Poor roads in Kikuube irk residents

By Flavia Ajok

Kikuube: Residents of Ndongo village and Kaseeta parish in Kikuube district have decried numerous challenges they are facing in their area that need agent solutions.

Among the challenges are illegal land titles that are being processed, poor road networks, a lack of electricity, water problems, and not benefiting from government projects.

This was revealed recently in a community engagement organized by ARITAS/HOCADEO held at the Ndongo trading center.

Baliikenda Murungi, the chairman of the local council in Ndongo village, disclosed that the village has a challenge with access to schools and health facilities.

Murungi said they have tried to buy land where they can put Ndongo Community School but have still failed since they don’t have enough money to buy the big chunk of land that can accommodate a school.

Karole Abyarimana, a resident of Ndongo village, says their village has a lot of developments, but they don’t have electricity, adding that their leaders have even failed to lobby for rural electrification.

Abyarimana stressed that Ndongo village is where most food comes from but has a very poor road network, which means they cannot transport their produce to the markets. All curving roads are broken, and the roads are very narrow.

Michael Miiki, also a resident of Ndongo village, decried the challenge of not being considered in any government program as youths in the area, and this pains them so much.

Michael added that getting medical services is a problem since health workers at Kaseeta Health Center come late to work and there are always no drugs and professionals like dentists.

In his response, the chairman of Kabwoya Land Board, Achilis Akweteireho, confirmed that it’s true they have challenges with illegal land titles and thus asked community members to always consult and be kind to people who come and start measuring lands in their areas.

Akweteireho advised those with big chunks of land to sell a potion from the land and use the money to title the remaining big part, or they could as well make a community land title, saying that when there are land titles in an area, even the land grabbers can reduce them.

He, however, blamed some community members for escalating and helping land grabbers by making boundaries without neighbors.

Vincent Opio Alpha explained that the residents of Ndongo should make sure they provide land if the government is to construct for them a school or a health center, saying it’s the duty of the community to provide some of these things for the government to support.

Opio says at times the challenges of roads need joint efforts to maintain them, especially for a new district like Kikuube that has no road equipment yet, but believes that very soon, when UNRA and the Ministry of Works are merged, some of these challenges will be reduced.

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