A Courtesy photo of missionary leaders and their female hosts in Kangaten- Nyangatom, Ethiopia.
Three employees of Serere District Local Government who traveled to Ethiopia for missionary work have been struck off the payroll. They are the acting District Commercial Officer, Simon Peter Opolot, his wife, Miriam Opolot who is also the Parish Chief in Serere, and Christine Achom, a teacher of Olwa- Kasilo Primary School in Bugondo Sub County.
The civil servants are among the 273 Christians belonging to the Christ Disciples’ Church- CDC who traveled to Ethiopia. The sect left Serere in February after reportedly selling property including land, motor vehicles, and houses without notifying the appointing authority and management.
Richard Bukone, the Serere Chief Administrative Officer-CAO says that he has already struck off the names from the payroll pending the expiry of the mandatory grace period to delete the affected officers from the payroll.
“We learned about the disappearance of these fellows a week or two after their journey and through the media. We have written to them and after the mandatory 30 days, we shall either conclude that they absconded or otherwise. What you need to know is that nobody is earning or will earn a salary without working. We shall not keep anybody on the job on perpetuity,” he said.
Meanwhile, details of the missing Christians have remained scanty as the Police have remained tight-lipped on the matter.
Although the East Kyoga Regional Police Spokesman, Oscar Gregg Ageca promised to provide some details about their investigations, he has since declined to provide any statement on the matter.
“We have the list of those people but I will need to consult with the detectives before releasing their names. We are still conducting inquiries into the matter and releasing their names might jeopardize our investigations,” he said.
Since the news of the disappearance of the Christians, it emerged that the travel was aided by the Iteso Cultural Union- ICU.
However, the Bishop of CDC- Uganda, Ismael Orode Ojangole, and the elders of the Church has denied the group.
-URN
