By David Imaa
TORORO
Tororo Chief Administrative Officer, Martin Kiplangat has warned headteachers against inflating learner numbers in the Education Management Information System, saying the district will take disciplinary action against those found culpable.
Speaking during a press conference in his office, Kiplangat said accurate data is critical for proper planning and release of capitation grants.
“I want to caution headteachers against inflation of numbers of learners,” Kiplangat said.
“We are committed to discipline those found bloating figures in EMIS. The numbers must reflect the real learners in class.”
Council induction planned
The CAO said the district is committed to inducting members of the District Council to equip them for oversight roles.
For lower local governments, he tasked Town Clerks and Sub County Chiefs to provide for inductions in their budgets.
“Look for resources in your budgets and make sure you induct them,” he directed.
Shs 6.2 billion returned
Kiplangat revealed that Tororo District returned Shs 6,215,264,953 to the Consolidated Fund at the close of the last financial year.
He attributed the returns to late fund releases and failure to absorb the money in time. He gave the breakdown as follows:
Wage Shs 128,560,380 for Tertiary
Shs 3,134,771,573 for Supplementary
Shs 1,390,000,000 for Mwello and Pajwenda Seed Secondary Schools.
Kiplangat said money for the seed schools was warranted towards the end of the financial year.
Primary Education Shs 1,390,530,000
Health: Shs 772,403,000
“Most of this money was for wage and development projects. We could not spend it because of timing,” he said.
Recruitment ahead of retirements
The CAO said the district has already analyzed staffing needs due to an expected wave of retirements this financial year.
“We have already analyzed those who are retiring and submitted an earlier request for recruitment, because many are retiring this financial year,” he noted.
Kiplangat said priority will be given to filling critical positions in health, education and administration to avoid gaps in service delivery.
