Kumi District Council has distanced itself from several letters authored by the LC V 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 in October 2021.
Adongo received the accelerated promotion six months to the retirement of her boss, John Michael Otai in April 2022.
He said 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 and 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 Okayed the recruitment of Adongo against his complaints.
This angered the council, which tasked the leader of the council business to avail evidence of supportive documents to his claims.
The councilors noted that they have never been involved in matters 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 didnt discuss the matter.
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 legit 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 ongoing battles involving the district chairman and the DEO.