Councilors of Bukomansimbi district council have suspended council sittings to compel the Chief Administrative Officer to interdict Patrick Zziwa, the District Education Officer. Last month, Bukomansimbi District Council passed a resolution recommending the interdiction of Zziwa for alleged corruption. The decision followed an adhoc committee report in which Zziwa was for creating ghost teachers and schools which cost the district huge sums of money. Shaffic Mwanje, the adhoc Committee chairperson says that they found over 200 ghost teachers on the pay roll and dozens of ghost of schools.
He also says that during their investigations, several head teachers he declined to name pinned Zziwa for soliciting bribes from them to include them on the payroll. The findings also implicated Zziwa for soliciting 1500shillings each from over 5000 primary seven pupils around the district without council approval. Following the committee findings, the councilors ordered Anent Nakafeero, the acting Bukomansimbi Chief Administrative Officer to interdict Zziwa in vain. The failure by Nakafeero to interdict Zziwa drew angry protests from residents, councilors and some sub county chairpersons.
The councilors took to the streets on Thursday in a peaceful demonstration before they resolved to suspend all council sittings until the CAO implements their resolution to interdict the DEO. Salaamah Nakandi, the deputy Speaker Bukomansimbi district says that the councilor resolved unanimously not to convene any council sitting to compel the CAO to act. She says that the decision by the CAO to ignore a lawful council resolution undermines the council. Nakandi says that they have decided to suspend council sittings to frustrate the budget approval which was scheduled for next week.
Shaffic Mwanje says that they cannot risk passing the new financial year budget because they have spent lots of money on ghost teachers and schools. But Patrick Zziwa, the embattled DEO has threatened to drag the court if he is interdicted from office. He denies any wrong doing saying the allegations are meant to soil his reputation. Zziwa challenges the councilors to take the evidence against him to courts of law saying that they don’t have the mandate to investigate corruption.Annet Nakafeero, the acting Bukomansimbi CAO says that she cannot interdict the DEO based on allegations. She explains that she has written to the Local government ministry for advice.
