Detach politics from resettlement â€" Mao
GULU district chairman Norbert Mao has said the process of returning internally displaced persons (IDPs) to their villages should be detached from politics if it is to succeed.
By Charles Ariko
GULU district chairman Norbert Mao has said the process of returning internally displaced persons (IDPs) to their villages should be detached from politics if it is to succeed.
“Politicians are credit seekers. But let’s first resettle these people before we start seeking credit for a process that has not fully taken off,†Mao said.
He said chief administrative officers (CAOs) should distribute iron sheets to IDPs instead of resident district commissioners (RDCs) .
“The RDC’s office is a political office. Why should the CAOs be disempowered when they could carry out that exercise? CAOs are civil servants who do not need to please anybody compared to the RDCs whose political leaning we all know,†Mao said.
He was on Tuesday discussing a paper on northern Uganda peace, recovery and development at Speke Resort Munyonyo during the Justice, Law & Order Sector workshop.
Mao said he went to great lengths to convince IDPs that the iron sheets that were going to be distributed were not yellow as had been insinuated by some people.
He said there was need to reinstate local structures that had been eroded during the insurgency.
“IDPs have come to accept the Army as the authority on everything. Even simple domestic cases that could be solved by local councils are taken to army commanders to be resolved,†Mao said.
He said all major plans that are geared towards resettling the IDPs should be process-driven or else risk failing, since they lack the support of the locals.
GULU district chairman Norbert Mao has said the process of returning internally displaced persons (IDPs) to their villages should be detached from politics if it is to succeed.
“Politicians are credit seekers. But let’s first resettle these people before we start seeking credit for a process that has not fully taken off,†Mao said.
He said chief administrative officers (CAOs) should distribute iron sheets to IDPs instead of resident district commissioners (RDCs) .
“The RDC’s office is a political office. Why should the CAOs be disempowered when they could carry out that exercise? CAOs are civil servants who do not need to please anybody compared to the RDCs whose political leaning we all know,†Mao said.
He was on Tuesday discussing a paper on northern Uganda peace, recovery and development at Speke Resort Munyonyo during the Justice, Law & Order Sector workshop.
Mao said he went to great lengths to convince IDPs that the iron sheets that were going to be distributed were not yellow as had been insinuated by some people.
He said there was need to reinstate local structures that had been eroded during the insurgency.
“IDPs have come to accept the Army as the authority on everything. Even simple domestic cases that could be solved by local councils are taken to army commanders to be resolved,†Mao said.
He said all major plans that are geared towards resettling the IDPs should be process-driven or else risk failing, since they lack the support of the locals.