Parliament extends Obore’s forced leave

By Our Reporter

7^th Feb 2020

The Clerk to Parliament Jane Kibirige has extended the forced leave of Parliaments’ Director of Communications and Public Affairs Chris Obore indefinitely.

Obore’s trouble with Parliament started in March 2019 when Kibirige notified him that the Inspectorate of Government had conducted investigations noting that his recruitment at Parliament was irregular since he did not have requisite qualifications for the job, at the time of his recruitment.

According to the job advert, a suitable candidate was expected to hold an Honors Degree in Mass Communication, Communication Studies, Journalism or Arts with Communication and Public Relations studied as subjects, from a recognized University plus a Masters’ Degree in a relevant field, with a 10 year working experience from a recognized institution.

At the time, Obore had been an investigative reporter with the Daily Monitor and only held a Bachelor’s Degree in Mass Communication, obtained from Islamic University in Uganda. He completed a master’s degree in Public Policy and Governance in 2018 at Uganda Management Institute (UMI).

A subsequent systematic investigation by the Inspectorate of Government Obore went to the courts to seek redress and block his termination however during the same time, Obore was sent on forced leave for 144 days, which had accumulated from his annual leave but it has now elapsed.

In a letter dated February 5, the Clerk to Parliament made reference to last years’ communication sending Obore on leave, saying all the matters have been discussed by the Parliamentary commission and she was directed to ask Obore to remain on leave.