Agago District will conduct a fresh verification and selection exercise for beneficiaries of the State House scholarship on Thursday, August 13, 2026, following the rejection of the initial list of 11 beneficiaries on the grounds of inadequate consultation and fairness. The exercise will be held at 9:00 a.m. at the Agago District headquarters, where all 30 students who previously applied for the scholarship will be required to appear for physical verification.
The decision follows a request by the Minister for General Duties in the Office of the Prime Minister to the Acholi Parliamentary Group and Agago district leadership to review the initial list submitted through the office of the Resident District Commissioner (RDC). The initial list sparked concern among district leaders and residents after it emerged that only one of the proposed beneficiaries was from Agago County, while others included a student from Nakawa Division and another from Pader.
Wilson Otto, the Agago District LC V Chairperson, said the list was rejected following public complaints and concerns raised by his office. In an August 10th, 2026 letter, Otto said the initial selection had been conducted without adequate consultation and engagement of all relevant stakeholders in the district. “Following public concern and outcry regarding this initial list, including concerns raised by my office, the list has been rejected awaiting verification from the district leaders,” Otto said.
He said the fresh exercise is intended to ensure that the final beneficiaries are selected through a transparent and objective process. “To facilitate a transparent and objective verification process, all applicants for this scholarship should come for physical verification and draw on Thursday, 13th August 2026 at 9:00 am at the District Headquarters,” Otto said. Applicants have been instructed to carry original documents to prove their residence and admission status.
These include an original LC1 introductory letter confirming their place of residence, an original LC3 introductory letter confirming residence in their respective sub-county, and an original admission letter from the institution where they have been admitted. Otto said the documents will enable district officials to establish whether applicants are genuine residents of Agago and whether they have secured admission to eligible institutions before the final list is considered.
“The above documents are required to facilitate the verification of the applicants’ residency and admission status before the final list is considered,” he said. The district chairperson urged all students who previously applied for the scholarship to attend the exercise without fail. “I therefore call upon the following students who formerly applied for the scholarship to turn up for the exercise without fail,” Otto said.
However, some applicants say the uncertainty surrounding the new process has left them unable to make alternative arrangements for their education. Geoffrey Otim, a student who was already listed among the 11 beneficiaries, said he is worried about what will happen if he is left off the final list because his family cannot afford his university fees. Otim said he has not even told his family that he has secured a scholarship opportunity, because of the controversy surrounding it, and the uncertainty about whether he will ultimately be selected.
“I cannot be saying I got some scholarship and yet we are still going for verification and anything can happen from there,” Otim said. He said the uncertainty has made it difficult for him to plan for university, particularly because the cost of his intended course, Bachelor of Biosystems Engineering, is Shs 1.3 million per semester, which is beyond what his family can afford. Otim said he fears that failure to make the final list could mean staying at home this year, because his family has no alternative source of funding.
He is among about 30 applicants expected to undergo the fresh verification, following the rejection of the earlier list of 11 proposed beneficiaries. Another applicant, Eunice Akello, said she was disappointed when she learnt that the selection process would be reopened after she had already undergone an earlier verification. “I felt very bad because at first we were called and they said the verification was already done. They were confirming our places, like our residence,” Akello said.
Akello said she was particularly concerned by the increase in the number of applicants from the initial 11 names to a larger group that she recently learnt would be subjected to the new verification. “At first, initially we were just 11. That list has 30 people; I just saw it yesterday. It worries me a lot because it has also deprived me of other chances,” she said.
Akello said she had postponed other education opportunities while waiting for the scholarship outcome and now fears that she could lose valuable time if she is not selected. She was selected to benefit from the scholarship to study Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery at KIU, which costs Shs 7 million per semester, making it impossible for her to proceed without financial assistance.
“I don’t have another admission for another university. The one I had is the one I used for application, and the tuition is very high. I cannot afford that one,” Akello said. She added that she had also applied for a diploma programme elsewhere but had not yet received the admission list, leaving her uncertain about her next step. Joyce Adong, a parent from Agago Town Council, has welcomed the fresh verification, saying a transparent process could prevent deserving students from being excluded.
“We welcome this decision because every child who applied should be given a fair chance. If the scholarship is for Agago, the selection should first establish who genuinely comes from Agago and who meets the requirements,” she said-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
