KAMPALA

Education Minister Jessica Alupo has accused the Inspector General of Government, Ms Irene Mulyagonja, of victimising her.

This claim follows a letter a whistle blower, Mr James Wajula wrote to the IGG on July 10 accusing Ms Alupo of influence-peddling in the process of selecting the new National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) executive director.

Mr Wajula alleged that Ms Alupo favoured Prof John Opuda-Asibo as the executive director which prompted him to ask the IGG to intervene. As events unfolded, it is reportedly said that Ms Alupo directed the Council to appoint Prof Opuda-Asibo, who is allegedly a member of her tribe despite Prof Moses Golola beating him during the interview.

Interview performance

Prof Golola, who was then acting NCHE executive director after the position was vacant early this year, scored 66.4 percent against Prof. Opuda’s 64.2 percent during the interviews for the post. The latter was the acting vice chancellor, Kyambogo University.

But Alupo perceived the IGG’s intervention as interference, prompting her to petition President Museveni. In her letter to Ms Alupo, Ms Mulyagonja acknowledged having received the former’s letter dated July 13 to President Museveni in which her office was copied in regarding the recruitment of the NCHE executive director.

IGG’s response

“We have noted with concern about our response to a complaint regarding the recruitment of the executive director for NCHE and the derogatory manner in which you perceived the intervention as psychological tribalism,” reads the IGG’s July 24 letter to Ms Alupo.

The IGG maintains that investigating such allegations is her everyday work and isn’t in any way stepping on her toes. “This did not mean that the Inspectorate had already formed an opinion that Hon Alupo, as Minister of Education was engaged in a process where she was bent on recruiting a person from her tribe as Executive Director, NCHE,” Ms Mulyagonja said.

She added: “Nonetheless, please take note that because of the gravity of contravention of the articles of the Constitution, we shall not hesitate to intervene in the matter should it come to our attention that there has been discrimination of any sort in this recruitment.”