Elderly man drowns on his way to pick monthly grant

GULU. It was approaching 5pm when Ms Concy Amony, a resident of Lakankodi Village, Paibona Sub-county in Gulu District, started to ask herself why her father had delayed to return home.

Her father Malenge Odong, 77, had gone to pick his monthly Shs25,000 under Social Assistance Grant for Empowerment (Sage) programme at Paibona Sub-county headquarters.

Sage is recognised as key to reaching vulnerable, often excluded sections of the population, thereby achieving inclusive, pro-poor, equitable development. In Uganda, senior citizens were the first target.

How they got to know
Odong set off at 7:45am on Monday morning but his delay to return home prompted his daughter to follow up.
While she approached the stream, Ms Amony saw her father’s walking stick about 30 metres away from the stream.

“I suspected he had already drowned. I then called other residents who arrived and helped me to launch a search,” she said.
Ms Amony said her father is suspected to have drowned while crossing the stream.

Mr Odong has been using a walking stick for one and a half years and he would successfully cross the same bridge to pick the cash.
“Traces show he slipped off and probably stumbled upon losing control since his walking stick fell off,” Mr Nickolas Okot, a resident, said.

Mr Richard Watmon, the Paibona Sub-county councillor, confirmed the incident and blamed it on the poor state of the makeshift bridge, which was built by locals.
“The incidence is not a surprise because that bridge is made of logs that are too shaky and many times they are swept by running water when it rains heavily,” Mr Watmon said.

Mr Watmon said Odong becomes the second person to drown in the stream.
Gulu District Police Commander Emmanuel Mafundo confirmed the incident but declined to disclose any details.

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