Come to our rescue, residents ask govt

Speaking out. One of the residents speaks during a meeting organised by Uganda Human Rights Commission to examine service delivery at local government level at Ayivuni Sub-county headquarters at the weekend. PHOTO BY FELIX WAROM OKELLO

What you need to know:

  • The road from Jiako through Odramacaku to Lia border post with DR Congo has deep gullies and is impassable. The locals say this has hampered the development of the area.

Arua. Residents of Ayivuni Sub-county in Arua District have expressed disappointment over poor service delivery.
Outlining their woes in one of their weekend baraza debates (community meetings) organised by Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC) to examine service delivery at local government level, the residents protested poor services in health, transport and education sectors despite the hefty taxes that they pay.

There are inadequate classrooms in most schools in the sub-county. The Out Patient Department (OPD) block at Ayivuni Health Centre III is in a sorry state since it has not been given a facelift for decades.
During the meeting, one of the residents, Mr Emmanuel Feni, said the OPD block could collapse any time, posing a threat to people’s lives.

He said there was need for government to use the tax they pay both directly and indirectly to enhance service delivery in the sub county.
Another resident, Ms Monica Ajio, said the district authorities promised to construct a classroom block at Fe Primary School seven years ago but nothing has been done.
“Up to now we do not have a classroom block that was promised yet the pupils need to study. This hinders our efforts to provide a good learning environment for the children. So we are wondering why the construction is taking long,” Ajio said.
The road from Jiako through Odramacaku to Lia border post with DR Congo has deep gullies and is impassable. The locals say this has hampered the development of the area.
The residents also castigated the police for charging them Shs20,000 for accessing police forms. This, the UHRC regional officer, Ms Juliet Logose, said, was inappropriate for police to charge them for such items.

“This is unacceptable to have these poor people pay for these police forms. Actually, you should also demand for your (locals) rights on bond and should not be charged because they are free. Look at the names of these policemen who extort money from you and report them to the relevant authorities,” she said.
But the district chief administrative officer, Mr Ismail Ocheger, said they would discuss the issues raised at the meeting with the relevant authorities.

He warned the residents against encroachment on government land housing schools and health centres.
“If you have any grievances and evidence, go to court or come to us and we settle the matter. But do not encroach on the land from these government institutions. They are established in your areas to help you access services,” he said.