Mixed reactions over the proposal to split Okuti County
He claims that the district will decentralize services closer to the community and generate employment opportunities.
Kitgum: Communities in the Kitgum district are responding differently to the Kitgum district council’s proposal to split the present Chua East constituency into Okuti County.
Hon. Komakech Patrick, the directly elected councilor V for Orom East sub-county, made a motion to the council in April of this year advocating for Okuti to be split out from Chau East and granted its own county.
His motion states that the Okuti will be made up of sub-counties like Orom East, Kiteny, and Orom, which together have a population estimated at 16,000 as of the 2014 census.
Komakech defended the Okuti people, who are the majority and are prevalent in Okuti parish, Orom east sub-county, are neglected and do not receive education and health services, as well as other government programs, from the districts since both the Acholi and Karamojong cannot understand their dialect.
Since most district extension employees do not speak their languages, they are not being made aware of how to accept various government procedures.
He believes that since their representative will be representing Okuti in parliament, the government will create a specially designed program for them if county status is granted.
Despite the districts’ numerous efforts to improve the Okuti community, including the construction of primary schools such as Luluku, Lucom, Lukom, Kwarayo Okuti, and Akurumo and health facilities such as Akilok and Akurumo Health Centre II,.
The community rarely uses these facilities because there isn’t a better means of communication between medical professionals and patients like this.
The move was received by the council, according to Kitgum district speaker Bosco Ocen, but it was postponed until lower local council III of the three sub-counties that would host the county could address it.
The Orom Sub-county LCIII chairperson, Toodera Johnson Acellam, stated in an interview with ugreports.co.ug that the community has not welcomed the decision to create Okuti County, based on consultations he did in two of his five parishes, Kerekilet and Luliya, which are next to Okuti.
According to Andrew Adam Luwok, a resident of Okuti, the establishment of Okuti will simply bring the ability to be represented in the parliament, which is not very different.
The area councilor for Namokora sub-county, Oryem Charles Olweny, believes it would be wiser for the member representing Chau East to support the establishment of Chau district as opposed to a county.
Oryem claims that the district will decentralize services closer to the community and generate employment opportunities.
Christopher Obol Arwai, the Kitgum district LCV chairman, reports that the district has a resounding demand on the table for the establishment of additional administrative entities, such as Okaka, Mucwini, and Okuti counties, as well as a demand for Chau County to split from Kitgum into a new district.
He promised that the district would bless the resolution and move forward if the lower local council approved it. And therefore, they will forward it to the ministry of local government for further decision.
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