Late reporting and abscondment at workplaces raised during Pader full council meeting

30 August 2026, 1:07 pm

By Geoffrey Okwong

Late reporting and abscondment from duty have dominated discussions during the Pader District Full Council meeting, with councillors calling for stronger supervision and disciplinary action against staff who frequently miss work.

The issue, which took up much of the early hours of the council sitting, saw several councillors raise concerns over staff absenteeism in their respective sub-counties.

Phillips Ojok Obalim, the councillor representing Tenam Sub-county, was among those who raised concerns over staff attendance and service delivery.

John Mugisha Anywar, the councillor representing Ajan Sub-county, also raised concerns about late reporting by staff, particularly health workers at health centres.

Anywar further cited cases of late coming and abscondment by sub-county chiefs at their respective headquarters, calling for action to ensure public servants remain at their workplaces during official working hours.

Meanwhile, Balex Okello, the councillor representing Paiula Sub-county, said absenteeism cuts across several government departments.

Okello cited the case of a staff member identified as John Oringa, whom he said was absent without official permission for about two years.

He said he repeatedly forwarded the matter to the relevant authorities, but no action was taken until Oringa eventually resurfaced and was transferred to another workstation, whose location he said he was not certain about.

Okello also raised concern over the frequent deployment of technical staff to his sub-county who are not on the government payroll, saying this makes it difficult for local leaders to effectively supervise them.

He appealed to the Chief Administrative Officer to intervene by visiting the sub-county and assessing the attendance and performance of staff who frequently miss work.

On staff transfers, Okello urged the district administration to adopt a more effective transfer system to ensure that sub-counties receive and retain staff who can adequately serve the communities.

The councillors called for stronger supervision and accountability mechanisms to address absenteeism and improve service delivery across the district.

The council attended by Christopher Komakech the area member of Parliament for Aruu County, Augustine Omongin the DRDC, DISO, the CAO, technical staffs and the community members.