Court petitioned over new education council boss

By Andante Okanya

Queries have arisen over the appointment of Prof John Opuda- Asibo as executive director of National Council for Higher Education (NCHE), with allegations that he is dishonest.

On September 5, a trio claiming to be concerned citizens, petitioned the High Court in Kampala to revoke the appointment, alleging that Opuda- Asibo is unfit to hold  the office.

“The plaintiffs contend that the appointment of the first defendant(Opuda- Asibo) as the executive director was against public interest, rules of fair play, and public standing orders, and thus invalid,”  the petitioners contend.

Through Kyazze  and Company Advocates, the trio Andrew Kamukama, Asuman Irungu, and Ali Zikara, filed a civil suit. The Attorney General(AG), and NCHE, are jointly listed as Opuda-Asibo’s co-defendants.

They contend that the appointment did not satisfy the statutory and other legal standards for appointment as NCHE boss.

They contend that the Education minister (Jessica Alupo) erred when she chose Opuda-Asibo, yet he was under investigations by the Inspector General of Government(IGG).

The petitioners also assert that Alupo erred when she chose Opuda- Asibo, yet he was not the candidate with the highest marks after interviews.

Court documents show that Prof. Moses Golola scored 66.4%, while Opuda- Asibo was second with 64.2%.The third candidate Associate Prof. Emmanuel Karooro was third with 35.3%

The trio contends that Alupo was mandated to appoint Golola, as the best evaluated candidate.

The petitioners contend that Opuda- Asibo’s conduct was wanting when he was deputy vice chancellor of Kyambogo University.

They want court to declare that the appointment was marred with irregularities, and order for the appointment of Golola, saying he fulfilled requirements.

In May this year, Opuda- Asibo was among the seven officials from Kyambogo University, arrested by detectives from IGG’s office over mismanagement of the institution.  They were later released but the case is still pending.

The trio asserts that since criminal proceedings had been instituted against Opuda- Asibo, he was not eligible for appointment to any public office.

The defendants are yet to respond. A hearing date is yet to be scheduled.