One of the two unsuccessful contenders in the just finished race for the Makerere Vice Chancellor seat, Prof Venansius Baryamureeba is not conceding defeat.
Prof Barya as he is mostly known was voted second in the race by the University Council yesterday Thursday, following the recommendation from the Vice Chancellor Search Committee which was endorsed by the University Senate on Wednesday.
He managed only 4 votes while the winner, Prof Barnabas Nawangwe came out with 16 votes and Prof Edward Kirumira trailed with two.
Makerere University Vice Chancellor elect Prof Barnabas Nawangwe
But Barya was not satisfied with the results and believes some forces deliberately worked against him at the search committee level.
He termed the committee report to the Senate as a “total sham” in a brief statement he posted on social media.
“I have overwhelming evidence to show that search committee report that was used as a basis for the Senate and council decisions to have Prof Barnabas Nawangwe as Vice Chancellor elect is a total SHAM,” he says.
“I therefore shall never recognise Prof Nawangwe as Vice Chancellor elect and later as Vice Chancellor of Makerere University.”
Baryamureeba claims one Thomas Tayebwa, one of the search committee members had “vested personal interests in the university, and was the architect of his loss.
This Tayebwa, according to Barya, “has been misusing the name of the First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports (Janet Museveni) to misinform members of the search committee, council and other stakeholders of Makerere University.”
Our efforts to reach Prof Barya to expound on his claims were futile as he didn’t pick our calls, while the University Spokespersons’ phones were switched off.
The Vice Chancellor elect Prof Nawangwe, we were told was in a meeting and couldn’t speak to us.
Promising to provide more evidence of the plot against him, Baryamureeba urged in his statement that the Makerere Visitation Committee interests itself in this matter, as well as government.
Baryamureeba served from 2009 to August 2012, as the vice chancellor Makerere University before he left to start his own university after he failed to secure another term.