‘Tororo to be richest district in 10 years’
TORORO<br><br>Tororo is one of the oldest districts. It is located in eastern Uganda and borders Busia, Butaleja and Kenya . At the moment, it is one of two districts hosting Kenyan refugees. <b>Joshua Kato</b> talked to the LC5 chairman, <b>Emmanuel Osuna</b>, about the Kenyan refugees and other
TORORO
Tororo is one of the oldest districts. It is located in eastern Uganda and borders Busia, Butaleja and Kenya . At the moment, it is one of two districts hosting Kenyan refugees. Joshua Kato talked to the LC5 chairman, Emmanuel Osuna, about the Kenyan refugees and other issues in the district.
How has the district coped with the influx of the Kenyan refugees?
->It has been both a challenging and learning experience for us. At the moment, there are about 1,500 refugees. After keeping them near the border for a while, we decided, with the help of humanitarian agencies, to transfer them to Mulanda Teacher Training College. But even then, we faced some problems after hearing rumours that Mulanda was infiltrated and owned by the Jaluo. As a result, some of the refugees refused to go there. The rumours were not true. We are in control of the situation.
Tororo was once one of the most industrialised districts. What is the progress on revitalising this status?
->We are working very hard to bring back the industries. Already, the cement industry is doing well. There are investors who have tabled plans to work on the phosphates industry. There are also processing industries coming up. Another company will soon start producing electricity for the national grid. But there are some politicians in the district, who are trying to sabotage all these developments.
Whenever there are plans to mobilise the population to do one thing, these politicians discourage them. They have to understand that this is not a time to politic. This is a time for development.
During campaigns, you said providing pure and safe drinking water and proper sanitation would be your priority. How far have you gone with this?
->In my first in office, provision of safe water in the district grew from about 70% to 98%. But my target is to move over the 100% mark. In fact, as far as toilets are concerned, I want every family to have at least three pit latrines. I am looking at a coverage of 120% in the next year.
How is the health sector progressing?
->Tororo Main Hospital is the major health unit in the district. It is doing fairly well, although like many hospitals in the country, it has a problem of inadequate staffing. A Japanese group is now rehabilitating it to improve its standards. There are also three health centres in the district. There were advertisements of medical jobs in the newspapers and once recruitment is done, these health centres will benefit.
You have one of the oldest road units in the country. Can it cope with the demanding road repair needs?
->It is true we have a very old road unit. In fact, all the equipment was taken for repair. I, however, do not think we should get it back. We need a new one and it costs over sh4b. We have worked on many of the roads in the district, using a combination of both local revenue and grants from the central government and NGOs.
Tororo is always a mid-level performer in education. What is the problem?
->On the outlook, our education performances have been improving. For example, we had 200 first grades in the 2007 primary leaving examinations, compared to about 100 the previous year. However, if you look at other areas, our performance is still below the desired standards. We are meeting with headteachers of all schools, sub-county leaders and all stake-holders to find out why we are performing badly. We shall draw conclusions and work on ways of performing better.
Tororo used to produce a lot of cereals, what is happening now?
->We are not doing so badly at the moment.
We only have to consolidate the food security situation. My view is that some people are always lamenting over issuesinstead of working on their farms. We are assisting them by providing tools and local poultry.
What is Tororo’s main source of revenue?
->Mainly government grants. But we also get special benefits like royalties from our mineral resources.
We also think that the district should be getting some share of the billions worth of taxes that are collected at Malaba border post.
Where do you want to see Tororo in 10 years time?
->I want it to be among the richest districts in Uganda.
Tororo is one of the oldest districts. It is located in eastern Uganda and borders Busia, Butaleja and Kenya . At the moment, it is one of two districts hosting Kenyan refugees. Joshua Kato talked to the LC5 chairman, Emmanuel Osuna, about the Kenyan refugees and other issues in the district.
How has the district coped with the influx of the Kenyan refugees?
->It has been both a challenging and learning experience for us. At the moment, there are about 1,500 refugees. After keeping them near the border for a while, we decided, with the help of humanitarian agencies, to transfer them to Mulanda Teacher Training College. But even then, we faced some problems after hearing rumours that Mulanda was infiltrated and owned by the Jaluo. As a result, some of the refugees refused to go there. The rumours were not true. We are in control of the situation.
Tororo was once one of the most industrialised districts. What is the progress on revitalising this status?
->We are working very hard to bring back the industries. Already, the cement industry is doing well. There are investors who have tabled plans to work on the phosphates industry. There are also processing industries coming up. Another company will soon start producing electricity for the national grid. But there are some politicians in the district, who are trying to sabotage all these developments.
Whenever there are plans to mobilise the population to do one thing, these politicians discourage them. They have to understand that this is not a time to politic. This is a time for development.
During campaigns, you said providing pure and safe drinking water and proper sanitation would be your priority. How far have you gone with this?
->In my first in office, provision of safe water in the district grew from about 70% to 98%. But my target is to move over the 100% mark. In fact, as far as toilets are concerned, I want every family to have at least three pit latrines. I am looking at a coverage of 120% in the next year.
How is the health sector progressing?
->Tororo Main Hospital is the major health unit in the district. It is doing fairly well, although like many hospitals in the country, it has a problem of inadequate staffing. A Japanese group is now rehabilitating it to improve its standards. There are also three health centres in the district. There were advertisements of medical jobs in the newspapers and once recruitment is done, these health centres will benefit.
You have one of the oldest road units in the country. Can it cope with the demanding road repair needs?
->It is true we have a very old road unit. In fact, all the equipment was taken for repair. I, however, do not think we should get it back. We need a new one and it costs over sh4b. We have worked on many of the roads in the district, using a combination of both local revenue and grants from the central government and NGOs.
Tororo is always a mid-level performer in education. What is the problem?
->On the outlook, our education performances have been improving. For example, we had 200 first grades in the 2007 primary leaving examinations, compared to about 100 the previous year. However, if you look at other areas, our performance is still below the desired standards. We are meeting with headteachers of all schools, sub-county leaders and all stake-holders to find out why we are performing badly. We shall draw conclusions and work on ways of performing better.
Tororo used to produce a lot of cereals, what is happening now?
->We are not doing so badly at the moment.
We only have to consolidate the food security situation. My view is that some people are always lamenting over issuesinstead of working on their farms. We are assisting them by providing tools and local poultry.
What is Tororo’s main source of revenue?
->Mainly government grants. But we also get special benefits like royalties from our mineral resources.
We also think that the district should be getting some share of the billions worth of taxes that are collected at Malaba border post.
Where do you want to see Tororo in 10 years time?
->I want it to be among the richest districts in Uganda.