Mbarara University of Science and Technology has started recruiting staff for its Department of Pharmacy after obtaining government wage approval on 14 October, Vice-Chancellor Professor Pauline Byakika-Kibwika said. The recruitment drive follows the departure in May of Associate Professor Patrick Ogwang, the department's first Ugandan head and its most qualified pharmacist, who transferred to Soroti University. His exit left a staffing vacuum that triggered a significant dispute over the department's leadership and the status of the university's Bachelor of Pharmacy programme.
When Ogwang departed, the department lacked another pharmacist meeting the required qualifications to head the department. According to applicable guidelines, a department head must be a pharmacist at senior lecturer rank or above. After his departure, the department had only lecturers and assistant lecturers, with its sole remaining senior lecturer serving as deputy dean. The university appointed a senior lecturer with a nursing background to oversee the department temporarily, citing the lecturer's qualifications and experience in pharmacology, clinical trials and related research. This arrangement prompted the Pharmaceutical Society of Uganda to object, arguing the department needed a qualified pharmacist as head and had inadequate staffing levels.
On 19 October, the Pharmaceutical Society of Uganda withdrew recognition of the Bachelor of Pharmacy programme, citing concerns about departmental leadership, staffing levels and the university's failure to respond to a notice. The decision imposed restrictions affecting student registration numbers, internship placements and eligibility for professional qualifying examinations for new graduates. The university subsequently appointed Dr Jonans Tusiimire, a pharmacist and senior lecturer who is also deputy dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences and president of the Pharmaceutical Society of Uganda, as acting head of the Department of Pharmacy for three months, effective 19 October. The appointment raised questions about potential conflicts of interest given his roles at both the university and the professional body.
The National Council for Higher Education rejected the Pharmaceutical Society's decision to withdraw recognition, saying the council had neither been involved nor consulted. On 21 October, NCHE clarified that MUST's Bachelor of Pharmacy programme remained fully accredited, with re-accreditation granted on 30 January 2025 allowing it to operate until 2036. The council stated that teaching and learning at MUST should continue and that recognition of academic qualifications falls within its statutory mandate. Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa subsequently directed the Minister of Education and Sports to present a comprehensive statement explaining the respective legal mandates of NCHE and the Pharmaceutical Society.
Byakika said recruitment had been delayed because the university lacked necessary wage clearance from government. The university plans to recruit or promote academic staff at senior lecturer and associate professor levels to establish permanent leadership. However, limited funding continues to constrain staffing across the institution. MUST is currently operating at 36 per cent of its required staffing capacity because of wage-budget limitations, the vice-chancellor said. She appealed to government to increase funding for higher education to enable public universities to recruit and retain qualified academic staff across critical departments.
For students, savers and borrowers in Uganda, this dispute highlights broader challenges in the higher education sector: pharmacy graduates face uncertainty about their professional standing and career prospects, while the university struggles to attract and retain qualified academics due to inadequate government funding for wages.