As the world is coming to terms with the unfortunate story of Otto Warmbier, who has died days after being brought back to the United States in a coma from North Korea. Warmbier was returned to his family in Ohio just a week ago after spending 17 months in North Korea under Kim Jong-un where he was arrested as a student, Uganda’s Foreign Affairs Ministry has told two top universities to sack their industrious North Korean lecturers to appease the West.
Uganda’s second biggest university, government-run Kyambogo University and private institution Kampala International University have been informed by government to let go of the lecturers due to United Nations (UN) sanctions by terminating their contracts and work permits within 90 days.
The head of Public Diplomacy at the Ministry, Magret Kafeero said; “We are under obligation to abide by the terms of all UN Security Council resolutions as per Article 25 of the UN Charter. We complied with the sanctions regime and canceled all agreements with North Korea as mandated.”
There are over 10 North Korean lecturers teaching in Kyambogo’s faculty of engineering who teach for two months every semester and then return to Pyongyang.
According to UNSC, salaries of North Korea nationals are remitted directly to the country’s accounts at home, which are allegedly used to finance nuclear projects.
Kyambogo University vice chancellor Prof. Eli Katuguka declined to comment on the matter while KIU’s deputy vice-chancellor in charge of academics Dr. Annet Kezaabu said their contracts of their five lecturers from Pyongyang were canceled a fortnight ago but kept some medical professors at their campus in Bushenyi, Western Uganda.
From enjoying luncheons at State House Entebbe, visiting farms in Kampiringisa, Mpigi district and trying to make Uganda cut, military ties with North Korea last May, President Yoweri Museveni has been good friends with North Korea’s number one enemy, ousted South Korean President Park Geun-Hye.
