Kitgum district rejects State House scholarships as MP smuggles daughter on list

What the report says

Kitgum district leaders have رفضed an initial list of 11 students named for the State House scholarship programme, saying the process lacked proper local government involvement and needed to be redone. According to The Observer, district officials said they learned of the selections only after the list began circulating on social media, and they argued that the education department and other relevant offices had not been consulted.

District chairperson Tony Blaire Toolit said the list raised questions about fairness, including the concentration of beneficiaries from Kitgum Municipality and the absence of students from some other sub-counties. He also said the scholarships should go to academically strong students from families that cannot afford university costs, rather than applicants who already have degrees or appear able to pay for higher education. The district executive committee has therefore directed a fresh application and verification exercise before any names are recognised.

Resident District Commissioner Jimmy Segawa Ebil defended the selection, saying his office was following instructions and working from criteria that required applicants to be Kitgum residents, science students and holders of university admission letters. He said his office compiled an initial list of 14 students, later reduced to 11, and that one name was removed after it emerged the student was the daughter of a member of parliament.

The dispute comes amid President Yoweri Museveni’s pledge to provide annual scholarships for students from the Acholi sub-region. Similar concerns about transparency and eligibility have also been reported in Pader and Agago districts, highlighting wider tensions over how the programme is being implemented.