By Our Reporter
NATIONAL
Police has committed herself to diligently investigate allegations of sexual harassment labeled against the Deputy Academic Registrar, Victoria University.
Prof. Arthur Ahimbisibwe has lately been in the news for the wrong reason of allegedly sexually harassing one of his female juniors who worked under him as an executive assistant.
Replying to public comments on Twitter regarding a story run by a local website detailing how the victim suffered under the randy Professor, Luke Owoyesigyire, the Deputy Kampala Metropolitan police Spokesperson, says police will swiftly investigate the allegations once the victim reports to police.
“We strongly urge the victim to promptly contact the nearest police station to initiate a comprehensive investigation into the allegations. Our commitment lies in facilitating a transparent and equitable process to ascertain the truth. Instances of sexual abuse highlight the pervasive challenges many women encounter in the workplace,” Owoyesigire says in a brief statement on 9th February, 2024.
He says CID will diligently investigate the matter to prevent any recurrence in the future.
THE VICTIM’S NARRATIVE
In March 2022 I was reassigned to a new office as the executive assistant to the Academic Register from the Admissions Office of Victoria University.
This is when my troubles started at Victoria University, Professor Arthur Ahimbisibwe was assigned as my immediate supervisor, I started having issues with sexual harassment.
He started by being good to me and he would offer to buy me breakfast, and sugar for my welfare on duty, then later around he started getting too close to me and I thought it was official work so I respected that in principle but by then I was an expectant mother though my stomach had not shown for someone who is not so keen.
He requested to meet him over the weekend since in one of the discussions we had I had told him I hang out at Kyadondo thus kept asking me to meet him there and later take me to his home to spend a night.
Because of my respect and fear of losing my job, every time he would tell me to meet up I would always tell him okay I will come and I always made it a point to find excuses over and over because as a matter of fact, I would not meet him since am even a married woman.
So I would always suggest Friday but I always told him I would first go home and freshen up then I would come. So when I got home I would put my phone into flight mode because he would keep calling me and I feared my husband to see him calling because of course his talk would be where are you so to protect my marriage I had to always put my phone in flight mode because I had not yet told my husband about this because I thought it would not go far.
Eventually, it started happening that if I dropped the appointment Professor Arthur Ahimbisibwe would come to the office so angry and he kept on shouting and barking at me where I had to tell him to kindly stop shouting at me. So after that time came and would tell me to move close to him and hug him every time I would get to his office to greet him in the morning when I arrived I started talking while I was outside his door, then later he started
I remember the day when we had an abrupt senate meeting, and all I can remember was a Saturday, it was held in VC’s office, and I think it was about graduating students to see how to help them graduate come September 2022. So that day I struggled to organize the senate to happen, purchased food for staff at lunch and water to take during the meeting and I informed him but he never rushed to my aid so the former EA to VC Herbert Kayongo helped me to ensure that food is brought and I had to go in and take the minutes at the same time.
Immediately, he rushed in and his eyes were red. According to my observation at that time, he started having a lot of fun in the meeting, which went on and on. So at the end of Senate which was around 4 pm, on my way to the lift, he quickly followed, and we went in the lift. I got so scared because of the things he had started doing to me. Inside the lift, he immediately started forcing himself on me holding me and trying to kiss me forcefully.
I was holding books, trying to protect my stomach, and avoiding him, but I realized he was drunk, truthfully, he was smelling alcohol and he seemed not sober. I pulled myself away from him and the lift got to the ground floor someone might have seen and that was Doreen Kayonga but she didn’t ask me anything.
I told him, you see people are seeing what you are doing and his response was ‘I Don’t care”
WHAT NEXT
People I felt so bad that I had to go to the Dean of Students and tell her I was shaking and she had to calm me down first so from that day I told my husband about it and he had to call HR first to confirm the policy of such an act and then he told me to tell HR the truth and if I was not changed I was to resign.
Eventually, I told HR, we met and talked about it, and I was promised to be transferred as it was suggested to the Faculty of Science and Technology.
However, I have students of mine who came to me and told me why they hated him I asked why and they said that the man conies their friends one that he gives money to connect him to the friend so I felt that I was saved and I did understand the nature of a boss I was working with.
BAD HISTORY
Meanwhile, Prof. Arthur is not new to accusations of sexual harassment. While at Makerere University Business School in 2017, Prof. Arthur was accused for the same crime and was consequently fired by the MUBS appointments Board.
His attempts to appeal against the sacking in the courts of law, also met a dead end when on 21st June, 2021, Justice Sekaana Musa through out his appeal for lack of merit.
