Agago Central Police Station is holding a teacher from Wii Munu Pecek Primary School in Lira Palwo Sub-County over chronic alcoholism. Francis Komakech, a primary two teacher, was arrested on Tuesday by the Chairperson of School Management after finding him drunk during school hours.
Akot Susan, the Agago Deputy Resident District Commissioner, RDC says Komakech was arrested and taken to her officer, but she decided to hand him over to the police to investigate so that he is punished according to the law.
According to Akot, such civil servants are a disservice to the learners and the entire community by neglecting their duties and being a public nuisance, yet they are meant to strengthen the education system. Paska Akello, the female councilor of Lirapalwo and Lamiyo Sub Counties says the school has several teachers who overindulge in alcohol, but Komakech leads them all.
“This teacher drinks alcohol beyond the normal limit. According to the community, this teacher, upon spending all his money on alcohol, exchanges household items such as mattresses for alcohol. If there are no household items, he gives his clothes in exchange for alcohol. He goes to drink wearing four layers of clothes and exchanges them all until he has only one layer left, then the community carries him back to the teachers’ quarters, where he resides.”
Akello says the community and local leaders have lodged several complaints to DEO on the teachers notorious for drinking but no punitive measure has yet been taken against them. Muwonge Abdulnoor Mbagwa, the CAO of Agago district, pledged to work on the errant civil servants. Mbagwa appealed to anyone with evidence of workers who drink during working hours to take them to his office so that they are punished.
James Waigo, the CID Officer at Agago Central Police Station, says Komakech has been charged with, neglect of duty under CRB 41/3/10/2023. Waigo says they are only waiting for statements from the head teacher and residents about the suspect’s conduct before he appears before the court of law. He however appealed to the local leaders to regulate the time when bars are allowed to open.
Francis Komakech, the suspect however denied being drunk on duty. He explained that he had requested the head teacher to give him a day off on Tuesday because he had fallen and bruised his face on the weekend and needed to seek medical help. Komakech says that as he was preparing to go and see a doctor the School Management Committee Chairperson approached him and asked him to take a walk, but he instead took him to the district headquarters, from where he was taken to the police.
This is the second time in less than two months that teachers in Agago have been arrested for being drunk.
In August, two teachers of Ladere Primary School were arrested for disrupting mock examinations but were released after a caution.
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