Why three Alebtong headteachers were arrested over 2,850 ‘ghost pupils’

19 October 2026, 5:57 pm

By Admin

Alebtong – Security agencies in Alebtong District have arrested three primary school headteachers for allegedly inflating enrolment figures by nearly 2,850 non-existent learners to unlawfully obtain central government capitation grants.

The suspects, arrested during a joint security operation on Monday, 19 October 2026, are Emmanuel Okello of Awalu Primary School, Charles Odongo of Amugu Quran Primary School and Nobert Okweng of Amononeno Primary School.

According to security officials, the operation was led by Alebtong Deputy Resident District Commissioner (RDC) Mathias Lutwama, alongside the District Internal Security Officer (DISO), his deputy and detectives attached to Alebtong Central Police Station.

The operation followed routine field inspections that uncovered significant discrepancies between enrolment figures submitted to the Education Management Information System (EMIS) and physical headcounts in classrooms. Inspectors reportedly found that the actual number of learners, particularly in lower primary classes such as Primary Two and Primary Three, was far below the figures submitted for government funding.

Investigators allege that inflating the enrolment figures enabled the three schools to claim excess public funds allocated under the Universal Primary Education (UPE) funding scheme.

According to the allegations, Okello reported 900 non-existent pupils at Awalu Primary School, Odongo listed 1,000 ghost learners at Amugu Quran Primary School, while Okweng allegedly added 950 fictitious entries at Amononeno Primary School.

The three headteachers remain in custody at Alebtong Central Police Station as detectives finalise their investigations.

Police sources indicate that the headteachers are expected to face formal charges relating to causing financial loss to the government and obtaining public funds through false pretences.

District security authorities said the arrests mark the beginning of a wider campaign to tackle payroll and enrolment fraud in government-aided schools across the sub-region.