“Hon chairman we have all the facilities needed like education institutions, hospitals and the revenues to support the administration are in place,†was the prayer from the Ndorwa East Member of Parliament Epatait Francis to the chairman of the parliament committee on local government.
According to Article 179 of the Ugandan constitution, the power to create new districts lies with parliament.
Hon Epatait’s voice is not isolated but is part and parcel of the many loud and silent voices for district status, which many observers see as opportunism. There are districts that have been created in the recent past but have failed to support themselves financially. This burden has been shifted to government. The agitators of new districts front all manner of reasons from seemingly genuine ones to claims of marginalization by another tribe.
Ekanya MP for Tororo County stated while appearing before the same committee yesterday that the people of Tororo County have been marginalized by the people of West Budama. “Most of the chiefs appointed throughout Tororo County are from West Budama and they systematically ran a campaign to assimilate the Iteso who were the majority in Tororo County into Jopadhola culture of West Budama through a system of patronage,†Ekanya’s statement read in part. He was supported by Tororo Municipality MP Sanjay Tana, who echoed similar sentiments of marginalization of his constituents by West Budama.
However, Otaala Emmaunel and Oketcho William disagreed with Ekanya saying that: “To delete Tororo district from the map of Uganda would be tantamount to writing new history about the Jopadhola. We have existed as brothers and sisters for so long and the marginalization alleged does not exist,†Oketcho said.
Though the clamours for new districts continue, people in the know remain worried as the spirit of oneness as a country continues to wane. Fears of every county demanding district status continue to be expressed. Service delivery remains far from being achieved even in the existing districts.
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written by Juma K, July 10, 2009
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written by werikhe Gerald Wanzala, July 20, 2009
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