RDC calls for district budgets to consider emergencies

Mar 25, 2019

Renovating Pakwach Girls’ Primary School was the responsibility of Pakwach district local government

The Pakwach resident district commissioner, Shuaib Toko, has called upon local governments to budget for emergencies.

Local governments around the country are currently going through the budget cycle with some having already laid their budgets.

Toko was speaking during the launch of a renovation drive for a building at Pakwach Girls' Primary School whose roof was blown off by a storm in September last year.

The school that was constructed in 1951 had not been refurbished since its inception. Lions Club International has given the school sh55m.

Shuab said renovating the school was the responsibility of Pakwach district local government.

"If Lions Club International was not there, the school would continue lamenting for help and that is why there is a need to include funding for emergencies in all the local governments," he said.

Toko said the school should prove that it is able to perform so that other civil society organisations can offer help to the school.

The head teacher of the school, Sr Nataline Kareo, said the incident left the girls studying under trees before the intervention of the Catholic parish that offered a hall for the primary five class to study in.

"When the incident happened we did not know what to do but we thank all the people who helped individually and in groups, especially Lions Club that has put back smiles on our faces," she said.

She, however, requested government and other well-wishers to fund the construction of dormitories for the girls and improve their performance since the school is among the best performing primary schools in the district.

The Pakwach district woman MP, Jane Avur, said the delay to re-roof the school was because the government prioritised the Bududa landslides.  

"Pakwach Girls' Primary School is not the only school that the storms affected last year. Other schools were Alli Ragem Primary School in Wadelai sub-county and another primary school in Alwi sub-county which government will still renovate," she said.

Avur also said the government will deliberately take the move to build new schools because, initially, the budget for renovation of schools was minimal.

"We know that many things can happen like accidents and storms but when that occurs it means other people should help out " Robert Munanura the governor Lions Club International said.

He said they secured sh55m under the club's youth recovery grant that is funding the renovation of the four classroom blocks and latrines and that work is currently underway.

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