Kwania DEO arrested over alleged mismanagement of school fund

Kwania, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Andrew Omunu, the Kwania District Education Officer is in police custody under the orders of Denis Hamson Obua, the State Minister for Sports over alleged mismanagement of Shillings 399 million for constructing and equipping Aduku seed secondary school.

This is part of the Shillings 1.7billion disbursed by the government in the 2018/19 financial year with support from the World Bank under the UGIF project. The project was in fulfilment of the government’s pledge to establish secondary schools in each sub-county across the country to give children from marginalized communities, an opportunity to go to school.

The government released an additional Shillings 157 million towards the purchase of 28 computers, Shillings 47 million towards the procurement of science kits, Shillings 100 million for investment courses and Shillings 8 million for procurement of reagents for the school, bringing the total to Shillings to 2.8 billion.

Omunu reportedly diverted part of the funds to purchase a vehicle worth Shillings 172 million and spent an additional Shillings 40million to open a road without authorization from the education ministry.

Hamson Obua says that he has also since learnt that Omunu diverted Shillings 172 million meant for purchasing desks in primary schools under the School Facilitation Grant to pay Gobs Investment Limited, the contractor undertaking the construction of Aduku seed secondary school.

He subsequently ordered Omunu’s arrest to allow investigation into the matter. The Kwania District Police Commander Charles Mugisha placed the DEO under arrest and whisked him off to Kwania Central Police Station to answer for abuse of office and misappropriation.

Omunu is also accused of illegally demoting six headteachers in the district. Despite this, residents pleaded with the minister to commission the seed school which he did.

Omunu has since denied diverting the money in question. But Kwania LCV Chairperson, Geoffrey Alex Ogwal Adyebo confirmed the abuse of numerous funds in the district and demanded a thorough investigation.

Prof. John Bosco Okullo, the chairperson Board of Governors of Aduku seed secondary school and a lecturer at Makerere University tasked the minister to work on the issue of staff regularization, fencing and extension of hydroelectricity power and more water points in the school.

Obua promised to follow up on the issues with the line ministries. Aduku seed secondary school sits on 15 acres of land donated by the community. The school with an enrolment of 183 learners is located in Alyet village, Aboko parish in Aduku sub-county, 2 kilometres from Aboko corner on Lira-Apac highway.

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