Kitgum Resident District Commissioner William Komakech says that a year after the cameras were installed, none has been in operation despite growing cases of petty crimes.
The report presented by the outgoing Kitgum District Chairperson Jackson Omona shows a total of 13,188 households were by the end of last year using off-grid solar products for lighting and other uses. It equally showed an increment of solar usage in the district by more than ten times from the 2,041 households surveyed in 2016 that were found to be using solar energy in rural and urban areas.
But according to researchers, the steady population growth and the conversion of savanna into villages and plots for crops, along with growth in incomes has seen fewer people setting fires, in order to protect infrastructure and livelihoods.
Walter Livings Tooroma, the incumbent Kitgum Municipal Council Mayor who is running for a second term in office says he has been saved from high competition given the fact that politics is highly commercialized.
Gulu University Vice-Chancellor professor George Openjuru Ladaah says pork producers in the region haven’t yet capitalized on food value addition thus presenting a virgin market with limited competition.
A group of environmental activists have chipped in to fill the gap with innovative ideas of producing affordable, yet protective medical face shields for health workers in the region using recycled plastic wastes. Takataka plastics, a social enterprise co-founded by Peter Okwoko is using melted polyethene terephthalate [PET] bottle plastic wastes to produce the shields.
Kitgum District Senior Probation and Welfare Officer Michael Ogweng says that a total of 415 cases related to domestic violence were reported to probation and police officers between April and May 2020, as the government maintained a lockdown, to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.
James Oryema Ludega, a Technical drawing teacher at Kitgum High School, says unlike hand held taps used in public places, which have high chances of spreading infection, the foot paddle presents a suitable alternative.
Joseph Ochieng, a farmer in Lakwor parish in Lagoro Sub County, says the facility has been dormant since it was established and calls on government to ensure that it doesn’t go to waste since it isn’t helping farmers.
Moses Kapolon, the Kitgum Deputy Chief Administrative Officer says that Civil Aviation Authority - CAA engineers have conducted a feasibility study and have recommended further redevelopment of the airfield.
Started in 2003, IFMS is aimed at improving access to specific financial information, easy trend analysis of fiscal operations, real time reconciliation of data and accurate disclosure of financial position among others.
Yusuf Ssebuma, a Solar Installation Engineer and Board Member of Uganda Solar Energy Association USEA, says the alternative power and energy industry is suffering a rapid inflow of fake solar panels.
Kitgum district is seeking to host an autonomous university for East Acholi districts. District leaders behind the latest move say it is the only viable solution to clouds of uncertainties hanging over the future of Gulu University Kitgum campus.
Henry Araali Basaliza, the demobilisation and resettlement officer with Amnesty Commission in Kitgum says the motive is to empower the youth to send children to school, afford a balanced diet and meet other family responsibilities.
21-year-old Choudry Ochan, a first time voter in Bajere Village in Pager division, says he is now convinced that multiple voting or impersonation is a thing of the past with, the introduction of the electronic voter verification kit.
The target is to restore degraded areas by planting at least five million trees in areas whose forest cover was destroyed for Charcoal and fuel wood production. Tree seedlings will be distributed through locally trained community based Nursery tree operators at subsidized rates.