A District Executive Committee Meeting for Nakapiripirit has forced John Lorot, the district chairman to immediately hand back the ambulance he reportedly grabbed from the hospital.
A member, who attended the meeting on Wednesday but declined to be named because of the sensitivity of the matter, says the meeting lashed at the district chairman for his
abusive act of grabbing the only ambulance that the district has. The meeting was chaired by Hellen Pulkol, the district LC 5 vice chairperson, who is also the secretary for health.
Sources say the executive members gave the district chief administrative officer an express order to immediately withdraw the vehicle from the chairman and hand it back to the health department. They also directed the CAO to assign an official vehicle to the district chairman.
The meeting also warned that should the chairman refuse to hand over the vehicle this week, a disciplinary action must be taken against him.
The executive committee members wondered why the chairman, who should be the role model of the district, could behave in the manner that belittles his position as the head of the district council.
They said they will not tolerate the chairman’s acts while the locals continue to suffer because of what they called his oppressiveness.
Moses Kisembo Bahemuka, the Nakapiripirit CAO says he has assigned a double cabin pick up truck to the chairman. He explains that the vehicle has been taken to Mbale for repair and is expected to be handed over to the chairman on Monday next week.
The vehicle that the chairman is accused of grabbing is land cruiser registration number LG 00 92 -52, which was donated to the district health department by UNICEF and was being used as the only ambulance for the district.
The matter came into the limelight after the death on Monday, of John Lukudu, a gold miner from Loperot parish in Namalu Sub County.
Lukudu reportedly got a heart attack and was rushed to Nakapiripirit health center III which could not handle his complication. He was referred to Matany or Moroto hospitals but health workers tried in vain to ask the district chairman to give them the vehicle to transport the boy. He died before being taken to hospital.
The district chairman who said he was attending a workshop in Moroto town, declined to comment on the matter.
