Lira district, Lira University could lose Ugx400m in erroneous appointment

Lira, 7 June 2020: Lira district local government’s political boss Patrick Alex Oremo Alot and Lira University have finally received notices of intention to sue.

Five days ago, TND New published a similar story under the headline “Lira district LG, Lira University to face Court over recruitment irregularity”

The exclusive article was alerting the public how the two institutions was to be slapped with a legal battle arising from an erroneous appointment of Negtta sub-county councillor, George Okello Ayo as the district representative to the Governing Council of Lira University.

Now, with the help of Tok Power, a civil society organisation with an interest in governance, transparency and accountability, Denis Francis Owera, a councillor of Bar sub-county is demanding that Lira local government and Lira University rescind its decision on the appointment of Okello Ayo within 48 hours. This has already elapsed.

Owera’s move is premised on section 38 (f) of the Tertiary Institution and University’s Act of 2016 which provided for an election of a councillor from a local government in whose jurisdiction a public University is situated to be a member of the governing council.

“As you may be aware the appointment was done in violations of the administrative principles, and law, making the same both procedural and substantively irregular, unreasonable, ultra vires and appointment null and void ab initio,” the letter of intention to sue reads in part.

Mr Owera also expresses shock that the district council sat for a meeting on 27, May 2020 and yet the issues of electing a councillor to the governing council of Lira University was never included on the order paper and yet Lira University proceeded with the swearing in of new members of the governing council including George Okello Ayoo. The swear-in party hurriedly took place the next day, 28 May 2020.

The Bar sub-county councillor is now demanding through Tok Power that the appointment be quashed within 48 hrs and that both Lira district and Lira University should pay him costs to a tune of shillings 400m and legal fees to Tok Power to a tune of shillings 5m

Both institutions were served with the letter of intentions to sue on 2, June 2020.

Owera tells TND News that he will be left with no option but to seek legal redress from a competent Court of Law if the two institutions don’t comply in the affirmative.

Meanwhile, our efforts to draw comments from the two institutions have been futile by the time of filing this story.

Jackson Etwop, the executive director of Tok Power says this move shouldn’t be viewed as a political witch-hunt but a patriotic act of upholding the principles of democracy by holding elective leaders to account to the community and those who elected them.

According to Etwop, this should also be a warning bell to leaders in Lango sub-region who he says have abused offices, powers and often acted with impunity, further warning that soon, they will start pursuing allegations of land in Lira district that were fraudulently allocated to leaders.

ofrank@tndnewsug.com