed his allies who are unqualified to head newly created departments and regional campuses. According to the Universities and Other Tertiary Institutions Act 2006 as amended, academic heads of departments, deans and directors should be elected and must be at the rank of Senior Lecturer and above. However, this is not the case with Prof. Balunywa’s appointments as he has appointed junior staff below the rank of Senior Lecturer to head departments.

TUITION NOT PAID TO URA BUT TO INDIVIDUAL STAFF ACCOUNTS IN MUBS:

There is a staff by the name Betty Nabunya who collected over Shillings one billion tuition from students using a personal account. However, when Internal Audit unearthed this theft and brought it to the attention of Prof. Balunywa, he transferred this staff from Bursar’s Office to the Faculty of Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management. Prof. Balunywa never reported this and other corruption cases to the Uganda Police or even MUBS Management. This same corrupt officer (Ms. Betty Nabunnya) is the one assigned with a task of training the next expected School Bursar by the name Susan Nalubega. Ms. Susan Nalubega is Prof. Balunywa’s preferred next School Bursar even when she is not the most suitable. Top Management and other jobs in the School are not advertised externally to attract competent Ugandans. Instead, the jobs are hoarded for relatives and friends who can easily be manipulated and used as puppets. All staff in the Revenue Office who were in the know of corruption practices were recently transferred to academic units in order to cover up the fraudulent acts in Revenue Office.

STEALING OF SCHOOL PROPERTY:

Many properties including but not limited to the two School generators, lift for the New Library, Hospital beds, over 500 chairs, container, computers were stolen. However, after Prof. Balunywa learning of the thefts, he suspended one administrative staff instead of handling it as a criminal case. There are many School properties such as very expensive furniture that have been removed from the School and taken to the personal homes of people like Seri and Namu as well as other relatives and friends.

CONTINUING TO OPERATE EXPENDITURE ACCOUNTS IN THE DEAN OF STUDENTS OFFICE:

Despite a government directive to close all School accounts and have all fees paid to the Uganda Revenue Authority, some students’ tuition is collected and spent locally. There is an account in the Dean of Students’ Office where money is channeled through for use.

PAYING PERSONAL STAFF:

Prof. Balunywa has recruited personal staff including shamba boys, gardeners, cooks, maids and security guards in his various homes.

IGG UNRESOLVED CASES:

Over the years, several cases have been opened against Prof. Balunywa and other members of Top Management by the IGG. However, none of these has ever been logically concluded.

ABSENTEEISM AND ABSCONDMENT FROM DUTY:

Prof. Balunywa is very rarely in his known and official office and maintains no official telephone line through which he can be accessed. Because of this, staff and students have to look for him in his various homes. He has no reporting line through which deans and heads of departments can reach him.

PRAYERS

We pray that:

Prof. Waswa Juma Balunywa is not re-appointed as Principal of MUBS due to the above and many other cases.
To disband the current MUBS Council and cause an investigation into their activities in MUBS.
You institute an investigation on the above listed cases.
You institute a special forensic audit of MUBS finances to establish the extent of corruption therein.
You conduct a Human Resource Audit to weed out unqualified academic staff who have been irregularly recruited into School Service.
You advertise the job of Principal and have the right person take up this role.

END OF PETITION

MORE DETAILS IN OUR SUBSEQUENT PUBLICATION

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