Lira—3, June 2020: In less than 48 hours, both Lira district local government and Lira University will face a civil suit, TND News can authoritatively reveal.
Our eagle-eyed impeccable source privy to this suit says it stems from what is now widely perceived as an erroneous appointment of Ngetta sub-county councillor Mr George Okello Ayo to the governing council of Lira University.
Mr Okello Ayo is also the vice chairperson Lira district local government and a great ally of his boss, Patrick Alex Oremo Alot who appointed him. Both are UPC party members.
According to the Act that governs the operation of public universities, its governing council shall as well have a district councillor elected by the district council in whose jurisdiction the university is situated.
This provision has since brewed tension and controversy with most of the councillors and activists interpreting the word “jurisdiction” to mean that “a councillor in whose area a university is located” should be elected to the University Council, and in this case it would mean Lira sub-county [councillor].
It should also be noted that Lira sub-county councillor, Mr Anthony Ojuka has previously served in the governing council before Oremo dropped him in favour of George Okello Ayo.
This publication has further learnt that several councillors opposed to the decision of the district chair have now teamed up with a top civil society organisation Tok Power to challenge Okello’s appointment on various grounds.
One reason among many is a failure to present him before the district council for vetting [approval].
TND News is now reliably informed that a civil suit which was drafted to near dawn last night could have been field by Wednesday 3, June save for a public holiday (Martyrs Day) and could be filed at Lira High Court before Friday.
Meanwhile, as the controversial apportionment of Okello Ayo hit major airwaves, Lira district chairman, Mr Alex Oremo Alot in an interview with Unity FM’s Rolex Akena Ogwal on Parliament Alwak last Saturday intimated that he removed Anthony Ojuka after “learning that the University Council in one of their meetings also expressed a lack of confidence in Ojuka”.
Now the councillors and the civil society organization are demanding the district chair to explain how he got the information from the meeting of Lira University’s governing council, which must always remain confidential.
They are now wondering if the chairperson could be having a close relative who could be a top-notch employee working at a senior level for Lira University who could have leaked the information of the governing council.