The selection of beneficiaries for the State House scholarship has raised questions in Pader District after leaders, parents and students questioned the transparency and criteria used to identify beneficiaries.
The concerns emerged in an emergency meeting on Monday August 10, to verify shortlisted students for the scholarships pledged by President Yoweri Museveni during his campaign.
Pader District Chairperson Alfred Akena said the verification was called urgently after the district leadership learnt that names had been selected without involving key district stakeholders.
Akena said the scholarship is meant to support students pursuing science courses and from families unable to afford tuition. He said the matter came through the Office of the Resident District Commissioner (RDC), following communication from Hon Eng Hillary Onek, the Minister, Office of the Prime Minister in charge of General Duties, but the district leadership was not initially involved.
Akena questioned how beneficiaries could be selected without involving the education department and other stakeholders familiar with the local situation. “Any government programme must be done in an open manner and not under the table,” he said.
He said similar programmes in the Greater North had caused tensions among leaders because of disagreements over beneficiary selection.
Akena said two lists had emerged, with the first containing 11 names and another from the RDC’s office containing 15 names. The meeting established that the scholarships are meant for 11 students.
Akena said the new selection will consider the five zones of Awere, Pader, Pajule, Acholibur and Atanga, as well as gender, disability, health, poverty, academic performance, course of study and whether an applicant is a former war abductee.
Pader District Inspector of Schools Francis Olwoch said his office was unaware of the scholarship before the meeting. He welcomed the verification, saying it would help establish a clear process, and called for government scholarships to be publicly announced and based on clear criteria.
Olwoch said applicants who provide false information should be removed from the list. He also urged leaders to prioritize students whose parents genuinely cannot afford tuition, describing this as “intellectual honesty.”He called for equity, saying gender, disability and family circumstances should be considered.
One of the parents who attended the meeting, Jeneth Alur Lugali called for zoning to be followed and urged leaders to disregard relatives and alleged financial influence in the selection. She called for the existing lists to be nullified and the opportunity publicly announced because many vulnerable students may not know about the scholarship.
Alur also warned that corruption allegations could damage the image of political leaders. Another parent, Bosco Olal in Porogali Sub-county, commended Akena for making the process public and called for similar verification of other government programmes, including cattle restocking.
Joseph Okidi, one of the students affected, said the selection should be restarted if the initial process was poorly communicated or compromised. He said transparency was needed to give all eligible students an opportunity to benefit.
Akena further urged parents to return with their local leaders and encouraged other eligible students who didn’t submit application to come forward for verification by Tuesday, 11th August at the district headquarters. Meanwhile, Joyce Anek Ongee, the Principal Assistant Secretary representing the Chief Administrative Officer, said the Chief Administrative Officer and Deputy Chief Administrative Officer had no prior knowledge of the programme and that the criteria had not been adequately followed.
The scholarship selection had been linked to the Office of the RDC, Amos Asiimwe. When asked about the concerns, Asiimwe said that if the meeting was meant to identify and correct errors in the process, then the errors should be corrected. The revised list will be submitted to Minister Onek.
Akena said that as the political head of the district, he must be involved or notified about major government programmes being implemented in Pader. He said district leaders would stand firm against corruption and ensure government programmes are implemented transparently-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
