KYAMBOGO SAGA: Last week, this website reported that critical data including marks of students including over 2900 graduands at Kyambogo University had been deleted and was yet to be retrieved, ahead of the University’s 17th Graduation.
It was reported that the University website was taken offline before being restored after a day when the students’ data was missing. Other services that were affected include the university server, library system, and university email.
The management of Kyambogo in reaction to the incident accused and reported five of its former lecturers to be responsible for the deletion of student’s marks and particulars in the e-campus system used by the university. They were arrested last week but later released on police bond.
However, after their release, the lecturers have fired back at the University pinpointing top officials including the Vice-Chancellor for being behind the outgrowing saga at the government institution.
Mr. Shamusu Zziwa, Mr. Joseph Katongole, Mr. Philemon Wenganga, Mr. Hudson Kisitu, and Mr. Joshua Muzaaya who later formed Zeenode Ltd IT Company say the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Eli Katunguka, the ICT Director Mr. John Okuonzi, and Henry Tumusiime, a staff member, are responsible for every factor that led to the deletion of the students’ data and eventual delay of graduation that was slated to happen in December last year.
In a further insight analysis and investigation of the saga, Muzaaya, one of the five accused told this website that they are also former students of Kyambogo having graduated in 2010 with Degrees in Telecommunications Engineering and did a final year project which the university adopted and retained them to manage it as well as lecturing in the Faculty of ICT.
“We graduated in 2010 with Degrees in Telecommunications Engineering and as our final year project, we invented a University Management system named “e-Kampus,” Muzaaya said.
The aim of the system, Muzaaya said was to improve the ordinary student’s experience. Before, a student had to move from office to office, stand in long ques and deal with a lot of paperwork to complete all manner of University processes like; registration, examination permits, fees payment, graduation, and others.
The Evolution of Zeevarsity / AIMS
Muzaaya added that later on, they through their company Zeenode Inc built another system named ZEEVARSITY/ Academic Information Management System (AIMS) which was initially deployed to support other Private Universities and later, Public Universities on Government contracts, hence its implementation at Kyambogo.
However, Muzaaya said following their official resignation in 2020 to focus on the growth of their company, the University decided to introduce their own new system; Academics Management Information System (ACMIS) to replace AIMs.
He said ACMIS has since led to the deletion of students Data including that of the 2900 graduands, which the University’s top officials accuses them of.
“There is a move championed by Prof. Katunguka to replace AIMS with ACMIS and this explains why it has been adopted by Kyambogo University. It has however caused more harm like altered marks, missing and messed up academic and financial records,” he added.
He says students who are also stakeholders in the system were not consulted as the University changed to a new portal.
“The entire change process appears to be a boardroom decision of sweetheart deals, abuse office, conflict of interest and personal profiteering of the Professors making the decision,” he said.
Adding; “Prof. Katunguka is working to lure and intimidate other universities to shift from AIMS to the new Portal in Kyambogo that has caused the delayed graduation in Kyambogo and messed up University records.”
In a separate chat from the press, Muzaaya revealed to this website that the VC and his ICT Director wanted to take over Zeenode Ltd since it won the government contract to create and manage AIMS countrywide.
“Katunguka and his colleagues were envious about this so they wanted to own the company and we refused. They wanted also to steal our intellectual property and they failed. This explains the raid at our offices with Drones and since all have failed they decided to go off AIMS and use their own creation called ACMIS which has messed up students’ data at Kyambogo
Kyambogo VC accused of Corruption
The five former lecturers also accuse the VC and his ICT Director of being corrupt which forced them to resign.
“Okuonzi and Tumusiime have over the years been involved in several crimes including a transcript scam, where the University lost over Shs330M in February 2020. Despite the Committee discovering that Okuonzi was guilty, the University only cautioned him,” he said.
They also pointed out another case of embezzlement of the Shs1.6Bn of the Education Information Management System (EMIS) project under the Ministry of ICT & National Guidance.
“The matter was reported to CID Police Headquarters on 3 August 2021. The matter is under police investigations under GEF 710/2021 and Mr. Henry Tumusiime and John Okuonzi recorded police statements on 13 August 2021,” he said.
Efforts to get comments from Kyambogo University were futile as the Communication officer referred us to the ICT Director who did not pick our repeated calls
However, Charles Twine the spokesperson of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations urged students and the University to be calm.
“We have already deployed our officers in Cyber security there, we shall in a short period of time recover all the lost Data,” he said.
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