Court bailiff has started selling off Gulu district properties that were attached over its failure to compensate parish chiefs who were unfairly dismissed from office 20 years ago.
The 89 chiefs dragged the district to court and won the suit in 2011 when High in Court in Gulu ruled in their favour and granted them a compensation package of 2.6 billion Shillings. The money, which attracts an interest of 8 percent, has since accumulated to 4.4 billion Shillings.
In an effort to recover the payment, a team from Select Auctioneers and Court Bailiffs Associates in 2016 invaded the district headquarters asking to attach 23 vehicles, computers and other office furniture.
A scuffle ensued as the then district chief Administrative officer (CAO) Gulu Dorothy Ajwang objected to the attachment saying that the district had not seen any court order to this effect. Later Gulu District Chairman Martin Ojara Mapenduzi sought police intervention to save the district properties.
Now, Geoffrey Okaka, the district CAO has told Mega Fm that the bailiff has already sold off the former Gulu Support the Children (GUSCO) rehabilitation center and part of the land adjacent to the Gulu prison primary school. Okaka also revealed that bailiff is in the process of attaching and selling off district headquarters and Gulu passport office to offset the remaining balance of one billion shillings.
