Concerns over the selection criteria and lack of consultation have prompted Kitgum district leaders to reject a list of 11 students selected for State House scholarships and order a fresh verification and selection process. District leaders said they were not officially informed about the scholarship programme and only learned about the selected beneficiaries after the list began circulating on social media.
Kitgum District LC V Chairperson Tony Blaire Toolit said key local government offices responsible for education and community affairs were not involved in the initial process. “We did not get any information in regard to this State House scholarship. We only learned on social media that there has been some selection by the office of the Resident District Commissioner,” Toolit said.
He also questioned the geographical distribution of the beneficiaries, noting that six of the 11 students were from Kitgum Municipality while areas such as Greater Namukora, Orom and Mucwini had no beneficiaries. Toolit further alleged that some students on the initial list already held first degrees, while others came from families capable of financing their children’s education.
He said the scholarship should instead benefit high-performing students from disadvantaged families who cannot afford university education. “What raised our concern is, why do you want a degree on top of a degree, let alone a child who has also performed well and cannot pay for a first degree?” Toolit asked.
The district executive committee has since resolved not to recognise the list circulating on social media and directed the District Education Office to conduct a fresh selection process. The District Education Officer will receive applications, verify the academic and financial circumstances of applicants and submit a final list to the district executive committee.
Toolit said applicants must have performed well academically, be willing to pursue further studies, demonstrate inability to afford university education, and intend to pursue a science-related course. Bosco Ocen, the councillor representing Orom Sub-county, also criticised the initial selection, saying it did not reflect the intended purpose of the presidential scholarship.
Ocen said the agreed conditions required beneficiaries to have performed well in science subjects and pursue science-related professions. He said local leaders became concerned after the list circulated on social media and subsequently engaged the Resident District Commissioner and district leadership over the selection process.
“We need to make people aware of the scholarship, and students who believe they performed well in science subjects should submit their academic documents to the district headquarters for verification,” Ocen said. The Resident District Commissioner, Jimmy Segawa Ebil, however, defended the initial process, saying his office was acting on instructions to generate a list of students for sponsorship.
Ebil said the criteria communicated to his office required applicants to be residents of the district, science students, and holders of university admission letters. “There was no criteria. I asked, what is the criteria for choosing? They told me, one, there should only be students who hail from that district. Number two, they should be science students. Number three, they should have admission letters. Full stop,” Ebil said.
He said his office initially generated a list of 14 students, from which 11 names were eventually returned for the scholarship. Ebil said Members of Parliament were later asked to verify whether the students came from their respective districts. He added that one beneficiary was removed after he discovered that she was the daughter of a Member of Parliament.
“I didn’t know any student. Not single. I didn’t know any parent, no student. But when I discovered, I asked,” Ebil said. Ebil maintained that his office had completed the task assigned to it and insisted that the list was reasonably distributed across the district. He urged councillors and other leaders who have concerns to engage his office, saying district administration requires collective involvement.
The dispute has now shifted to a fresh verification and selection process under the District Education Office. District leaders say they will recognise only the final list generated through the new process. The controversy comes after President Yoweri Museveni pledged in November 2025 at Arua State Lodge to provide 100 scholarships annually to students from the Acholi sub-region following a request by the Acholi Parliamentary Group. Similar concerns over the selection criteria have since emerged in Pader and Agago districts, with leaders and communities calling for greater transparency, fairness and clearly defined criteria-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
