Alebtong district council has refused to approve officials nominated by the LC V chairman for appointment to the District Service Commission. The rejected officials include David Ongom, former UNEB secretary, Cecilia Agang Okello, Rev. Acur Okodi and Ben Okello.
Yesterday, Dickens Kennedy Odongo, Alebtong LCV chairman presented the names of the nominees to the district council for approval but they were rejected. Odongo pleaded with the councilors to approve the nominees to facilitate the recruitment of workers and service delivery to the electorate in vain.
They also rejected officials nominated for appointment to the district land board and public accounts committee saying that they were handpicked because of their political allegiance. Patrick Ocen, the councilor for Awei Sub County says that they rejected the nominees because of their active involvement in partisan politics that might influence their work.
David Ogwal, the representing Abako sub county says that they rejected the officials because some sub counties were not represented in the appointment. He says that sub counties such as Abako, Awei, Amugu and Aloi are not represented in the composition of the district service commission.
Ogwal claims that if the District Service Commission is approved children from sub counties that are not represented will miss out on jobs in the district. Helen Alip, a woman councilor for Awei Sub County wants the LC V chairman to make fresh appointment saying that most of the nominees are not known to the councilors.
She advises the appointing authority to consider balancing people appointed to the different commissions in the district. Dickens Kennedy Odongo, the LC V chairman will not have any of this.
Odongo says that the officials were selected depending on their academic qualifications saying that some of the sub counties didn’t have qualified people. However, his explanation fell on dear ears forcing Denish John Okello, Alebtong district speaker to adjourn the meeting.
