The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Pader, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Pader District Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), Michael Wanje, has challenged a directive from the Minister of Justice on the status of Kilama Fearless Wod-Acholi, the elected Urban Council III Chairperson of Pader Town Council.
While the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Norbert Mao, recently affirmed Kilama’s right to resume office and receive unpaid salary arrears, the CAO continues to bar him as he cites administrative concerns and has formally sought legal clarity on Kilama’s status.
Kilama was convicted on March 2, 2023, by the Chief Magistrate’s Court in Pader for incitement to violence, unlawful assembly, and malicious property damage, receiving sentences of 12 months, 6 months, and 3.5 months imprisonment, respectively. After absconding, he was arrested on January 16, 2025.
Pader Town Council, following local government procedures, appointed Town Council Speaker Dickson Labongo as acting chairperson on March 7, 2024.
Wanje wrote to the Solicitor General seeking guidance on the legal status of Kilama to resume duty, noting the ongoing challenges in governance and confirming that Labongo continues to occupy the office as acting chairperson.
Kilama has so far appealed the conviction, and on March 20, 2025, the High Court in Kitgum overturned the incitement to violence charge and sentence and upheld a 6-month sentence for unlawful assembly. He was ordered to serve the remaining 89 days, considering the time he served while on remand. Kilama’s legal team argues this judgment and the pending Court of Appeal case mean he remains qualified to hold office.
In a March 6, 2023, letter, Kilama delegated his duties to Finance Secretary Macklyn Adong due to court commitments, thus demonstrating his continued engagement with council affairs. Despite this, the CAO maintains that Kilama’s absence and legal issues justify barring him.
Mao recently, during the homecoming ceremony of Kilama back from prison, publicly stressed that no law bars Kilama from holding office, adding that his salary arrears would also be paid in full.
Kilama has so far stated that CAO has been misled, or he is a big liar, as he said that he never went into hiding as stated, and there was no arrest warrant issued against him when he was violently arrested while attending to his appeal at Kitgum High Court.
The solicitor general is yet to issue a legal opinion to the chief administrative officer, as Labongo continues holding the office.
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