Two former employees of Ntoroko District Local Government have petitioned the Ministry of Public Service and the Public Service Commission, accusing the district’s Chief Administrative Officer, Moses Agum, of extortion, abuse of office, and maliciously interfering with their employment records.
In a complaint dated April 24, the former employees claim that Agum demanded money in exchange for processing their release letters and later inserted damaging comments into their personnel files, actions they say have prevented them from accessing salaries and taking up new government jobs.
One of the complainants, Anwari Kisekka, said his troubles began in 2023 after he fell seriously ill and spent more than nine months in and out of hospital. Appointed as a Stenographer Secretary in December 2012, Kisekka says he repeatedly applied for medical sick leave, but his requests were never approved.
In June 2023, he received communication indicating that he had been removed from the district payroll over absenteeism. According to Kisekka, he wrote several letters to district authorities explaining that his absence was health-related and requesting reinstatement, but no action was taken.
Frustrated by the situation, Kisekka says he decided to resign in March 2026, but the CAO allegedly refused to process the resignation, citing unresolved disciplinary issues.
He later secured employment as a receptionist at Mountains of the Moon University. However, before he could access the public university payroll, he was required to obtain a release letter from Ntoroko District Local Government.
Kisekka alleges that when he approached Agum for the document, the CAO instructed him to meet at a hotel in Fort Portal, where he allegedly demanded four million shillings to facilitate the release process.
“The CAO told me to meet him at a hotel in Fort Portal, and after explaining my frustrations, he asked me to give him four million shillings as fuel so that he could release my letter,” Kisekka alleged.
He claims that although he could not raise the full amount, he managed to hand over two million shillings to the CAO during the meeting.
Kisekka further alleges that Agum advised him to withdraw his resignation letter first so the release process could continue, advice he says he followed. However, after several follow-ups, he claims the CAO instead threatened to “teach him a lesson on how to behave in local government.”
According to Kisekka, it was only after he sought guidance from the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Local Government that Agum later contacted him and instructed him to collect the release letter.
However, Kisekka says the documents carried comments stating that he had absconded from duty. He adds that he later received another letter from the Ntoroko District Service Commission indicating that he had resigned on grounds of abandonment of duty, a decision he says has blocked his access to the payroll at his new workstation.
Another complainant, Robert Karugaba Musinguzi, also accuses the CAO of frustrating his transfer process.
Karugaba, who was appointed as a Senior Law Enforcement Officer in April 2014, says he was transferred from Karugutu Town Council to Kanara Town Council in 2023 but was later removed from the district payroll. He claims that efforts to seek clarification from the then CAO were unsuccessful, forcing him to continue working without pay.
In December 2025, Karugaba applied for a similar position with Fort Portal City and was appointed in March 2026. Before assuming office, he was required to secure a release letter and last pay slip from Ntoroko District.
Karugaba alleges that when he approached Agum for the documents, the CAO confiscated his appointment letter and informed him that he would not be released until they had first “talked.”
He says he later sought intervention from the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Local Government after waiting for a week without feedback. Following the intervention, Karugaba says he was eventually issued a release letter and instructed to collect his last pay slip the following day.
However, he claims he was shocked to discover comments on the pay slip indicating that he last received a salary in December 2023 and had since absconded from duty. According to Karugaba, the remarks prompted the Fort Portal City Clerk to suspend his posting instructions pending submission of a recent pay slip certificate.
Karugaba further says that although the CAO issued him a release letter dated April 31, he later received another letter from the District Service Commission informing him that he had resigned from district service.
The two former employees are now seeking intervention from the Public Service Commission, the Ministry of Public Service, and other government agencies to compel Ntoroko District to clear their alleged salary arrears, correct their employment records, and reverse decisions they describe as unfair and malicious.
They are also demanding investigations into the alleged extortion by the CAO and compensation for the financial hardships they say they have suffered as a result of the disputed actions.
When contacted for comment, Agum declined to discuss the allegations, saying the matter was already being handled by the Public Service Commission.
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