Gulu University has shortlisted four senior academics for the institution’s first-ever deputy vice chancellor in charge of finance and administration (DVC-FA).

According to a notice dated June 22, 2026, and signed by Dr Jerry Bagaya, secretary to the university search committee, the candidates were shortlisted during the committee’s fourth meeting held on June 4 and 5.

The shortlisted candidates are Associate Professor Collins Okello, dean of the Faculty of Agriculture and Environment at Gulu University; Associate Professor Daniel Komakech, director of the Directorate of Research and Graduate Training at Gulu University; Associate Professor Eric Awich Ochen, deputy principal of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at Makerere University; and Associate Professor Godfrey Akileng, dean of the School of Business under Makerere University’s College of Business and Management Sciences.

The recruitment marks the first time since Gulu University’s establishment in 2002 that the institution is seeking to fill the office of deputy vice chancellor responsible for finance and administration.

Since its inception, the university has only had a deputy vice chancellor in charge of academic affairs, a position currently held by Prof David Okello Owiny.

The finance and administration docket has remained vacant for years, with university officials attributing the delay in filling the position to financial constraints that made it difficult to sustain the office.

Felista Auma, the deputy communication officer at Gulu University, said the shortlisted candidates emerged from a rigorous recruitment process following the advertisement of the position in May.

“They actually underwent a thorough process. This is a vital position, and the university has never had a deputy vice chancellor for finance and administration because finances were not really easy for us, and the university did not have money to sustain such a key office,” Auma said.

She said the successful candidate will oversee the university’s financial and administrative functions, while also coordinating the planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the institution’s strategic plan.

“This role is very key because the person will coordinate the production of financial reports from the different cost centres of the university. We really need someone highly qualified, and that is why we require applicants to possess a PhD from a recognized university,” she added.

The shortlisted candidates made public presentations on Thursday at the university’s main library in Gulu City as part of the selection process.

Auma said the presentations are intended to give stakeholders an opportunity to assess the candidates’ academic and professional credentials, leadership vision and proposals for strengthening research, teaching, financial management and infrastructure development.

“The general public will also have an opportunity to engage the candidates and ask questions. This is a very important part of the recruitment process, and we call upon all stakeholders, staff, students and members of the community to attend and understand what each candidate intends to bring on board to strengthen the university,” she said.

Founded in 2002, Gulu University is headed by Vice Chancellor Prof George Ladaah Openjuru, who assumed office in 2018, succeeding the institution’s founding vice chancellor, Prof Jack Nyeko Penmogi.

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