An administrator at Makerere University faces allegations of extortion after a graduate reported being pressured for money while retrieving her academic transcript.
The incident occurred when Ms. Daphine, whose full name was withheld, visited the university on Monday to collect her document.
Ms. Daphine, who graduated last year, claimed to have received clearance from various authorities before approaching the administrator responsible for issuing transcripts for students from the College of Humanities and Social Sciences.
Upon visiting the administrator’s office, she was informed that her transcript was unavailable, despite having a job offer that required its submission the next day, leaving her distressed.
Subsequently, the administrator allegedly demanded Shs50,000 from Ms. Daphine, as revealed in an email seen by Daily Monitor.
Ms. Daphine sought assistance from her friend, who escalated the matter to Makerere University Vice Chancellor Prof Barnabas Nawangwe.
Prof Nawangwe instructed Ms. Daphine to report the incident and identify the administrator involved.
Further investigation led by the Academic Registrar, Prof Buyinza Mukadasi, revealed discrepancies, prompting Ms. Daphine and Prof Mukadasi to devise a plan to apprehend the culprit.
Ms. Daphine cooperated with authorities and recorded evidence of the administrator’s solicitation, leading to his interrogation and subsequent issuance of the academic document.
Concerns regarding administrators extorting money from students for various university services have surfaced, prompting acknowledgment from Prof Mukadasi.
Prof Mukadasi assured that the university has policies in place to address such allegations, promising a thorough investigation and appropriate action if the claims are substantiated.
Prof Nawangwe reiterated that no payments should be made for transcript processing, urging affected students to report any such demands to the Academic Registrar.
Efforts to reach the implicated administrator were unsuccessful at the time of reporting, but Prof Nawangwe assured that investigations were ongoing, and necessary sanctions would be enforced.
