Isaac Odoch, a resident of Koro Bar village and one of the mobilizers told Uganda Radio Network in an interview that they took matters into their hands after being frustrated by the lack of action from authorities in the district.
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Locals of Orum Parish in Koro bar village, Koch Lii Sub-county in Nwoya district install culverts along a flood prone road.
Residents of Orum Parish in Koro bar village, Koch Lii Sub-county in Nwoya district have come together to raise funds to tackle a long-standing problem that has affected mobility along a flood-prone road.
The 10km feeder road stretch connects with Aremo village in the neighboring Bobi Sub-county in Omoro District, with a section measuring about 800 meters passing through Poli stream.
However, for years, residents say the section that passes through the swamp has been flooding fully, owing to broken old culverts that leave it impassable during the rainy season.
Isaac Odoch, a resident of Koro Bar village and one of the mobilizers, told Uganda Radio Network in an interview that they took matters into their hands after being frustrated by the lack of action from authorities in the district.
Odoch alleged that the district authorities in Nwoya, on many occasions, denied the area being in their jurisdiction and refused to intervene, claiming the prone area belongs to Omoro district local government.
“For many years, that section of the road hasn’t been attended to by both Nwoya and Omoro district leaders, yet it’s very crucial for transportation. Whenever it floods, especially in the rainy season, we have to look for longer routes as an alternative,” said Odoch.
Odoch noted that during the rainy season, the road is rendered impassable this affecting the movement of people and goods, and also the studies of school-going children on either side of Omoro and Nwoya Districts.
According to Odoch, the fundraising efforts began by December last year, followed by the establishment of a committee that saw the need to have resources to buy new culverts before rain returns.
Following g series of meetings, the community members managed to raise over two million shillings, which was backed by well-wishers who saw them buying up to 24 culverts to be installed along the 800-meter swampy section.
The culverts, according to Odoch, were delivered on site on Tuesday, adding that once they are installed, residents expect to have a much safer and reliable road.
Geoffrey Charles Okello, the Nwoya East Legislator who supported the locals with hardcore, murrum, and vehicles for transporting the materials, noted that the road plays a significant role in boosting the local economy between Omoro, Nwoya and Oyam districts.
Okello said there is a need for the Nwoya District Local Government to intervene in offering a long-term solution to construct a bridge over the Poli stream. He said that with the return of the rain, there is a high chance that the road may be cut off, given the size of the culverts, which will ultimately affect trade and the studies of children.
Emmanuel Orach, the Nwoya District Chairperson, however, told Uganda Radio Network in an interview that the road maintenance is the responsibility of the sub-county and not the district local government.
“That Koro-bar road is not our road, If it’s not a sub-county road, then it’s a community access road. We don’t have specific money for sub-county roads, we only send money to the sub-county, and it's the sub-county to prioritize which road they want to work on,” said Orach.
Orach said they have only 14 roads within the district that are worked on by the district local government, while others belong to the sub-counties and the Ministry of Works and Transport.
“Some roads are not our roads, some are sub-county roads, we concentrate only on the district roads. We have 14 district roads in Nwoya, and sometimes people don’t understand this,” he said.
However, a technical person in the district engineering department, who didn’t want to be named because he is not allowed to speak to the media, noted that the culverts installed are smaller and may be submerged in water. He suggested that there is a need to construct a box culvert which is much raised and durable if the district gets an allocation specifically for the road.
By Thursday, the locals were already finalizing the installation of the culverts pending filling of murrum over them.
Bureau Chief, West Acholi
