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Attorney General's team meets Lira University leadership over governance dispute
The delegation, led by Deputy Solicitor General Charles Ouma, met members of the University's Top Management Committee at the university's Medical Library on Monday (August 3).
Lira University. (File)
By: Hudson Apunyo, Journalist @New Vision
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LIRA CITY — A high-powered delegation from the Office of the Attorney General has held a closed-door meeting with the top leadership of Lira University, in the latest development aimed at solving an ongoing governance dispute that has pitted the institution's Vice Chancellor against the University Council.
The delegation, led by Deputy Solicitor General Charles Ouma, met members of the University's Top Management Committee at the university's Medical Library on Monday (August 3).
The university team was headed by Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr Jasper Watson Ogwal-Okeng and included University Council Chairperson David Geoffrey Opio-Okello, Appointments Board Chairperson Bosco Onyik, and other senior officials.
By Monday evening, neither the Office of the Attorney General nor the university administration had disclosed details of the discussions or the resolutions reached during the meeting.
The meeting comes at a time when Lira University is grappling with a public leadership dispute that has exposed differences between the Vice Chancellor and the University Council over governance and administrative matters.
Last week, Prof. Ogwal-Okeng wrote a strongly worded letter to Council Chairperson Opio-Okello, asking him to resign for allegedly exceeding his mandate and interfering in the day-to-day management of the university.
By Monday evening, neither the Office of the Attorney General nor the university administration had disclosed details of the discussions or the resolutions reached during the meeting.
The meeting comes at a time when Lira University is grappling with a public leadership dispute that has exposed differences between the Vice Chancellor and the University Council over governance and administrative matters.
Last week, Prof. Ogwal-Okeng wrote a strongly worded letter to Council Chairperson Opio-Okello, asking him to resign for allegedly exceeding his mandate and interfering in the day-to-day management of the university.
The Vice Chancellor's letter was a response to a correspondence from Opio-Okello dated July 27, 2026, in which the council chairperson sought explanations on several administrative matters, including issues surrounding the appointment of a Deputy Vice Chancellor.
In response, Opio-Okello defended his actions, maintaining that the University and Other Tertiary Institutions Act empowers the University Council to oversee the institution's administrative, financial and academic affairs. Opio-Okello argued that Ogwal-Okeng's requests for clarification were intended to enable the council to effectively execute its statutory oversight role, and insisted there was no justification for calls for his resignation.
The exchange of letters laid bare the growing differences between the university's management and its governing council, prompting widespread public interest in the governance of the institution.
Monday's meeting involving the Office of the Attorney General is widely seen as a significant step in efforts to address the issues at the centre of the dispute, although officials remained tight-lipped on the outcome.
In response, Opio-Okello defended his actions, maintaining that the University and Other Tertiary Institutions Act empowers the University Council to oversee the institution's administrative, financial and academic affairs. Opio-Okello argued that Ogwal-Okeng's requests for clarification were intended to enable the council to effectively execute its statutory oversight role, and insisted there was no justification for calls for his resignation.
The exchange of letters laid bare the growing differences between the university's management and its governing council, prompting widespread public interest in the governance of the institution.
Monday's meeting involving the Office of the Attorney General is widely seen as a significant step in efforts to address the issues at the centre of the dispute, although officials remained tight-lipped on the outcome.