Poverty, absenteeism and corruption: The haunted government-aided Namisindwa Secondary School

The head, Isaac Matanda, is accused of leaving staff unpaid for extended periods of time despite receiving funds, absenteeism and misuse of grant money.

The matter was raised by the District Inspector of Schools for Namisindwa, John William Lusayi, in a letter dated November 23, 2022.

In the letter, Lusayi said, that because Matanda is often absent from the school, his subordinates carryout duties without help and direction.

“The staff work in isolation without any professional guidance and support from the head teacher,” the letter reads in part.

It is also alleged that the headteacher misused capital worth Shs16 million sent to facilitate the operations of the school. The money was sent to also support payments for staff who are not on government pay-roll.

“After the headteacher received the grant, he disappeared from school for some time," the letter adds.

According to Lusayi, the headteacher has not paid staff salaries for over five months which has sent many, including security, packing.

In response to the allegations, the accused headteacher said that the school operations are running smoothly and attributed his absenteeism to a health issue.

“Of recent I was sick and was getting treatment, but they have said I was absent, which not true,” said Matanda.

He added that salaries are still being processed and that staff should be patient.

Lusayi has asked that Matanda be audited and punished by the Chief Administrative Officer and the Resident District Commissioner for Namisindwa District, for his behaviour which is contrary to the Teacher's Code of Conduct.

The deputy Resident District Commissioner, Julie Namara, said that they have summoned the headteacher for questioning, after which he will be dealt with accordingly.