MBALE – Kumi District Council has distanced itself from several letters authored by the LCV Chairperson, Nelson Elungat Lakol to ministries and agencies protesting the alleged irregularities in the recruitment of the District Education Officer- DEO, Sarah Adongo.
Elungat has been protesting Adongo’s elevation from the post of District Inspector of Schools to DEO since October 2022. Adongo received accelerated promotion, six months to the retirement of her boss, John Michael Otai in April 2022.
Elungat contends that the recruitment was irregular and in total contravention of the Public Service Standing Orders Act, CAP 243 of 2020 as amended.
Elungat wrote to the Inspectorate of Government; the Permanent Secretaries in the Ministries of Local Government; Public Service, and Education, and the Public Service Commission protesting the recruitment by the District Service Commission – DSC.
He accused the DSC and the then Chief Administrative Officer, Abdu Batambuze of connivance, asked for the transfer of the latter who was then taken to Kayunga District. Elungat noted that there was neither an internal nor external advert announcing the availability of the position of DEO when Adongo was given accelerated promotion.
But Elungat’s issues were not considered to his satisfaction as Adongo assumed the office of the DEO in April 2022 when the occupant retired. Elungat didn’t give up the fight and continued writing to other offices and reportedly ignored the technical advice given by the concerned offices.
On Tuesday, Elungat through a report by the District Executive Committee presented another dossier to the council on the same matter through the leader of the council business, Samuel Akol. The report indicated that the Public Service Commission had sanctioned the recruitment of Adongo against his complaints.
“Sometime in July 2022, PSC wrote to the district without coming to the ground to verify facts of the concern,” reads the report in parts, adding that the IGG wrote on September 9, 2022, to the contrary. This angered the council, which tasked the leader of the council business to avail evidence of supportive documents to his claims.
The councillors noted that they have never been involved in the matter but were surprised by the correspondence from the district chairman on behalf of the council.
David Tukei, the Council Speaker said that part of the information was seen on social media yet the council didn’t discuss it.
This prompted council members to task the District Executive Committee- DEC and the CAO, Roseline Adongo Luhoni to explain the legality of the matter. The CAO instead said that the DEO’s appointment on accelerated promotion was legitimate and that the district chairperson and the DEC members were served with the relevant documents and guided, accordingly.
The charged council then resolved to stay out of the on-going battles involving the district chairman and the DEO. Moses Akol, the Nyero Town Council male councillor said that they could not risk recommending the revocation of the DEO’s appointment after getting technical advice from the relevant authorities.
“As a council, we don’t have money to pay officers in case they run to court on this matter. The chairman seems to have personal issues with the DEO and we cannot be a party to their individual fights,” said Akol said.
Elungat later conceded defeat in the matter. He said that he wouldn’t push the matter further since the council had pronounced itself.
Additional reporting by URN
