Unima fails to act on dons in politics

From 1994 when Malawi embraced democracy, the Council of the University of Malawi (Unima) has failed to discipline lecturers that join mainstream politics without quitting their positions in the university.

Conditions of service in Unima clearly regards as misconduct for a lecturer to assume a political party office before resigning from his/her university position or campaigns for a political office while serving as an employee of the university before resigning from her/his university position or going on an approved leave of absence.

However, some lecturers have in the past 20 years openly joined and formed political parties without being queried by the council when conditions of service clearly stop them from assuming political party office before resigning from their university positions.

Despite various examples of lecturers that have comfortably joined political parties or formed political parties, the council has only made effort to effect the requirement after Chancellor College’s lecturer Dr Jessie Kabwila’s appointment as a national executive member of the opposition Malawi Congress Party (MCP).

A few weeks before Kabwila joined the party, Professor John Chisi of College of Medicine (CoM) announced the formation of Umodzi Party (UP) and expressed interest to contest in the 2014 presidential race, but nothing was heard of the council.

According to the Unima’s conditions of service, assuming of a political office by a lecturer may lead to disciplinary action which may include reprimand, withholding of increment and suspension without pay or dismissal.

A dismissed employee, according to the conditions, shall forfeit her/his benefits, including notice pay.

Chisi, the UP president, said in an interview this week that he sees no problem for him to participate in politics, which he said is his right as a citizen, as long as he is fulfilling his obligations in class.

Chisi said there is need to take holistic approach to politics than complain all the time that things are not working.

Chisi said: “I am a lecturer and civic educator and if I am restricted to class, how can I help make things change? My interest has been teaching, but if I don’t participate in politics, how can this country move forward?”

Kabwila said in an interview she was not going to resign. She said she had given more interviews on the matter and decided not to comment further.

But in an earlier interviews she wondered why it has to be her when her colleagues have done it before without being questioned or asked to resign.

She said the ruling People’s Party (PP), which also called on her to resign, was threatened by her joining politics.

The PP in a statement issued by its deputy publicity secretary Ken Msonda asked Kabwila to step down, arguing there was conflict of interest.

Unima registrar Benedicto Wokomaatani Malunga, who is on record to have said lecturers are not supposed to join politics following Kabwila’s issue, referred the matter to the  university’s communications officer who could not be reached.