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Resident District Commissioners (RDCs) in Karamoja want more radio stations established in their areas to enable them to reach out to the communities they serve.  

Geoffrey Akol, the Amudat deputy RDC, says he has to travel for over 140km, cross into neighbouring Kenya, to talk to the people in Uganda who have no access to radio stations. 

Even though there are other radio stations outside Amudat, the district is disadvantaged by being surrounded by mountains that block radio waves of Ugandan stations from reaching them. 

They only listen to radio stations from neighbouring Kenya. 

As such, the RDCs whose core mandate is sensitising the masses about government projects as well as monitoring have failed to do their work effectively due to lack of means for reaching out to the communities. 

“We are expected to be on radio stations at least four times a month, but we can’t manage due to the distance of 140km to the nearest radio station in Kenya,” said Geoffery Akol the deputy RDC Amudat. 

“It is not possible for us to reach out to the people we serve without radio stations as it’s the case with other regions with such services,” Akol said. 

He noted that the high costs involved coupled with meagre allowances curtail them from making the journey, save for days when the non-governmental organisations sponsor their trip for a talk show in Kenya. 

“We have to spend a night in Kenya because the time the program starts is at 10 PM,” Akol explained. 

RDCs pose for a group photo after the meeting held in Soroti city. (Photo by Godfrey Ojore)

The Kaabong District leaders are equally facing the same challenge as they must travel 85km to Kotido District to access a radio station. 

“It’s through radio stations that we can access people faster but for us to access a radio station we have to travel to Kotido to sensitise locals on security matters among other issues,” said Capt. Mike Okirya the Kaabong RDC. 

The concerns were raised on Monday, November 13, during the opening of a three-day capacity-building workshop for the RDCs of the Karamoja sub-region held in Soroti-City. 

The region with ten districts only has radio stations located in Moroto and Kotido districts, whose listenership does not cover the region. 

Lt Col Ambake Kibra, the senior presidential advisor-in-charge of mobilisation at the RDC Secretariat, informed the RDCs that the government is engaged with stakeholders on possible means of establishing more radio stations in the area.