A few weeks after the Inspector General of Government (IGG) has launched investigations into the mismanagement or unusual operations at Uganda Cancer Institute (UCI) as per the request of concerned staff, fresh details have emerged.
According to the leaked minutes from the management meeting held on July 8, 2024 in the upper Radiotherapy boardroom, the Executive Director Dr. Jackson Orem informed members that the IGG asked the Minister of Health to take action on the organization’s Board Chairperson Prof. William Bazeyo.
However, the Minister declined and asked the IGG to send a recommendation to her office.
The IGG responded that she had no strong basis to make a recommendation to the Minister for her to remove Bazeyo.
Dr. Orem also informed the meeting that UCI has many issues which attracted the interaction with the IGG which resulted into instability in the institute. However, she didn’t get to the bottom of the matter.
He noted that the Board interferes with management of the Institute and Board has not responded to a letter from the IGG and instead they are blaming the management.
The meeting also heard that the board was behind the confusion in the institute since the board chair held a meeting with staff of the institute without management knowledge.
“All the things have come up because the Board Chair influences other members on the board, he uses board lawyer Michael Mayambala to mislead other members.”
It was suggested from that meeting that there is a need to define the roles of the Board, revise HR manuals of UCI, to revisit the UCI Act 2016 and analyze the role of the Board in management of the institute.
However there are many questions which were left unanswered such as how many members should attend the Institute’s management, how resolutions are reached among others.
According to our inside source there were only nine members who attended the management meeting and one Doctor sent an apology. The Dr noted that executive Director Dr. Orem is using the management meeting of nine people to mislead both the IGG and the minister of Health to remove the board chairman.
“ The truth can be obtained from the Uganda Cancer Institute Act 2016 which shows the functions of the Board and those of the Executive Director,” the source said.
“I personally attended the meeting but the way the ED was talking showed that he is trying to fight the board because of the powers given to it by the Act.”
“This organization is bigger than one person who used the management meeting to suggest that there is need to define the roles of the Board, revise HR manuals of UCI, to revisit the UCI Act 2016 and analyze the role of the Board in management of the institute all these things are aimed at taking up the powers of the board and gave them to the ED.
The Act gave powers to the board to oversee the work of the ED which the ED is fighting so hard to remove and he is even old and he is supposed to retire on 5th Jan 2025 and fears there will not be any chance of renewing his post retirement contract which is given to people in the retirement age” said our source.
Functions of the Board of UCI according to their act Act 2016
(1)The Board is responsible for the general direction and supervision of the Institute.
(2)Without prejudice to the generality of sub-section
(1), the Board shall—(a) oversee the operations of the Institute;
(b)advise the Minister on cancer disease related matters, policy and strategic issues
(c) review and approve business and operational plans, budgets, reports and audited financial statements of the Institute
(d)appoint, promote and discipline staff of the Institute, terminate service of the staff of the Institute and approve the terms and conditions of service of the staff of the Institute
(e)provide guidance to the Executive Director and the employees of the Institute; and perform any other function conferred by this Act or which may be necessary for the proper implementation of this Act.
“When you read the functions of the board you will automatically understand what the board chairman Prof. Bazeyo is going through with his board because the Executive Director Dr. Orem has taken up the work of the board which is unethical. I am calling upon the two offices, the one of the IGG and the Ministry of Health, to handle UCI issues with care to avoid being used as some staff and other people state it because they know what is happening here,” the source added.
When contacted, Dr Orem said the matter is still under investigation and the best place to get an update is the IGG’s office.
We could not reach out to the board chair Prof. Bazeyo because by press time his phone was off.
When contacted, the organization Lawyer Michael Mayambala about the point of being used by the board he said no comment but the truth will prevail.
The IGG Spokesperson Ms Munira Ali said they know about the UCI report and they are handling it with care.
“The investigations are almost done and the report is ready but i have not checked to see the outcomes but i will keep you posted after the meeting,” said Munira.
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