Bailiffs attach government vehicles

Gulu

The reality of a court judgment in which Gulu District was billed Shs2.7 billion in legal costs to 88 parish chiefs, whose contracts it terminated in 2002 began to bite when bailiffs attached its property.

At least 23 vehicles, one motorcycle and assorted office furniture were attached. Three vehicles, including one belonging to the district chairperson, Mr Martin Ojara, were on Thursday towed to Gulu Central Police Station.

However, the situation turned ugly when the bailiffs from Ovongiu Quirinuis Select Auctioneers and Court Bailiffs engaged in verbal exchange for nearly 15 minutes with some officials from the RDC’s office.
They had wanted a stop to the exercise but the bailiffs stood their ground. It took the intervention of the RDC, Mr James Kidega, to take the bailiffs to his office before the situation calmed down.

Cheated in ruling?
The chief administrative officer, Mr Abdallah Kiganda, who witnessed the exchange, said the district felt cheated in the ruling by Judge Remmy Kasule in Gulu last year and is appealing. “According to our own assessment, which we gave to court, we should have been billed only Shs50 million,” he said.

Mr Ojara also said the ruling and the execution were harsh. “We were not notified but we have surrendered the vehicles as a sign of commitment that we would pay the money,” he said.

Mr Ojara claimed some of the chiefs were paid their gratuities while others are still receiving it to date.
The parish chiefs from Nwoya and Amuru districts then in Gulu were found to be of lower qualification and laid off as part of a restructuring exercise, that left many of them unemployed.

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