By Nelly Otto& Denis Arao
A BITTER disagreement has erupted between the Alebtong District LC5 Chairman D.K Odongo, alongside his councilors and the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Robert Abenaitwe which is likely to disrupt service delivery.
The beef that has been simmering underneath the carpet rose to its maximum boiling temperature during a council meeting held at the Council Hall on Thursday 24 August, 2023.
During the meeting chaired by the Council Speaker Patrick Olwa, majority of councilors led by the chairman Kennedy Odongo had no kind words for the CAO Abenaitwe whom they heaped a catalogue of unsubstantiated accusations against.
They listed about a dozen allegations against Abenaitwe who was not present in the meeting which has already affected service delivery in the baby district that was carved from the original greater Lira district in 2010.
Background
According to the chairman Kennedy Odongo, the CAO has spent only 33 days at the duty station within the four months since his posting to Alebtong, the reason the councilors are mad at him.
He accuses Abenaitwe of having a very negative attitude towards the political wing and has no respect for the civil servants who he intimidates and manipulates to serve his whims.
Odongo made a breakdown of Abenaitwe’s attendance/absenteeism as follows:
He says in April the CAO was in office for five days, May seven days, June 13 days, July eight days and August three days which means the much desired service delivery has suffered greatly owing to the position of the CAO as chief supervisor and accounting officer.
Abenaitwe denies the allegations from Odongo and his councilors who he accuses of being most corrupt and greedy, wanting to arm-twist him into succumbing to their illegal gymnastics.
With only one year to retirement, Abenaitwe who has worked in many districts including Bushenyi, Mitooma,Kagadi, Kiryandongo,Hoima, Nakasongola and Ibanda, among others advises Odongo and his councilors to work hard instead of thinking they can grab money in the local government.
Without mincing words, Abenaitwe described the councilors as poverty-stricken who use blackmail so that they are given leeway to grab money from prospective contractors.
“…I have adequate experience and knowledge in the local government, so there is nothing new they can teach me apart from their trademark blackmail and threats which they have mastered…”, the combative Abenaitwe hit back.
Commenting on the Council resolution to reject him, Abenaitwe says it’s the only thing Odongo and his councilors can do, adding it’s a blessing in disguise because he will leave Alebtong as a very clean man, free from the stressful and toxic environment.
Without mentioning names, Abenaitwe further hits hard saying some of those in the Council have fleets of concubines making them sprawl everywhere for money and do not deserve to be leaders because of their character and integrity.
Following a cat and rat-like manoeuvre, Kennedy Odongo whose relationship with Abenaitwe is already irreparable, together with councilors unanimously resolved they no longer need his services.
An Ad Hoc Committee was instituted just for formality; otherwise a decision was already made that the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Local Government Bernard Kumumanya should take away his ageing boy, since he had become a person non grata in Alebtong.
Members of the Ad hoc Committee are: Theophilius Obua (Abia Sub County) as chairperson, Morris Okwanga (Amugu Sub County), Dennis Okuba (Adwir Sub County), Francis Okello (Alebtong Town Council) and Grace Atim Abalo (PWDs).
The Committee’s terms of reference was to look into all contracts within the 2022/23 financial year, following widespread complaints of irregularities and establish how the District Contracts Committee was instituted.
It was also investigating allegations of abuse of office, mismanagement of contracts and corruption by four top civil servants named as suspects with a view of getting to the bottom of the matter.
The four under investigation are: the acting District Engineer David Puche, District Engineer Bonney Otieno, Senior Procurement Officer Susan Alok and the Assistant Procurement Officer Barbra Alok.
Council recommended that the four civil servants should step aside to avoid interfering with the probe, meaning the CAO was meant to interdict them for at least three months.
The CAO was also advised to change his methods of operation by respecting councilors led by the Chairman who is his boss. He was also urged to be regular at the duty station and to stop intimidating the civil servants.
The interdiction did not happen and the four until now, continue to execute their duties as if nothing has happened, to the annoyance of the councilors who feel being undermined, yet they have the mandate from the residents.
The CAO instead wrote to the Solicitor General (Gulu Regional Office) seeking for legal and technical guidance on how to handle the tricky matter to avoid unnecessary litigation.
Its reported the Gulu office wrote back saying they have also communicated the same to the Attorney General for legal guidance. The CAO Abenaitwe maintains that he cannot act ultravires the way the politicians want because it has serious consequences.
The Report from the Ad Hoc Committee instituted by the District Council was read out to the emotionally charged councilors who demanded the immediate transfer of the CAO who was conspicuously absent.
Interestingly, none of the civil servants including the Deputy CAO was allowed to speak. Even the RDC Jillian Akullo was guarded in her speech by focusing more on PDM.
The Alebtong District Woman MP Dorcus Acen also refused to be sucked into the saga but tactfully commended the councilors for conducting themselves peacefully by following the law.
Acen reminded the councilors against acting recklessly against civil servants who hail from outside Lango to take note that equally many sons and daughters of the soil are as well serving Ugandans elsewhere.
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