Moroccan Medical Students Accuse Health Ministry of Breaching Reform Deal
The National Students’ Committee of Medical, Dental, and Pharmacy in Morocco publicly accused the Ministry of Health of breaching a November 2024 settlement agreement. In an open letter to Health Minister Amine Tahraoui, students denounced the Ministry’s failure to implement promised reforms, particularly an increase in stipends for clinical rotations, which remain at MAD 21 […]
Prolonged Acting Appointments Raise Governance Concerns in Makerere University
Makerere University has come under scrutiny due to widespread use of acting appointments in senior leadership roles. Seven top positions at the university, including those at the School of Law and central administration (such as Deputy Vice Chancellors and college principals), are filled by individuals serving in an acting capacity. This situation has persisted for […]
Governance Crisis at Makerere: Corruption Allegations and Threats to Academic Freedom
On March 27, 2025, Uganda’s Minister for Ethics and Integrity, Rose Lilly Akello, directed the Inspector General of Government (IGG) to investigate corruption allegations at Makerere University. The complaints, raised by academic staff associations and the Global Anti-Corruption Initiative, include concerns over the promotion of Vice-Chancellor Barnabas Nawangwe, who is accused of advancing to full […]
Unpaid Pension Contributions Spark Uncertainty in Kenya
As of March 2025, university staff across Kenya’s public universities are facing uncertainty over their retirement security due to the Government’s failure to remit approximately KES 25.9 billion in pension contributions. This financial backlog is likely to affect over 40,000 university employees and has sparked serious concerns about the long-term stability and governance of higher […]
Kenyan Students Stage Protests After Prolonged Staff Strike
In March 2025, students at the Technical University of Kenya (TUK) staged protests in response to a prolonged staff strike that led to the indefinite closure of the University. The strike, organized by academic and non-academic staff, was driven by unresolved grievances over salaries, promotions, and working conditions. The disruption significantly impacted academic activities, leaving […]
Rwanda’s Commercialization Strategy for Academic Research
Rwanda’s Ministry of Education has developed and is implementing a national commercialization strategy aimed at translating academic research into market-ready products and services. The strategy seeks to encourage universities and research institutions to align their work with national development goals and economic priorities. It includes mechanisms to facilitate partnerships with industry, incentivize innovation, and increase […]
Financial Crisis at TUK: Pension Scandal and Government Intervention
In March 2025, the Technical University of Kenya (TUK) faced a severe financial crisis, with a pension fund deficit of KSh4.3 billion and total debts amounting to KSh12.9 billion. The collapse of the Staff Retirement Benefits Scheme (SRBS) in 2017, which lost KSh5.3 billion, left many retirees without their benefits. The government initiated a Strategic […]
Imprisonment of Dr. Stella Nyanzi
Dr. Stella Nyanzi, a medical anthropologist, feminist scholar, and researcher at the Makerere University Institute of Social Research, was arrested after publishing a poem on Facebook critical of President Yoweri Museveni and his mother. The poem used explicit sexual metaphors and vulgar language, which is characteristic of “radical rudeness,” a traditional Ugandan form of protest […]