Pader District executives accused of politicizing staff recruitment

15 November 2025, 12:14 pm

By Geoffrey Okwong

The Pader District Executive Committee has come under fire for allegedly conducting staff recruitments based on political affiliations rather than merit.

The issue was raised during a full council meeting held on Wednesday at the district headquarters by Richard Ojok Olal, the councilor for Ogom Sub-county, who accused the executive of favoring individuals aligned with certain political interests.

Olal lamented that recruitment in Pader has increasingly become political, often influenced by personal relationships and loyalty to specific leaders.

“The exercise is being done based on who supports who, with friends and relatives also benefiting,” Olal said during the heated council session.

The debate was triggered by questions surrounding the UGX 1.1 billion reportedly allocated for staff recruitment across various departments in the district. Olal questioned the accountability of the funds, suggesting that the money might have been misappropriated or even swindled.

Tensions heightened in the house as conflicting reports emerged about how the money was spent.

Responding to the accusations, Justine Ocen, the Vice Chairperson of Pader District Local Government, explained that the funds were used to pay administrative staff and 28 teachers at Latanya Seed Secondary School.

Ocen acknowledged that the district faced a wage shortfall, which necessitated using part of the recruitment budget for salary payments. He further clarified that the central government has decentralized salary payments to local governments.

When questioned on why the district remains severely understaffed—operating at only 28% capacity despite multiple retirements and deaths—Ocen defended the executive’s record, stating that Pader has recruited over 500 staff, more than any other district in the sub-region.

Councilor Balex Okello, also from Ogom Sub-county, moved a motion calling for transparency and accountability in the utilization of the recruitment funds. He tasked Ocen to produce the full list of administrative staff and Latanya Seed Secondary School employees who were paid from the said funds.

Speaker Wellborn Odiya Ottober, who chaired the meeting, advised that the council should investigate the matter further to confirm whether all the funds were indeed used as claimed.