Lira University Leadership Dispute Temporarily Resolved as Prof. Dokotum Gets Three-Month Extension

LCC TV NEWS

Kampala, Uganda – A high-level meeting between the Ministry of Education and Sports and the Lira University Council has temporarily resolved the ongoing leadership crisis at the institution. The meeting, held in Kampala, concluded that Prof. Opio Okaka Dokotum will continue serving as Deputy Vice Chancellor for the next three months while his appraisal process is ongoing .

The resolution comes amid a deepening leadership dispute that has split senior management at the 11-year-old institution. The controversy began when Vice Chancellor Prof. Jasper Watson Ogwal Okeng appointed Senior University Librarian Dr. Andrew Ojulong as acting vice chancellor, bypassing Prof. Dokotum, who is the substantially appointed Deputy Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs .

Council Reasserts Authority

Council Chairperson David Opio Okello confirmed that Prof. Dokotum will also remain in charge of the university until Vice Chancellor Prof. Ogwal Okeng returns from sick leave. The meeting followed the ministry's advice to the council to proceed with decisions already taken, pending the Vice Chancellor's return .

The dispute had escalated to the point where the President's Office intervened, with a team visiting the university to assess the situation. The conflict centered on whether Prof. Dokotum, whose contract expired on June 30, 2026, was eligible for direct reappointment or whether the position should be opened to competitive recruitment .

Legal Interpretation at the Heart of Dispute

At the core of the conflict is Section 32 of the Universities and Other Tertiary Institutions Act. Prof. Dokotum has maintained that he is entitled to statutory reappointment through a service evaluation process without competition from new applicants .

However, the university's legal department advised that the procedure for appointment and reappointment should follow the same competitive process, requiring the senate to identify suitable candidates, council approval, and the chancellor's appointment. Prof. Dokotum challenged this interpretation, accusing the legal department of selective application of the law .

Call for Unity

Council Chairperson Okello has appealed to staff and leaders at the university to work together and protect the image and growth of Lira University. The institution, which was established in 2009 as a constituent college of Gulu University and attained autonomous status in 2015, has faced multiple challenges in recent months, including student demonstrations over unpaid allowances .

Despite the leadership tensions, university officials maintain that academic operations continue normally. "I assure the country that there is no chaos at the university. The university is operating normally. Our roles of conducting research, teaching and scientific innovations are going on normally," said Mr. Emmanuel Peace Opolo, the university's senior security officer .

The three-month extension grants the institution time to complete Prof. Dokotum's performance appraisal while awaiting the return of Vice Chancellor Prof. Ogwal Okeng from sick leave. The resolution appears to provide temporary stability while addressing the underlying governance questions that have divided the university's leadership