MP Elem threatens lawsuit over detention of headteachers in ghost pupil probe

22 October 2026, 3:53 pm

By Hillary Opio and Frank Oyugi

Alebtong — The fallout from the arrest of three Alebtong District primary school headteachers over alleged enrolment fraud has taken a legal turn, with Moroto County Member of Parliament Leo Elem threatening to take security authorities to court over unlawful detention.

The headteachers — Emmanuel Okello of Awalu Primary School, Charles Odongo of Amugu Quran Primary School and Nobert Okweng of Amononeno Primary School — were arrested during a joint security operation led by Deputy Resident District Commissioner (RDC) Mathias Lutwama and security detectives.

The trio are accused of inflating enrolment figures by a combined 2,850 ghost pupils to fraudulently obtain government capitation grants under the Universal Primary Education (UPE) scheme.

However, the situation took a different turn on Thursday, 22 October 2026, when MP Leo Elem visited the area to distribute pre-Primary Leaving Examination (PLE) materials to schools in Ajuri and Moroto counties.

During the exercise, Milly Akullu, the headteacher of Akwangkel Primary School, alerted the lawmaker that the suspects were still being held at Alebtong Central Police Station, beyond the constitutionally mandated 48-hour limit, without being produced in court or granted bail.

Outraged by the report, MP Elem declared his intention to take legal action against the security officials responsible for the prolonged detention, condemning what he described as a violation of fundamental human rights.

Elem further warned that the arrests had sent shockwaves across the district, creating widespread panic among school administrators and teachers at a critical time when candidates were preparing for their PLE.

While district security authorities maintain that the arrests mark the beginning of a broader crackdown on capitation grant fraud, local leaders argue that disregarding legal procedures and unsettling school management shortly before national examinations could disrupt learning across the sub-region.