Embattled Makerere University Institute of Social Research (MISR) Research Fellow Dr. Stella Nyanzi has officially resigned from her position.
The Kampala Woman MP hopeful had her letter of resignation approved during the 638th meeting of the University’s Appointments Board that sat on Friday 17th, July 2020.
“Earlier this month, I submitted my resignation to Makerere University. Resignation of public servants is a mandatory requirement of the Electoral Commission, for all individuals intending to contest in the general elections,” Nyanzi said on Wednesday.
She said the appointments board accepted her resignation after years of mishandling, misrepresenting, undermining, abusing and dillydallying with matters concerning her permanent and pensionable contract as a Research Fellow.
“Well, I am proud to have served my alma mater since 2011. I worked hard to fundraise and win diverse research grants, created multi-disciplinary research teams, conceptualised and conducted several research studies, widely published in both scientific and creative outlets, organised local seminars and international conferences, supervised and examined graduate and doctoral students from all over the world. I advanced bodies of knowledge critical to my interdisciplinary fields of specialisation. I also designed, financed, led and accounted for many peaceful demonstrations during my tenure as an academic-activist based at this university.
“I celebrate having boldly protested against the normalisation of misogynistic excesses and systemic abuses of office by professors and senior administrators at Makerere University. This was perhaps my greatest contribution to developing the university. My nude protest at MISR against extended multiple violations of my labour rights as a public servant will forever written down in the histories of disrupting the status quo at universities. My appeals at the university’s staff tribunal will be studied and taught for decades. My drawn out court case against the university contributed towards important jurisprudence for employees in Uganda, Africa and the world.”
In June this year, the High Court ordered for the reinstatement of Dr Nyanzi after it found that Makerere University was in contempt of it’s Staff Appeals Tribunal when it suspended her.
The High Court Civil Division Judge Lydia Mugambe ordered the University to compensate Stella Nyanzi Shs120 million, promote her to the rank of Senior Research Fellow, pay all her salary emoluments and then reinstate her on job.
The Judge found that the University was in contempt of it’s Staff Appeals tribunal by failing to promote, paying and reinstating her on job as the Tribunal had previously ordered.
In November 2018, Dr Nyanzi through her lawyer Isaac Ssemakadde dragged Makerere University to the High Court accusing the Institution for failing to implement the orders of Makerere University Staff Appeals Tribunal. The tribunal had heard that Nyanzi’s 2016 suspension from Makerere Institute of Social Research (MISR) was illegal and thus ordered for her promotion , reinstatement and payment of all her two-year emoluments.
The Staff Appeals Tribunal led by George Omunyokol had on October 2nd 2018 given the University 30 days to implement the said directives from the date of judgment.
But immediately after the expiry of the days without any implementation, Dr. Nyanzi who was suspended after a series of outbursts attacking the first lady Janet Museveni petitioned court saying that to date the University has never been compliant.
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