Kitgum leaders warned on hiding food aid
Aug 04, 2009
THE Kitgum district LC5 chairman, John Komakech Ogwok, has warned sub-county leaders against failure to distribute the recently delivered food to the hungry people.
By Cornes Lubangakene
THE Kitgum district LC5 chairman, John Komakech Ogwok, has warned sub-county leaders against failure to distribute the recently delivered food to the hungry people.
“I have heard that some sub-county leaders are still keeping the foodstuffs in their stores, saying the relief items were too little to be distributed. I give you one week to distribute the relief food. Whoever fails to do so will face legal action. We shall arrest the sub-county chiefs concerned,†Ogwok warned.
He gave the order at the closure of a sh1.2b two-year education project implemented by AVSI, an Italian NGO, under the Northern Uganda Rehabilitation Programme (NUREP) in Kitgum over the weekend.
He said the behaviour of such leaders undermined the implementation of government programmes that benefit the community, adding that it was a taboo to reject food in Acholi culture.
The chairman urged politicians not to mix politics with development issues, saying the two do not go together successfully. “As leaders, we should forget our political differences immediately after elections and work together for development,†Ogwok added.
He urged the donor community to continue supporting the devastated northern Uganda to recover from the 20-year insurgency. Kitgum resident district commissioner Alfred Omony Ogaba urged Acholi leaders to realign their development focus so that the region catches up with the rest of the country.
NUREP northern regional director Adolf Gerst said the sh28b EU-funded programme would strengthen local governments and enable displaced people to resettle.
THE Kitgum district LC5 chairman, John Komakech Ogwok, has warned sub-county leaders against failure to distribute the recently delivered food to the hungry people.
“I have heard that some sub-county leaders are still keeping the foodstuffs in their stores, saying the relief items were too little to be distributed. I give you one week to distribute the relief food. Whoever fails to do so will face legal action. We shall arrest the sub-county chiefs concerned,†Ogwok warned.
He gave the order at the closure of a sh1.2b two-year education project implemented by AVSI, an Italian NGO, under the Northern Uganda Rehabilitation Programme (NUREP) in Kitgum over the weekend.
He said the behaviour of such leaders undermined the implementation of government programmes that benefit the community, adding that it was a taboo to reject food in Acholi culture.
The chairman urged politicians not to mix politics with development issues, saying the two do not go together successfully. “As leaders, we should forget our political differences immediately after elections and work together for development,†Ogwok added.
He urged the donor community to continue supporting the devastated northern Uganda to recover from the 20-year insurgency. Kitgum resident district commissioner Alfred Omony Ogaba urged Acholi leaders to realign their development focus so that the region catches up with the rest of the country.
NUREP northern regional director Adolf Gerst said the sh28b EU-funded programme would strengthen local governments and enable displaced people to resettle.