By Chris Woo
The Oyam District Education Department has initiated an investigation into a payroll scandal involving two alleged ghost teachers. During a Term Three planning meeting at the district headquarters, Senior Education Officer David Adea revealed that Jennifer Kitesi and Diahna Kigonzi were fraudulently listed on the district payroll.
Jennifer Kitesi was recorded as a teacher at Otwal Secondary School, but investigations found no evidence of her recruitment or presence at the institution. Similarly, Diahna Kigonzi was listed as a teacher at Ngai Secondary School, but her employment could not be verified.
A formal inquiry is underway to determine how these names were added to the payroll system, with authorities suspecting either internal collusion or administrative oversight. In response, the department has launched a district-wide audit of all teaching staff, cross-checking names against deployment records, school attendance logs, and academic credentials.
This investigation follows previous dismissals of teachers found with forged documents and is part of a broader initiative to restore integrity and accountability within the education sector.
Janani Okot, headteacher of Ngai Secondary School, reviewed all staff records from 2019 to date and found no evidence of a teacher named Diahna Kigonzi ever working at the school. He noted that although her name appeared on the district list, it was absent from the school’s records. He has been instructed to submit a formal report to the regional office.
Jenifer Akulu, former headteacher of Otwal Secondary School, confirmed she had been briefed about the matter but found no record of such a teacher at Otwal. She added that the District Education Officer’s office advised her to provide a formal statement, which she has already submitted to the police as investigations continue.
Attempts to obtain a comment from Beatrice Hellen Okello, Secretary for Education and Sports in Oyam District, were unsuccessful at the time of reporting.