Efforts to resolve conflict at Makerere University Institute of Social Research (MISR) hit a snag on Friday after the embattled Dr Stella Nyanzi failed to turn up for negotiations.

According to Bruce Kabaasa, Dr Nyanzi was supposed to face the Makerere University appointments board yesterday July 29 to discuss a way forward about her stay and terms of her employment at MISR, but she did not surface.

"We informed her about the meeting earlier, but someone told us she is abroad," Kabaasa told Journalism@Mak in a phone interview.

Efforts to get a comment from Dr Nyanzi were futile as all her known phone lines were off and her whereabouts are unclear, but she on Saturday morning updated a Facebook status reading: "In library reading a book about sexuality" with 'Check-in', a Facebook function that allows users to update statuses with their current locations, in South Africa.

Asked what next now that she didn't turn up, Kabaasa said they haven't decided yet, but they "will see how to handle it".

On Tuesday, the appointments board released a report that followed a deep investigation into the MISR conflict that was sparked off by Dr Nyanzi stripping naked, protesting what she termed as dictatorship of the institute's director Prof Mahmood Mamdani. In the report, it was stated that MISR was on right course and that Mamdani's contract was still running.

Kabaasa also, on the same day, said that Nyanzi was still recognised as an employee of Makerere University, and has never been fired.

However, last week Nyanzi told us that she will be doing her research fellowship from an institute in South Africa, and it can be belived she is now in the Madiba land.

tusiime.chris20@gmail.com