Secret Plea to Minister: Bukedea Civil Servants Accuse DEO, Mr. Stephen Okurut of Ghost Pupils, Payroll Bloat and Promotion Scandals

BUKEDEA — A group of civil servants in Bukedea District has allegedly made a discreet appeal to Uganda’s Minister of Local Government, Hon. Dr. Balaam Barugahara Ateenyi, urging him to personally intervene in what they describe as deep-rooted irregularities in the district’s education sector.

According to information circulating among local officials and first reported by Freeman News UG on 25 July 2026, the concerned officers have specifically requested that the minister pay an unannounced visit to District Education Officer (DEO) Stephen Okurut. The allegations centre on several serious administrative and financial anomalies that, if proven, could point to systemic abuse of public resources meant for schools and teachers.

The reported complaints include:

Inflation of school enrolment figures: Civil servants claim that pupil and student numbers in some government-aided primary and secondary schools have been deliberately overstated. Such inflation, a long-standing problem in parts of Uganda’s Universal Primary Education (UPE) and Universal Secondary Education (USE) systems, can lead to inflated capitation grants, excess textbook allocations and other resource misdirection.

Promotion and transfer irregularities: Accusations have been levelled that teacher promotions and transfers are being handled in a non-transparent manner, allegedly favouring certain individuals while sidelining others based on unclear criteria.

Payroll overdrive: The most financially sensitive claim points to irregularities on the education payroll, including possible ghost workers or inflated staff lists that result in public funds being paid out for non-existent or improperly listed personnel.

These issues, the sources allege, have created tension within the district education department and among teachers, with some civil servants choosing to bypass local channels and appeal directly — and secretly — to the national level.

Stephen Okurut, the current Bukedea DEO, has previously featured in local education news, including appeals for parental support for UNEB registration and responses to cases of schools missing Primary Leaving Examination results. No public response from Okurut or the Bukedea District administration to the latest allegations was immediately available.

Minister Barugahara, who was appointed Minister of Local Government in May 2026 after previously serving as State Minister for Youth and Children Affairs, has publicly emphasised the need to crack down on corruption and improve service delivery at the local government level. His office has not yet issued an official statement on the Bukedea claims.

Education sector payroll and enrolment fraud remain recurrent challenges across Uganda. Previous government audits and interventions by the Ministry of Education and Sports, the Inspectorate of Government, and local government authorities have repeatedly flagged ghost pupils, inflated headcounts and payroll anomalies as drains on limited public resources. In many districts, such practices undermine genuine efforts to improve learning outcomes and fair treatment of teachers.

If the allegations from Bukedea hold weight, an official investigation or ministerial visit could bring greater scrutiny to the district’s education management. Civil servants who have raised the concerns appear to be seeking exactly that direct oversight from Kampala rather than reliance on internal district processes they reportedly no longer trust.

As of Monday, 27 July 2026, neither the Ministry of Local Government nor the Bukedea District leadership had publicly confirmed receipt of the petition or indicated next steps. The story continues to develop.

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