In an open letter dated May 4, 2025, Khot Manyuon Thuc, Acting Chairperson of the Rumbek University Academic Staff Association, specifically criticised Prof. Shirak Khamis Abuanja, Vice Chancellor for Administration and Finance, appointed in March 2024.
“We are deeply concerned about the university’s stability and progress. There is a clear pattern of power abuse and administrative disarray,” the petition, obtained by Sudans Post, stated.
It further alleged that the Deputy Vice Chancellor manages university affairs as if it were personal property, fostering division and inciting non-academic staff to harass academic colleagues.
The letter claimed these actions have sown disunity and instability, unprecedented since the university’s founding in 2010. Staff also accused Vice Chancellor Prof. Joshua Otor Akol of failing to address his deputy’s conduct. “The Vice Chancellor’s indecision has left Rumbek University on the brink of chaos,” they asserted.
The academic staff appealed to President Kiir, the Chancellor of public universities, to intervene urgently by appointing experienced administrators to steer the institution toward its vision and mission.
Additional grievances include mismanagement of university affairs, such as non-procedural appointments and promotions of non-academic staff without regard for budgets or nominal rolls. Staff also reported withheld entitlements and harassment in the Vice Chancellor’s presence without repercussions.
The petition highlighted derogatory remarks by the Deputy Vice Chancellor, allegedly calling academic staff “picked from the streets,” which the staff deemed disrespectful. Prof. Shirak was further accused of colluding with Ivory Bank to delay March 2025 salaries, unlike other public universities that paid three months earlier.
In a Wednesday interview with Sudans Post, Prof. Shirak denied the allegations, asserting she is working diligently to manage the institution.
She attributed salary delays to a cash shortage at Ivory Bank, denying any collusion and confirming salaries were released this week.
She criticised the staff’s “rebellious behaviour,” noting some opened accounts with commercial banks to protest the delay, against university guidance.
Shirak also pointed out that staff were on strike from October 2024 to March 10, 2025, questioning the validity of their protests over salaries and alleged administrative failures.
