The Kitgum district leadership has rejected a list of 11 students selected for the State House scholarship programme, demanding a fresh application and verification process amid concerns about how the beneficiaries were chosen.
District leaders accused Resident District Commissioner (RDC) Jimmy Segawa Ebil of overseeing a selection process that did not involve key local government offices and allegedly included beneficiaries who did not meet the intended criteria.
They said they only became aware of the list after it began circulating on social media. Kitgum district chairperson Tony Blaire Toolit said the district education department and other offices responsible for community affairs had not been involved in the selection.
“We did not get any information in regard to this State House scholarship. We only learned on social media that there has been some selection by the office of the resident district commissioner,” Toolit said.
Toolit also questioned the geographical spread of the beneficiaries, noting that six of the 11 students were from Kitgum Municipality, while areas such as Greater Namukora, Orom and Mucwini had no beneficiaries.
He further alleged that some of those initially selected already held first degrees, while others came from families capable of financing university education.
According to Toolit, the scholarships should instead target high-performing students from disadvantaged families who are unable to afford university education.
“What raised our concern is, why do you want a degree on top of a degree, let alone a child who has also performed well and cannot pay for a first degree?” Toolit asked.
The district executive committee has since resolved not to recognise the list circulating on social media. It directed the district education officer to invite fresh applications, verify applicants’ academic performance and financial circumstances, and submit a new list to the district executive committee for approval.
Toolit said applicants would be expected to demonstrate strong academic performance, show that they could not afford university education, be willing to pursue further studies and intend to undertake science-related courses.
Bosco Ocen, the councillor representing Orom sub-county, also criticised the initial selection, saying it did not reflect the intended purpose of the presidential scholarship.
Ocen said local leaders understood the programme to target students who had excelled in science subjects and intended to pursue science-related professions.
“We need to make people aware of the scholarship, and students who believe they performed well in science subjects should submit their academic documents to the district headquarters for verification,” Ocen said.
RDC defends process
RDC Segawa, however, defended the process, saying his office was acting on instructions to generate a list of students for sponsorship.
He said the criteria communicated to his office required applicants to be residents of Kitgum district, science students and holders of university admission letters.
“There was no criteria. I asked, what is the criteria for choosing? They told me, one, there should only be students who hail from that district. Number two, they should be science students. Number three, they should have admission letters. Full stop,” Ebil said.
He said his office initially compiled a list of 14 students, from which 11 names were eventually returned for the scholarship programme. According to Ebil, members of parliament were later asked to verify whether the students came from their respective districts.
He said one beneficiary was subsequently removed after it emerged that she was the daughter of a member of parliament.
“I didn’t know any student. Not single. I didn’t know any parent, no student. But when I discovered, I asked,” Ebil said.
Ebil maintained that his office had completed the task assigned to it and insisted that the beneficiaries were reasonably distributed across the district.
He urged councillors and other district leaders with concerns to engage his office, saying the administration of the district required collective involvement.
District leaders say they will recognise only the final list generated through the fresh selection process.
The dispute follows President Yoweri Museveni’s pledge in November 2025 at Arua State Lodge to provide 100 scholarships annually to students from the Acholi sub-region after a request by the Acholi Parliamentary Group.
Similar concerns over the selection of beneficiaries have since been raised in Pader and Agago districts, where local leaders and residents have called for greater transparency, fairness and clearly defined eligibility criteria for the scholarship programme.