Gulu district Chairman Ojara Martin Mapenduzi has written to the ministry of local government demanding for the removal of Dorothy Ajwang Mugoola, the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO).
In a November 4, 2016 letter to Ben Kumumanya, the Permanent Secretary ministry of local government, Mapenduzi cites nine grounds for the removal of Ajwang.
Among the reasons are: negligence of duty, constant absenteeism from duty station, failure to implement council resolutions and District Executive Committee (DEC) recommendations and lack of supervision and support to staff.
Others are; bad working relationship and rampant conflict with heads of departments.
The District Executive Committee (DEC) on 21 December met with the Permanent Secretary, Ben Kumumanya to verify the allegations against Ajwang. After the meeting, a team of Inspectors from the Ministry of Local Government as well as officials from State House was sent to sent to investigate the allegations against Ajwang.
The matter of the CAO’s transfer was also tabled before the District Council on December 29, 2016 but it was deferred to the DEC by John Okwonga, the Gulu District Local Council Speaker.
Okwonga pointed out that the DEC had not followed procedure in its attempt to throw the CAO out of office.
Okwonga warned that if proper procedure is not followed, the move to force the CAO out of office could backfire in future. Gulu is currently grappling with how to pay 4.4 billion shillings awarded to former parish chiefs who court ruled had been dismissed without following proper procedure.
But Ojara Mapenduzi insists that Ajwang is not fit to serve as Gulu CAO.
This is the second time Ajwang is faced with being forced to leave Gulu after being accused of incompetence and frustration of government programs.
In August 2015, councilors led by Christopher Opiyo Ateker (Awach Sub County) gathered 12 signatures in futile attempt to have Ajwang moved out of Gulu. The councilors failed to raise the two third required for the Speaker to hold special council special and decide on the fate of the CAO.
Ironically the first attempt by a section of Councillors to remove Ajwang from Gulu was opposed by Mapenduzi who now wants her out. The reasons Mapenduzi has stated for the removal of Ajwang are fairly the same reasons the Councillors led by Christoper Opiyo Ateker had stated in August 2015.
When contacted by phone on Monday to respond the accusations against her by Mapenduzi, Ajwang said:
“I am assessed by the Permanent Secretary every year. We sign a performance contract every year and I also sign another contract with Permanent Secretary, Secretary Treasurer as an accounting officer, I cannot be appointed as an accounting officer if I have failed to execute my duty.”
She added: “The Chairman (LCV) should show you the agreement I have with him. Key results areas we agreed on and where I have failed. Two, if it comes to service delivery, if I have failed then it means the head of departments have failed and even him (LCV) as the head of the political wing because he is there as full time as the Chairman and the one responsible for the secretaries. So I cannot fail as an individual. If I have failed, it means he failed, then it means of department have failed, which is not true,” she adds.
She said Gulu is under staffed, something she said has affected the performance of the local government.
