Makerere University has directed Associate Professor Faisal Buyinza to step aside from all leadership and administrative responsibilities as a six-member committee investigates allegations made against him by his former wife, Hanifah Nakiryowa. The university stated that the decision is an administrative measure intended to protect the integrity of the investigation and should not be interpreted as a finding that Buyinza is guilty of any wrongdoing.
Buyinza has been serving as head of the Department of Economic Theory and Analysis at Makerere University’s College of Business and Management Sciences. In a communication issued to staff and students on October 7, Acting Vice Chancellor Professor Sarah Ssali ordered Buyinza to immediately relinquish the departmental leadership position and any other leadership or administrative responsibilities he holds at the university until the investigation is concluded.
The university has also directed Buyinza not to contact, influence or interfere with any complainant or witness participating in the investigation. The action comes after renewed public attention surrounding allegations by Nakiryowa, who has linked her former husband to an acid attack that left her seriously injured in 2011. She has also accused him of sexual harassment, abuse of authority and other misconduct allegedly dating back to the period when she was his student at Makerere.
Buyinza has previously denied involvement in the acid attack. He was charged in connection with the incident, but the criminal proceedings were discontinued in 2014 without a conviction or a judicial finding that he was responsible for the attack. Makerere acknowledged that some of the allegations currently under consideration had previously been investigated by police and were the subject of criminal proceedings between 2011 and 2014.
The university has appointed a six-member committee chaired by Associate Professor Dorothy Okello to conduct the inquiry. The committee includes Professor Engineer Bainomugisha, principal of the College of Computing and Information Sciences; Dr Christine Mbaazi Mpyaŋgu of the Department of Religion and Peace Studies; legal adviser Sumaiyah Nanyondo Sebuta; and Dr Joella Nasaka from the School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Resources.
The committee has been instructed to hear from all complainants and witnesses while giving Buyinza an opportunity to respond to every allegation raised against him. Makerere said the process would be guided by the principles of natural justice. The committee is expected to submit its report to the Vice Chancellor by November 6, 2026, after which the university will determine the appropriate course of action.
Makerere has emphasised that Buyinza’s removal from leadership is not a disciplinary sanction. The university said the measure is intended to protect both the investigation and those participating in it. If the committee determines that Buyinza has a case to answer, the matter will be referred to the university’s Appointments Board, where he will have another opportunity to defend himself under established disciplinary procedures.
Key points
- - Makerere University has suspended Associate Professor Faisal Buyinza pending an investigation into allegations made by his former wife, Hanifah Nakiryowa. - The allegations include an acid attack that left Nakiryowa seriously injured in 2011, sexual harassment, and abuse of authority. - A six-member committee has been appointed to conduct the inquiry and is expected to submit its report to the Vice Chancellor by November 6, 2026.
