Ntungamo – Six education officials from Ntungamo District have been arraigned before the Anti-Corruption Division on charges of causing financial loss and abuse of office in connection with fraudulent capitation grants.
The officials, including the District Education Officer (DEO), the Municipal Education Officer (MEO), and four headteachers, allegedly manipulated school enrollment figures to secure inflated government funding.
The accused officials are: Bahati Fred – District Education Officer, Nabaasa Gordon – Municipal Education Officer, Nabasa Rushegyera Abias – Former Head Teacher, Ntungamo Primary School, Komuhangi Allen – Head Teacher, Ruhoko Primary School, Munuunura Bernards – Head Teacher, Maato Primary School and Ntereire Geoffrey – Head Teacher, Kikoni SDA Primary School.
Investigations by the State House Anti-Corruption Unit, in collaboration with the Criminal Investigations Directorate and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, revealed that the headteachers inflated pupil numbers in their respective schools to receive excessive capitation grants.
Meanwhile, the education officers failed to verify the figures before forwarding them to the Ministry of Education and Sports for fund disbursement, leading to significant financial losses for the government.
According to official records from the Ministry of Finance, Planning, and Economic Development, the government disbursed capitation grants for 124,817 pupils across 249 Universal Primary Education (UPE) schools in Ntungamo District for the financial year 2023/2024.
However, further verification by the Ministry of Education and Sports confirmed that the actual number of enrolled pupils in the district was approximately 80,000. This discrepancy of over 40,000 ghost pupils resulted in a financial loss of approximately UGX 1 billion.
The accused officials have been remanded and are scheduled to appear in court on March 18 and March 20, 2025. The case underscores ongoing efforts by authorities to curb corruption in the education sector and ensure that government funds are utilized effectively for their intended purpose.
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