Teachers in Lamwo govt schools delegate teaching to unqualified relatives
“Our intelligence-led operations have revealed instances of alcoholism and absenteeism, where many teachers are delegating their responsibilities to their sons and other people,” Magombe said.
According to Magombe, some teachers have resorted to delegating their responsibilities to unqualified individuals, including family members, while they pursue side businesses away from their duty stations. (New Vision/Files)
LAMWO - Security agencies in Lamwo District have uncovered an alarming trend in government primary schools, where some teachers are allegedly abandoning classrooms and hiring relatives or community members to teach on their behalf while they engage in private businesses and other activities.
The revelations emerged during a monitoring visit by officials from the President’s Office on June 17, 2026, aimed at assessing service delivery and the impact of government programmes on socio-economic transformation in the district.
Lamwo District Police Commander Regan Magombe told the visiting team that intelligence-led operations and spot checks had exposed widespread cases of teacher absenteeism and misconduct.
According to Magombe, some teachers have resorted to delegating their responsibilities to unqualified individuals, including family members, while they pursue side businesses away from their duty stations.
“Our intelligence-led operations have revealed instances of alcoholism and absenteeism, where many teachers are delegating their responsibilities to their sons and other people,” Magombe said.
However, Lamwo District Education Officer Banabas Langoya called for caution, saying the findings may have originated from intelligence spot checks and not a comprehensive district-wide assessment.
Langoya noted that reports from school inspectors indicate that approximately 90 percent of teachers were present at their duty stations during recent inspections, with some absences officially authorised.
The allegations come at a time when the district is grappling with a severe staffing shortage in the education sector.
Lamwo operates 74 government-aided primary schools but has only 535 teachers against an estimated requirement of 1,150 teachers, leaving a deficit of about 600 teachers.
Only 22 schools have substantive head teachers, while the rest are managed by caretakers.
“We are going to demand accountability for all funds spent. Cases of absenteeism will be addressed, and teachers will be paid according to their attendance at school,” Ocen said.
He directed that all district employees should reside within Lamwo starting July this year.
“The money earned from Lamwo should be spent in Lamwo. You cannot earn a salary from Lamwo and spend it in Kitgum,” he said.
Ocen also criticised some district staff members for routinely seeking permission to leave work early despite unfinished assignments and commuting daily from neighbouring Kitgum District, which is approximately 30 kilometers away.
The concerns over teacher absenteeism were raised amid broader reports of poor governance and service delivery in the district.
Leading the monitoring team, Rev. Sr. Mary Grace Akiror, the deputy head of the Resident District Commisioners' secretariat in the president's office, expressed disappointment at the state of public facilities and leadership in Lamwo, saying she observed signs of poor supervision and weak coordination.
“The place where we held our meetings looked abandoned, yet the facility was commissioned only last year. I see indications of poor leadership, inadequate supervision, and a lack of teamwork,” she said.
Akiror also questioned whether district leaders fully understood the objectives of decentralisation, which are intended to bring services closer to citizens and create local employment opportunities.
“When I asked whether they understood the decentralisation policy, they told me it was not working well. The question is; what more do these people need?” she asked.
She cited corruption and poor performance across key sectors, including education, health, production, water and sanitation, engineering, and security.
"Political and technical leaders responsible for driving development have demonstrated incompetence and will be held accountable by government,” she warned.
Despite receiving significant government funding over the years, Lamwo continues to struggle with poverty and weak service delivery.
According to the 2025/2026 Local Government Performance Report by the Office of the Prime Minister, the district ranked last among Uganda’s local governments at 170th position with a score of 68.55 percent.