Parliament wants the Education Ministry to clarify the powers of the National Council for Higher Education and the Pharmaceutical Society of Uganda after the latter withdrew recognition of MUST’s pharmacy degree, citing leadership and staffing concerns.
Parliament has directed the Minister of Education and Sports and the Attorney General to clarify the conflicting mandates of the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) and the Pharmaceutical Society of Uganda (PSU) after the latter withdrew recognition of Mbarara University of Science and Technology’s (MUST) Bachelor of Pharmacy programme, citing leadership and staffing concerns.
The dispute has taken a new turn after MUST appointed Dr Jonans Tusimiire, the president of PSU, as acting head of its Department of Pharmacy, placing him at the helm of the department whose leadership was among the grounds cited by the society for withdrawing recognition of its degree programme.
The appointment raises questions about a potential conflict of interest, given Tusimiire’s leadership of the professional body responsible for the decision and his new role in addressing the concerns that prompted it.
Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa directed the Education Minister to present a statement to Parliament on Thursday, October 22, alongside the Attorney General, explaining the respective legal authority of NCHE and PSU over university programme accreditation and professional recognition.
On October 19, PSU announced the immediate withdrawal of recognition of MUST’s pharmacy programme, citing inadequate staffing, concerns about departmental leadership and the university’s failure to respond to a notice requiring it to explain why recognition should not be withdrawn.
However, Tayebwa told Parliament that NCHE had confirmed the programme remained accredited for another four years, raising questions about which institution has the final authority over pharmacy training and professional recognition.
In a letter dated October 20, addressed to NCHE, MUST said Tusimiire, a senior lecturer and deputy dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences, had been appointed to lead the department for three months, effective October 19.
He replaces an acting head whose professional background is in nursing, an arrangement PSU had cited among its concerns about the leadership of the department.
PSU had also accused MUST of failing to advertise the leadership position despite being issued a 30-day show-cause notice on September 10. The society said the university did not respond within the stipulated period, prompting the withdrawal after deliberations at its 61st Emergency Council Meeting.
The appointment of Tusimiire, who now holds leadership roles at both the university department and the professional society, raises questions about how any potential conflict of interest will be managed, particularly if PSU is involved in determining whether MUST has addressed the shortcomings it identified.
MUST’s letter does not indicate whether Tusimiire will participate in any subsequent PSU deliberations concerning the programme or whether arrangements have been made to manage potential conflicts arising from his dual roles.
The university said the leadership gap emerged in May 2026 when the department’s head, an associate professor, resigned to take up a higher position at another public university. The resignation took effect in July.
According to MUST, the Academic Registrar called for elections for a new head of department in July, but no pharmacist at the rank of senior lecturer or above was available to take up the position.
Management subsequently appointed a senior lecturer with a nursing background to act for three months as it sought a substantive replacement.
The university defended the interim arrangement, saying the appointee had served the department for a long time and had expertise in pharmacology, pharmaco-epidemiology, clinical trials and research methods relevant to pharmacy training.
MUST also said the outgoing head of department continued to provide part-time teaching and administrative support during the transition to ensure continuity as the academic year approached.
A report from the outgoing acting head showed that all lectures, student attachments, clinical exposure and other planned activities had been covered, the university added.
MUST said it had sought funding from the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development before obtaining clearance from the Ministry of Public Service to recruit or promote staff. The clearance was granted on October 14, paving the way for recruitment.
“Arising out of the clearance, Management will run adverts over the next few weeks for positions of Associate Professor and Senior Lecturer from which qualifying persons will be identified to take on the responsibility of Head of Department of Pharmacy at MUST,” the university’s letter reads.
The withdrawal of recognition has implications for students enrolled in the programme. PSU suspended the issuance of Pharmacy Student Numbers, recognition of internship placements and eligibility for new graduates to sit its pre-internship and pre-registration qualifying examinations.
The society also said it would not recognise qualifications obtained from courses taught or assessed during the period of de-recognition.
It advised current students to consider transferring to other recognised universities or wait for MUST to address the identified shortcomings.