Pader DPC faults LC leaders over failure to empower village committees

11 November 2026, 7:17 am

By Geoffrey Okwong

The Pader District Police Commander, SP Jackson Bogere, has criticised some local council chairpersons for failing to empower village leadership committees, saying the practice weakens community-level problem-solving and pushes minor disputes to police unnecessarily.

Bogere said some LC I chairpersons tend to handle nearly all village responsibilities themselves instead of delegating duties to other members of the local council executive, including those responsible for women’s affairs, children’s affairs, youth, defence and the environment.

He made the remarks on Saturday, November 7, while addressing community members at the home of Sira Lajul, a 56-year-old man who died following an alleged domestic altercation with his wife in Olung Olet Village, Otong Parish, Ogom Sub-County.

Bogere argued that properly empowered village committees could help identify domestic disputes and other social problems early, allowing local leaders to intervene before they escalate into serious incidents.

He questioned why some minor matters that could be handled through effective community leadership are instead referred to police, yet the same local structures are not being fully utilised.

The DPC also raised concern over what he described as the exclusion of young people from village leadership activities and meetings, saying this limits their participation in addressing community challenges.

He observed that when youth are not involved in local decision-making, government programmes intended to benefit them may fail to reach the intended beneficiaries.

Bogere further challenged local leaders to take environmental protection seriously, citing the cutting down of shea nut trees as an example of issues that could be addressed through active environmental committees.

Bosco Amone, the LC III Chairperson of Ogom Sub-County, supported the need to strengthen local leadership structures, saying many newly elected LC I, LC II and LC III leaders had not received adequate induction to prepare them for their responsibilities.
Bosco Amone the chairperson LC III for Ogom addressing mourners, in police uniform is the DPC amd the CLO Pader District 

Amone called on the district leadership to organise induction programmes to equip local leaders with the knowledge and skills needed to handle community concerns.

He also urged LC I chairpersons across the five parishes in Ogom Sub-County to delegate responsibilities to their respective committees and collect regular reports on challenges affecting their villages.

Amone said stronger coordination among local leaders and sector committees would improve the identification of community problems and ensure timely intervention.

The two leaders’ remarks highlight concerns about the effectiveness of grassroots leadership structures in preventing domestic violence, resolving minor disputes and addressing wider social challenges in communities.

Efforts to obtain a comment from the District Community Development Officer (DCDO) on the concerns raised about the induction of newly elected local council leaders were unsuccessful by the time of publication.