Lira, Uganda | St. Gracious Secondary School has threatened to sue New Vision over a publication that allegedly listed the institution among schools with expired registration certificates, saying the report is false, defamatory, and has damaged the school’s reputation.
Speaking after the annual prefects’ handover ceremony for both the Main and Leo Atubo campuses on Thursday, Principal Martin Ojok Anyuru said the school is fully registered with the Ministry of Education and Sports and urged parents, students and the public to disregard the publication.
According to Anyuru, both campuses are legally registered and the institution has formally demanded that the newspaper publishes a front-page correction and retraction, compensates the school for the damage caused by the publication and meets the legal costs incurred by the school’s lawyers.
A demand notice dated June 29, 2026, issued through Okwi & Co. Advocates, states that the school was validly registered and that its registration certificate was renewed on August 25, 2025. The lawyers contend that the June 29 publication wrongly listed the school among institutions whose registration certificates had expired and were yet to be renewed.
The school argues that the publication has subjected it to public ridicule, injured its reputation, caused emotional distress, and resulted in financial losses. It is demanding a front-page correction, retraction and clarification, Shs1 billion in general damages, and Shs 20 million in legal costs. The newspaper was given three days to comply, failing which the school says it will institute civil proceedings.
The legal dispute emerged as the school installed 120 new student leaders during its annual prefects’ handover ceremony held at the Catherine-Abimiriki Resource Centre at the Main Campus in Adag-Ayela, Boke Ward, Lira City.
Administering the oath of office, Dr. Adams Makmot Kibwanga of Makmot Kibwanga & Co. Advocates reminded the new prefects that the oath they had taken carries legal obligations and cautioned that anyone who violates it could be held accountable under Uganda’s laws. He also observed that many people in the country fail to observe the law despite its importance in promoting order and accountability.
The school’s proprietor, Dr. Patrick Olet, urged the outgoing prefects to support the incoming leadership to ensure continuity in promoting discipline and effective student leadership.
Addressing the new prefects, co-director Eva Olet called for servant leadership grounded in the fear of God, saying leadership should be viewed as an opportunity to serve rather than to exercise authority.
She described prefects as the school’s “eyes, ears and shock absorbers,” responsible for identifying students’ concerns early and resolving them before they reach the administration. She also challenged the student leaders to uphold discipline, peace and accountability while ensuring that leadership duties do not affect their academic performance.
The ceremony also marked the commissioning of the Eva Girls’ Complex, a newly constructed facility expected to accommodate more than 800 students.
Founded in 2020, St. Gracious Secondary School says it continues to expand its academic footprint in the Lango sub-region and beyond. This year, the school registered 53 students who secured government sponsorship to pursue studies at various public universities across the country.
