How Obote’s Son, Dr Daniel Okello Messed KCCA Public Health Directorate

INVESTIGATIONS:
How Obote’s Son, Dr Daniel Okello Messed KCCA Public Health Directorat

By A. Lubowa

KAMPALA

UNTIL his sacking , Tuesday 24, September 2024 by president Yoweri Museveni, Dr. Daniel Ayen Okello, a son of former President Dr. Milton Obote (RIP)was on the watch radar.

Dr Okello has been the director in charge of Public Health and Environment Directorate (PH&ED) at KCCA since 2018.

He was sacked together with KCCA executive director Ms Dorothy Kisaka and her deputy Eng David Luyimbazi after a biting report from the IGG’s investigations following Kiteezi land fill catastrophe which claimed over 30 lives and displaced other families.

The son of Obote was between getting his contract renewed or terminated having completed six years at
his docket of Public Health and Environment.

According to highly informed investigations, Dr Okello ‘ s directorate was at centre of gross mismanaged leading to Kiteezi landfill collapse.

Until it’s collapse causing multiple death, he had failed to put in place a weigh bridge, garbage was being compacted poorly , he had failed to recruit qualified personnel and had no operational laboratory or sewage treatment facilities despite a Uganda Sh 3bn budgeted for Kiteezi land fill alone every year.

There is a feeling that monies which was being spent on hiring graders and other equipments working in Kiteezi would better be put to KCCA buying own machinery faulting the director and his bosses on making wrong decisions.

By the time of Kiteezi collapse, Security and other relevant agencies were closely monitoring his performance as well as other senior staff at KCCA and the incident only upgraded into a full scale investigations which have culminated into sackings.

The president also directed the police CID department and other relevant agencies to institute investigations to the KCCA sacked top bosses.

Other areas of concern in regard to Dr Okello’s docket
relate to how he frustrated casual workers by delaying their payments leading to violent demonstrations which damaged the Authority’s reputation.

It’s alleged that he has not been requesting for recruitment of staff under Public Health choosing to run the directorate on temporary staff frustrating government programs.

Other findings indicates that most KCCA big offices have been personalized with some officials not seing eye to eye bogging down KCCA general performances.

He was appointed as the acting director in 2018 during time when his sister in law , Betty Amongi, the current Minister of Gender Labour and Social Development was the Minister for Kampala.

Hon Amongi is the wife of UPC president Hon. Jimmy Akena, Dr Okellos brother . She is the Woman MP for Oyam District.