18th September 2025
A CALL FOR THE REPLACEMENT OF MAGWI COUNTY COMMISSIONER
Your Excellency,
Everyone is born a leader, but as each one grows, we choose to follow our instincts: to lead or to be led. When an individual disobeys his instincts and forces his way to lead, he develops into a dictator. This is exactly the leadership of the Magwi County commissioner. The commissioner, who was appointed due to his greed for power after manipulating his party members, has run amok. Many people continue to suffer silently under him, despite communiqués being presented for his removal.
Your Excellency, this open letter is a voice of amplification to your office, the state appointing authority, that we, the people of Magwi County, have had enough and cannot tolerate being led by someone who is feared by the citizens on the following grounds.
Tax manipulation. While it is every citizen’s duty to pay taxes, it is also every leader’s responsibility to cooperate with the citizens in formulating fairness in taxes. The commissioner has manipulated taxes by heavily taxing the business community, discouraging the market balance of payment. Although there has been a call to ease taxes to match the current economic level of the people, this call keeps falling on deaf ears.
Misuse of public resources. Let it be known clearly that the tree logging that happens in Magwi County is under the direct command of the commissioner. All the proceeds realised fall into his company pockets. Additionally, there is the misappropriation of community lands, which almost caused deadly clashes in the county, especially lands around the county headquarters. There is more evidence to prove this claim, which qualifies for the replacement of the commissioner.
Misdirecting the vision of the SPLM. Although I do not have any political attachment to any party, the SPLM as a party has vision and principles to follow. Unfortunately, the commissioner is unaware of the party's principles. It has never been heard in Magwi County that SPLM has dismissed and appointed its leadership, but this broadly happened with Commissioner Benjamin Polepole. It was a shock to all SPLM members and the people of Magwi as a whole to have learnt about the dismissal of Ochol Bosco, the long-serving county SPLM secretary. This was due to Mr Ochol's refusal to compromise the principles of SPLM, which led to his dismissal.
Another serious offence is the poor leadership and governance. Sometimes it is good to refresh through training to respond to the current advanced leadership and governance of modern societies. It is unfortunate that the commissioner is too primitive to differentiate between traditional leadership and modern leadership. As a result, all those who work under him have become slaves – a system which does not question its master but obeys whether good or bad. The poor leadership and governance under the commissioner has resulted in poor service distribution.
Social disorders and disparaging security. Similarly, in Nimule, the level of social disorders in Magwi town has surged in the recent past under the commissioner. He watches peacefully the development of drug abuses in Magwi town with less concern. The community has called for stricter control of drugs in Magwi town, but he takes no response because he and his colleagues seem to be facilitators of drug consumption. Many of his associates smoke bangi and marungi and abuse tramadol. This has put the lives of the people at risk, resulting in suicide and murder.
Your Excellency, Gov. Lobong, as a concerned citizen without a political attachment but representing the villagers of greater Magwi, let it be known that what I have presented are not my sole complaints. I have collected these issues from the people who live and work together with the commissioner. The people of Magwi Town and all the citizens in the county were unhappy right from day one when he assumed the office because he has been known for abusing offices.
Your Excellency, Gov. Lobong, this is not a jealous accusation against your appointee but a community voice unheard, which needs attention as soon as possible. The delay in replacing the commissioner could have dire consequences when public anger boils over. In modern politics, practices like tax manipulation, poor leadership, and misuse of public resources are unacceptable. Holding onto such practices will inevitably spark resistance. Do us a favour, replace the commissioner as soon as possible.
Magwi Town.
