Top education ministry official summoned over graft

By Simon Masaba

Police detectives on Wednesday summoned the commissioner for secondary education over misappropriation of $150m (about sh375b) meant for the training of post-primary school teachers countrywide.

John Mary Agaba was due for interrogation yesterday, but failed to turn up at the Criminal Intelligence and Investigations Directorate (CIID) in Kibuli where the detectives were to quiz him.

Agaba’s lawyer talked to the CIID director, Grace Akullo, apparently explaining why his client failed to show up, but declined talk to the press about the subject. It is also not clear when Agaba will appear.

Sources said Agaba is facing charges of embezzlement, causing financial loss and abuse of office.

“Most school teachers countrywide never got trained and the hardship allowances for primary school teachers in the hard-to-reach areas never reached them,” a Police source said.

Last week, the Police opened a probe into the ministry with the interrogation of John Baptist Ssemakula, the former assistant commissioner for personnel and Florence Malinga, the former commissioner in charge of planning.

They were questioned over alleged sectarianism and nepotism at the ministry in which the permanent secretary, Francis Lubanga, is accused of replacing several employees in key positions with his relatives.