Nwoya town down but not out yet

Nov 20, 2013

IT is one of those places you hardly hear about. But Nwoya town council, located in northern Uganda along the main Gulu- Arua road, is struggling to make things work.

trueIn the Make Uganda Clean campaign, Vision Group is profiling major urban centres in the country, highlighting their sanitation situation, with a view to promoting proper hygiene in towns. The cleanest towns will be announced on Friday November 29, at the Crested Cranes in Jinja during the Urban Authorities Association of Uganda’s Annual General Meeting

IT is one of those places you hardly hear about. But Nwoya town council, located in northern Uganda along the main Gulu- Arua road, is struggling to make things work. Recent survey results from a Vision Group poll indicate a town that is yet to catch up with many other towns in this country.All is not well though because this town has a lot that is not going well. Nwoya lies approximately 44km by road, southwest of Gulu, the largest city in the sub-region. This location is approximately 330km by road north of Kampala.

The poll results gathered from August to September indicate that while residents were positive about the town’s efforts to remain clean, there are some unresolved issues concerning cleanliness. Eighty-seven percent of the respondents in this survey had ever seen dustbins, saying these bins were only averagely sufficient.

The dustbins were seen in the market areas and on the streets. This means that more dustbins ought to be provided here. Forty percent had ever seen someone litter the streets with rubbish in the past three months.Even then, a big number of the respondents said the town was not terribly dirty.

Residents here tend to take some responsibility for cleanliness as 44% reported that they personally avoided littering, while 52% said they had taken part in cleaning exercises in the town. However, only 4% said they avoided polluting acts like burning bushes.Public toilets in this town are greatly lacking.

Indeed, 60% of the respondents said the toilets in this town were dirty. The town is also struggling to maintain its overgrown grass as 40% respondents said there was too much shrub in the area. Livestock and poultry have also turned the town into their own yard. All respondents said they had ever seen domestic animals and birds loitering in the town in the past six months.

The animals seen include goats and cattle, while the birds include chicken and ducks. Not only this, the town lacks sufficient lighting. According to the survey, most residents use kerosene lamps and street lights were not available in the town. Eighty-three percent of the respondents said Nwoya town was not safe, especially at night. Water is not easily accesible. Boreholes are the main sources of water here and according to 67% of the respondents, this source is not reliable.

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Residents said the town was surrounded by overgrown grass. Photos by Francis Emorut

There is no paved drainage system in the town, making the conditions even harder. Add to this a poor road network characterised by dirty potholed murram roads, with only 13% of tarmac and buildings with old peeling paint; and you have a town in need of help.

Noise has become a big problem to this town, according to 67% of our respondents. The most common causes of noise include: boda boda riders, taxi conductors/drivers and motor vehicles. The town has only one planner and a health inspector, but no engineer, lands, education and environmental officers