A teacher at Nabok Community Primary School is in trouble for allegedly stealing food supplies that were designated for the school's students.
Emmanuel Longok, the accused teacher, found himself in trouble when community members witnessed him taking food items from the school's stores and loading them onto his motorcycle this past Saturday.
According to John Amei, a resident of Nabok village, Longok was seen taking two five-litre jerrycans of cooking oil and a bag of rice before he was arrested. These items were part of a donation from the World Food Program, aimed at enhancing learning in the Karamoja sub-region through the School Feeding Program.
Amei explained that they immediately alerted the area chairman upon spotting the teacher's actions. The chairman instructed them to capture photos of the suspect and then report the incident to the authorities at the sub-county.
He added that the head teacher of the school had previously discouraged them from pursuing the matter, claiming that the food items were intended as compensation for teachers not on the payroll.
Michael Lobuka, the Chairman of Lobok Village, confirmed that the suspect claimed he had been authorized by the head teacher to collect the food items from the stores, as he did not receive a salary for his services to the school. Lobuka also revealed that the head teacher had taken one bag of maize flour and three jerrycans of cooking oil from the store.
He added that the head teacher confronted him for making the issue public instead of handling it within the school management.
On the other hand, the accused teacher, stated that his superior had assigned him the task of preparing food reports for the month of June as required by the World Food Program. However, during the process, residents stormed the office and forced him out with some food items.
Francis Kotol, the head teacher of Nabok Community Primary School, defended the teacher, stating that he had entrusted him with the responsibility of overseeing the office and the food supplies in his absence.
Kotol emphasized that the accused teacher had an urgent assignment to complete June's reports when he was arrested. He insisted that the accusations were aimed at tarnishing their image.
Francis Lochoro, the LC III chairperson for Lorengecora Sub County, assured that he was closely monitoring the situation in collaboration with the school management. Lochoro mentioned that they were involving the police to ensure that the suspect is held accountable.
Nabok Community Primary School, with an enrollment of 300 pupils, is one of the schools benefiting from the World Food School Feeding program.
