Nebbi, Uganda: Tension escalated at Nebbi District Headquarters on Thursday after district councillors forcefully closed the office of Chief Administrative Officer Dorothy Ajwang, accusing her of incompetence and failure to execute her duties.
The councillors stormed the district premises and sealed off the CAO’s office, expressing dissatisfaction with how Ajwang has been handling council and district administrative affairs.
Nebbi District Secretary for Finance Kissa Ojok said the council had lost confidence in the accounting officer, accusing her of failing to carry out key responsibilities and reporting to work irregularly.
“As a district, we believe that the Chief Administrative Officer Dorothy Ajwang cannot continue working with the district since she intends to frustrate government programmes. We cannot sit and watch,” Ojok said.
He further alleged that Ajwang had been overstepping her mandate by involving herself in roles reserved for the District Contracts Committee, including influencing the awarding of contracts.
Ojok added that district leaders had earlier petitioned the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Local Government, Ben Kumumanya, seeking Ajwang’s immediate transfer.
According to him, the district leadership met Kumumanya in Kampala on January 3, where they followed up on a council resolution recommending the CAO’s removal.
Council Resolution Demands Transfer
The Nebbi District Vice Chairperson, Geoffrey Okello, said the District Executive Committee (DEC) backed a council resolution passed on December 22, 2025, calling for Ajwang’s transfer from Nebbi District.
The resolution was submitted to both the Ministry of Local Government and the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development.
“As the District Executive Committee, we backed the council resolution demanding the Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Local Government and the Secretary to the Treasury to transfer Dorothy Ajwang and replace her with a new Chief Administrative Officer ready to steer the district development agenda,” Okello said.
He warned that if the appointing authority failed to act, the district leadership would block Ajwang from accessing her office and withdraw the district vehicle assigned to her.
District leaders also accused the CAO of delaying approvals of funds required to run daily operations in the district. Okello said the situation had already affected key programmes, including education sector projects, where construction works at Mamba and Ndew Seed Schools had reportedly stalled due to failure to approve funding.
Parombo Town Council male councillor Francis Owonda also criticised what he described as delays by the appointing authority in acting on the district’s request.
“I can state categorically that the appointing authority of the Chief Administrative Officer is frustrating her transfer process even after the district council resolved for her immediate transfer on December 22, 2025,” Owonda said.
Meanwhile, Kissa Brian, the councillor representing Alala Sub-county, described the situation in the district administration as worrying.
“The CAO’s chronic absenteeism, neglect of duties and failure to approve council and departmental requests to run district activities is not just an administrative issue but a major factor paralysing service delivery for the people of Nebbi,” Brian said.
Ministry of Local Government Responds
When contacted, Permanent Secretary Ben Kumumanya said the councillors’ decision to close the CAO’s office was illegal. He warned that the government would intervene if the office remained locked.
“It has not yet come to my notice that the office of the Chief Administrative Officer in Nebbi has been closed by the councillors, but if it happens, I shall use the police to open the office because it is a government office and they will be breaking the law,” Kumumanya said.
He added that Ajwang remains the legally appointed CAO of Nebbi District until a formal decision is made regarding the council’s recommendation for her transfer. “The matter submitted to my office by the Nebbi District chairperson demanding her transfer is still being reviewed for further action,” he said.
Efforts by DailyExpress to obtain a comment from Dorothy Ajwang were unsuccessful, as repeated calls to her known phone numbers went unanswered by press time.
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