KARAMOJA MPS SHY AWAY AS ROADS ROT, EBOLA WILL KILL US ALL



Travellers stuck near Nakichumet along Moroto -Soroti road   

The subject of Karamoja roads again grabbed space in the media this week. The scoop was hauled out from the popular Moroto -Soroti road.  As I wrote here last week, travelling on this road has indeed become a nightmare.  NTV Uganda screened the story so the whole world got to know it and for me, it was wrong anticipation that Karamoja MPs would the next day go walk their statements of two months ago. I feared that the legislators would run straight for their divorce promise with the government whom they had blamed of being pigheaded on issues of roads and other essentials for the region.

Now unless am wrong; no parliamentary representative has so far made any noise on the media this time round. This is despite the over 20 vehicles that are stuck, blocked the road. Despite the fact that Moroto town has run short of food supplies like bananas, tomatoes and bread coming from Mbale. Also, children coming home for holidays from other town schools are being overcharged on transport and fuel exhausted from all stations in Moroto. Instead it was the RDC that raised concern this time through.

No speculations here, we all remember the government had called on the bulls who were trying to ‘let the dogs out’, and asked them to assure ‘people’ that some quick money would be borrowed from somewhere for immediate tarmacking of Moroto –Soroti road among other roads in Karamoja. We cannot tell if they were also told to keep quiet about the issue, or were they given something that makes one automatically stop talking about things that need to be talked about? All that is happening now is that they are not talking about this at media level, but may be when they are with individual electorates they might say exactly what they were told to be telling the ‘people’.

Well, am not trying to blame our hard working members of parliament, I just expected some other MPs to take on the debate, while key ones are still engaged. The truth is it has always been Moroto Municipality MP Simon Peter Rock Aleper (ASPRO) and the Matheniko representative Hon. John Baptist Lokii at the forefront of all struggles for Karamoja in the ninth parliament but, believe you me they seem to be very busy currently.

The duo had foreign trips with the president and possibly they are still working on some issues of international interest. ASPRO accompanied the big man to Ethiopia and JB was notified that he would fly with the same boss to Washington. Now let us not think that these guys have probably been compromised because of such important travel arrangements with them, let’s just believe that they are busy compiling reports needed for international affairs. But we should pray that they get back soon to the dance they opened for us...Please ASPRO and JB don’t leave us alone, come back home soon, very soon!

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Then there is this Ebola outbreak that came from western Uganda. It has already eaten people from the city and other places.  By blog time, about 16 people were already reported dead. Health experts say we shouldn’t shake hands as contact with affected people is one way the Ebola can spread. We should pray let this disease not come to Karamoja. Yesterday I passed Ebola news to the community I work with in the field and people cannot take it seriously. They took me for a town joker!

In Karamoja no one will be happy with you if you greeted them verbally. The culture of hand shaking is so strong. An old man said “emam edeke iriamuni yong ka akimala...” He was serious and said it with all the body language. That, “there is no disease one can get through greeting”. Now what shall we tell our traditional people? I know the genuine thing to do is for the District Health Officers (DHOs) to do some surveillance and sensitisation on Ebola as soon as possible. Are they doing it already? If not why can’t they start?

They can do a radio announcement, or send teams to all settlements so the people can be made aware of this killer disease and can try to adjust on some practices that can let us catch Ebola. Churches, schools, market settings and the like would be targeted with powerful messages to keep people alert. Otherwise Ebola will simply kill us all...

MORE THAN A JOURNEY TO HELL

The last pushing of our van after going past the stuck buses

We kicked it off at exactly 7:00am this cloudy Wednesday from Moroto town. We are travelling all the way to Jinja to enjoy some cool breeze from the Nile waters. After scrolling for about three hours, our van swallows water from the floods at Nakichumet and the engine gets pallid.

Peter the mechanic and the crap controller take some one hour to rectify the problem and Joseph, the Nissan patrol driver pulls the mini bus out. Another 20 minutes drive brings us to this deadly spot. Two Gateway buses are completely stuck at Iriiri. There seem to be no way through.

My team members are evidently angry and hungry. Richard the logistics man sacrifices some pennies from his pocket and buys raw cassava from a farmer boy in a nearby garden, and the travellers had to chew it raw because of hunger and the loss of hope of getting to any place where there is food. 

Close to 10 trucks are stuck on the way and small vehicles cannot penetrate too. It is especially this generator truck stuck near the bus bringing all the suffering now. Seeing as if there is no option, passengers mobilise themselves and push off this truck... now there is way for small cars to cross. A couple of the pickup trucks have crossed.

People again go livid over the behaviour of this other police officer. He has commanded that other cars should wait so a huge police Tata lorry can cross. He is not sensible and people are unhappy now because the Lorry looks weak and capable of blocking others forever! I don’t like him either although he has two big china phones. Why can’t he let other passenger vehicles pass first?

God has saved this man. I mean the police officer. The Tata has penetrated. Another imp! Our van driver is thinking more about his old machine than our time and energy wasted in pushing from behind, yet people are hungry and broke! How if Okwii did not have some money for buying raw cassava for the boys, what would push the car? This driver accelerates timidly as if he just learnt how to drive yesterday from his father’s backyard.

Now I know how tired Joseph must be. Using a winch more than six times just because the man being pulled fears accelerating when his old thing gets stuck. Another magic presents itself at some 10 minutes drive to Soroti town. The van’s engine stops and its door fails to open. Peter tries his head, the driver tries his brain, but to no avail. But they discover that the engine oil is finished, yet they have no stock in the car. The Nissan man again is sent ahead to go buy oil from Soroti. Since the door cannot open, passengers jump out through the driver’s door and some through windows. They look like calabash monkeys.

More wonders, heavy smoke is oozling from the van immediately the car starts moving after replacement of engine oil. Problem discovered...poor drivers instead of putting six litters of fuel, they pour 10! We enter Soroti town like fire masters. The dark smoke attracts the attention of all living things in Soroti until these guys take the car to the garage for smoothening.

We landed in Mbale by 10:00pm and I failed to buy new under wares like planned. People were hungry but the appetite for anything edible was nowhere for everyone. After the refilling of fuel tanks, we set off and everyone is dead asleep excluding me and the driver. It is at exactly 2: 45 that we enter Jinja Nile Resort hotel.

It is an exotic hotel. From the first impression, the people working here must be very caring. Why? Although almost every one of us wanted to be shown a room to rest, the management said no, that not until everyone has had something to eat. I hurried up with salads, liver, pumpkin soup and a bottle of water before I was brought to this executive apartment. It has among other things; a Multi-system ORION digital TV and CNN was interviewing former British premier Tonny Blaire when I switched on. Coffee is available in my room too. I will stay awake, not sleep. May be the next night I will compensate...

TEAM WORK IS A DIFFICULT GOOD THING!

Owiny & his work colleague Lotee have a refreshing time together 

Because of dissimilarity in self egos, uncontrolled prejudices, dire pride or mental ‘breaklessness’, we often find it not an easy thing to work together. Really difficult it is most times for human beings to work as a team; be it for a private firm, government workplace... I have pleasure in sharing a thing or two on this topic this dry week of a July. 

Life is like a road, I think. A new road for a driver, rider or even a pedestrian like me. When you travel a road for the very first time, many things apply; you will not know the location of a sharp killer corner, you will not understand that harms have been planted to control over speeding drivers. On a new road, it is difficult to tell that an Irish bridge that can make a car fly down - is existing at a location. The driver will also not realise this sudden highway that can cause a shocking crash of cars...

With the above on your mind I feel you will try to be a cautious driver on this life we live. So you will take your brother like a new road whose corners, harms, bridges etc cannot be told. Why? Because, you cannot tell if your brother will remain a wheelbarrow driver forever or some fortune will came from heaven and fly him to the land of cars! You will also take your poor workmate like a new road. Reason? You cannot know how fate can struck his door and make him learn faster and surpass you or how he can plunk his ass on a better job that might make him your boss. Yes, your boss!

I have heard stories of weak minded people talking ill about their work colleagues. “I would have enjoyed my work if it were not for the dog I work with”, “the problem is this guy is a fool, even if I tell him, he doesn’t understand...” such talks against a person you work with affects the work and affects your life. How?

When you expose what you think is a weakness of a workmate to other people you make people prejudge your colleague and the work he/she does. In this way, the people will derive little or no sense in what the colleague does, which interestingly is actually what you jointly do. The whole work of your team is affected here! Secondly, you will have a heavy heart every time because you are negative about anything and everything that your teammate puts in. How can you enjoy work?

Other people are on the breadline not because they sought that condition, but may be God wants it that way. Now if Owiny who owns a bike, two pairs of shoes and two of sandals puts Apangamuniyin on pressure because of his drought life, then Owiny is stupidly over speeding on a new road.  Who knows as the English say “every dog has its day” something might come from heaven and lift this guy whose life is dependent on hides and skin to the bread house and Owiny’s day might come to pass.

The bottom-line: Good team play is a thing that makes work sugar. We have weaknesses all over as human beings, but like they say one man’s weakness can become strength if that person gets to learn how to use that asset. I personally want to testify how I love my work because of the good understanding I share with the person I work with. As we traverse fields to implement development activities, I just feel every day is a refreshing one because of the positivity we have in working together.

Now next week me, my workmates will be travelling the bad roads off Karamoja to another destination for some refreshing, networking and friendly exposure. I trust that next week my blog will grow richer with new events that will catch my eyes. Am sure we shall have some hustle on Nakichumet road and spend some empty stomachs pushing the car and, and and...

But as the picture can prove up here, am a happy working boy. The ghetto in the tour destination is going to be shared ones, and am proud to reveal that I will share with the guy I work with... great weekend friends!

LAND IN KARAMOJA WAS NOT FOR DEATH



There were not such struggles here. The people were contented with presence of animals and the guns made them proud as the guns would be to protect these precious living things. Ok, guns were not very good at least. Guns, as everyone know can make you kill somebody or make somebody finish you! Then these greedy outsiders come with selfish interests. The wizards who want to control the whole world. They come and start confusing everyone and twisting people’s minds, people’s interests, values and needs...

Wednesday morning of this week, some modest radio presenters put the topic of land in Moroto for discussion on air. People called in and said these and said that. The presenters argued that too much land is redundant /vacant and that potential investors come and go without doing anything on this land. How can you do a thing on what is not yours? It’s not your land! It’s not their land and they have no right to force their noses in!

But the specific issue that radio boy and girl seem to highlight was that of slow development or growth of Moroto Municipality. That - 100 years down the line nothing visible, nothing audible, nothing tangible and or that no aroma to   portray what to call a town, a municipality or a regional city. May be they are right because they pointed:

People possess huge chunks of land in the Municipality and because of poverty they are not supposed to develop it. They cannot build a house because money is their forever problem. They cannot even do plantation because it’s municipality and law no allow and also rain not there here Karamoja. But radio boy and girl bickered that why can’t these poor breeds of people, sale off these assets to rich men and women who come from metropolis?

Am speechless on this side of town. Me remembers old days in Kaabong of Dodoth people and the way people and animals moved freely. Free like they are in a free world. I thought that it was good; in fact I thought that it was better. I as well lived/survived in Kotido of Jie people and witnessed same flow of freedom. One day my Shepherd friend caused me to gallop milk of a sheep while we wondered freely like natural global tourists. Mom back at home was not happy with this kind of freedom I enjoyed because she did not know anything!

However, today things are quite different. Guns have been taken and people have to move on –is what we think or should think. It was ignorance and the current people all consent to this idea...ignorance to think that a gun is wealth. People now say no to the gun, what we need is to live better. But food or what to eat generally is still the biggest trouble!

Now the on air debate in Moroto was like walking in the thicket. The issue of land in Karamoja needs broader handling. If the plat form is what is probably not flat again, then another human freedom is denied here, but I leave this to media lawyers and me, a mere blogger can talk about something real and on the ground. As a radio man, I would have asked about the facts if they are available -surrounding the land grabbing questions in Rupa of Matheniko, in Moruita of the pian and delicate rumour that says some gods have taken control of mineral rich land in Tepeth land inside Moroto district.

Now to say that land is being left like that in town without giving it to better off people to develop it is to me like an insult any way. It is like selling off your life because you are poor! It’s like accepting a rich man to take away even the little that God gave you and to accept to be a slave in your own land!

Well, the people of Moroto could be poor monetary-wise, but they have the assets that can let them change! The only thing needed is probably giving them the pass word to enable them access the liquid hidden in the assets. Ok, this can be done by government, by a development NGO or by the UN depending on how serious the people who control us can be. I hear that people in UK can get big loans from government financial institutions and erect big investment structures then they pay the loan slow by slow as they continue earning.

To say least, the question of land was never an issue in the past free Karamoja. People would grow maize or sorghum anywhere and graze animals anywhere. Today warriors and their leaders and learnt children will fight over land. They will not fight each other but they will fight the outsiders, for it is the outsiders who brought tricks of thieves into their land. Thus, instead of living the ideal life God wanted Adam, Eve and family to live, the Karimojong will start living the life that Eve opted for. As a result, the issue of land will become an issue of life and death on this soil until the second coming!

MATHENIKO MP WILL SOON HAVE NO ACCESS TO HIS COUNTRY HOME

Someone ought to pass information to Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) and any other authority charged with keeping an eye on the health of our roads in Moroto. The people of Loputuk parish are slowly but surely molesting the newly designated East African Market access road. The ever shoddily maintained Moroto-Kitale road is being worsened by hungry quarry boys from Loputuk. Remember this road also takes Matheniko MP John Baptist Lokii to his country home based in Loputuk.

The last time I saw the legislator raise a voice to these famished voters was late last year. He chased them away from the mining site why? These guys are digging stones from the road space and keep extending to the heart of the highway. MP Lokii then was very bitter at this ravenous group, but today the situation is getting terrible.

Even if Lokii now has a better house in Kampala and might have little time to come sort out this issue that concerns his Manyatta in Matheniko, some leaders should wake up from sleep and/to stop these men at work. I don’t know how far UNRA Moroto office is responsible of this, but I suspect the works department at the district or Municipality might have full authority. Ok, I also feel the LC V and or the mayor of the district and Municipality respectively can take action to this effect. The place is located a few meters away from the airtel mask as you head to Loputuk.

By yesterday when my team crossed this spot heading to Tapac Sub County, the boys had created a hole that runs horizontal from the quarrying point to the middle of the way. They do it by excavating stones from the space created by running rain water on the road sides. The last thing that might happen is a driver will sink a car down because he’ll not tell that the road has a hole dug down. Someone really needs to wake up the sleeping authorities to come rescue this road.

Moroto-Kitale road is one highway that the East African community member states selected for improvement so to be used in boosting trade and communication in the region. The information I gathered indicates that World Bank will provide funding to tarmac the road from Moroto to Kitale in Kenya and it as well is meant to connect the region to Southern Sudan.

Meantime, I think it should as before be maintained by people who are locally in charge. If not the district, then it should be UNRA. Why are these guys not making things happen now? I hope they are not beginning to bank so early on the pledge from World Bank and the fact that it will be East African business interest access road. In any case the maintenance of this road even in future might still be decentralised, so that when a bridge falls down, UNRA or works department should sort it out quick and not wait for the issue to be debated in the East African Parliament.

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Then over the weekend there was this death reported in the municipality. To me this and more are just like history that is trying to repeat itself. This particular murder of a young woman comes a few weeks when another small trader was finished at the cross fire between suspected raiders and the military. This market trader probably wanted to go raid and to improve on his investment. Money, greed and ignorance alas flew him to the grave.

For the woman if at all it is love that caused her tragedy like rumour says, then...money, poverty and lack of integrity played that magic. I have my sympathy for young, stupid female people in this town being peddled by drunkards, planters and wizards to slaughter chambers. Who will help this poor wasted generation? President Museveni has done his part by appointing Fr Simon Lokodo as minister for Ethics and Integrity. I call upon this Fr Lokodo to start sweeping his own house before cleaning the whole country.

Dear Fr. Lokodo, by virtue of your origin of a church man you have that appointment from his Excellency. Politics well we understand happens just to be your destiny, but your fortune has made president Museveni to trust you with office of Minister for Integrity. What plans do you have for redundant, poor Karimojong girls trading on sex for a livelihood?

After bringing several others including young boys back from the street life of Mbale and Kampala, we need better things for our women. The culture is strong but poverty and the spread of neo-colonialism are a big force fighting the Karimojong culture. Like MP ASPRO who plans to fund a women tailoring group in Moroto, it would also be sweet for other back benchers to come up with a similar community development plan that will ensure a positive spin and empower women so they are not victims of sexual terrorism.

CHILDREN UPCOUNTRY NEED BETTER FOUNDATION EDUCATION

Lorunget ECD Center in Lopei Sub County of Napak district

With reference to the opinion article “toddlers also deserve free education”, New Vision Wednesday 20th June, I wish to supplement on why the plan by the education ministry to promulgate the Early Childhood Development (ECD) policy in Uganda is a crucial idea especially for districts in the periphery. My opinion is based on the current education and child welfare situation in the Karamoja sub region.

A recent media report also confirms that the distribution of kindergartens in Uganda is dependent on the levels of income of the people. For instance as reported; central region has the largest share of the children’s learning centres, taking up to 39%. Eastern region follows with 22%, western Uganda takes 15% and 11% goes for the northern part of the country. The south western region comes fifth with a 10% share, but as usual north eastern region or Karamoja trails with a crushing 3% share.

I totally agree with this media revelation. It insinuates that the existing nursery school systems in Uganda are largely geared towards profit making, rather than fulfilling the universal education dream. Thus, 100% of all registered nurseries are mainly owned by business individuals in the ‘greener regions’. The system favours mostly children of rich people in better off places. In my view, the only way kids in disadvantaged locations like Karamoja can catch up with their friends who study in town is by having government come in to fully support the program like other education systems in the country. Here is how and why:

Having a nationwide capacity building for the human resources involved in upbringing of children in these elementary learning centres. One of the reasons ECD centres are not doing well in the village settings is the poor knowledge of the children’s care givers.

For instance Brac Uganda with funding from UNICEF set up 10 ECD centres for the Tepeth community atop mount Moroto last year, but all the care givers in these centres do not know how to read and write and or even count from one to ten in English -the official language. How then can this type of teachers prepare children to join primary one? The ministry could actually create more jobs recruiting and training p.7 graduates to take up such positions.

The facilitation of teachers of these toddlers also needs to be specified. Currently, most nursery school teachers in Karamoja are either baited with very little money, food staff from supporting NGOs or not paid at all.

The most highly paid ECD centre staffs in Karamoja are those serving in the Brac established centres. Brac pays ECD teachers a salary of Sh 50,000/= per month. A centre like Lorunget ECD in kailikong village Lopei Sub County of Napak district is set up by the community and does not have anything to give teachers. Surprisingly this centre has a huge number of children with no clear care giver in charge. School drop outs who work at their will are the ones conducting lessons in this school. These ‘teachers’ go to teach just because they want to remember what they learnt while at school, otherwise they have no single motivating factor taking them to the children learning centre.

The other aspect that needs support for children’s education centres in rural areas is fitting of playing equipments. I have seen in the ECDs of Karamoja teachers start off with kids on the black boards and books. I thought the idea behind ECD is -build the brain of a child by engaging him mostly with games and in the game some aspects of counting and picture identifications is brought up bit by bit as the child grows so that when taken to P.1 he already has where to begin from and proceed.

It would be fair for the education ministry to give support to village based kindergartens by procuring game materials for them so as to put kids here at some level closer to those who study in towns.

The hope for success of toddlers’ education among people living in disadvantaged regions like Karamoja is given by the positive attitude already built towards the value of going to school. This is manifested in the crowded classrooms in most village learning centres in Karamoja. It shows that parents are ready and willing to take children to school and kids too are ready to learn.

Karamoja though continues to suffer limited number of schools, poor facilitation of instructors and logistical challenges. The real gap that needs to be filled remains with the education Ministry. Government needs to strengthen facilitation of foundation education for children especially locked up in the up-country areas. Like UPE, USE and the free health service delivery that the country has adopted, toddlers’ learning is yet another area that needs immediate intervention.

BAD WEEDS HAVE INVADED THE KARIMOJONG POLITICAL PLANTATION

Electronic media consumers, the broadcast audience and all patrons of rumours in Karamoja are disillusioned by the frustrating ‘cowardly reactions’ of some of their leaders to the efforts of area legislators to beat development alert drums meant to let Nakasero face the semi arid region and also guard against intruders into the region’s natural assets.

The issue stems from the alleged illegal sale of a plot of land measuring more than 15,000 acres at Moruita Sub County in Nakapiripirit district to companies; Feronia Uganda Limited and Pro-Solutions Limited, at Shs140 million without any permission from the customary land rights owners. Another issue was the law makers’ concern over the sorry state of roads in the region and their threat to cut ties with the regime.

Daily Monitor newspaper reported that MPs from Karamoja said “that they have lined up evidence to pin the first family and some officials of the district land board who forged minutes of the district land board as having approved the dubious land transaction.”

This report obviously irritated the first lady who is also minister for Karamoja affairs and ludicrously, it as well created horror for some timid leaders at the district level. With temerity, these panicky district chiefs reportedly went on their knees to say sorry to the people from state house for what in their wisdom was possibly the ‘unserious complaints’ of colleagues. However, their midnight gamble has provoked bitter criticism from the Karimojong electorates on the internet, on radio wave, even those who subscribe to big mouthed colleagues at most places of gathering like Marua joints in the region.

On the internet, one potential voter said “When we expected them to go and debate Karamoja issues and to name and shame, or at least call for commissions of inquiries into the land grabbing in Karamoja, some opportunist leaders used the June 13th meeting with political leaders and technocrats to apologise to 'MAMA' and profess Karamoja's 'love' for her!!!”
This electorate added, “The Abim LCV, Moroto LCV, Hon. Terence, and an unlikely person in Hon. Loki are all quoted!!!”

Another member charged, “Battles against the seemingly invincible scavengers of Karamoja resources need to be sustained.”


Honestly, this is a very sensitive topic for a man my size to lay strong comments on. Nonetheless, I understand the position of two remorseful men quoted; the Local Council bosses of Abim and Moroto. They are men with very unique perceptions of world issues although inexplicably, politics happens to be their destiny.

Some of these guys were meant to be preacher men. To encourage positivity in the world by discouraging evil deeds through mere humble words of the lord and not by pointing an accusing finger at a thief since the Bible says all men are created in the image of God. The Bible also teaches us that all men in today’s world are sinners although the disobedient fruit was eaten by only one man who died long time ago. These men believe in repentance. Thus, they also believe that if a thief steals money from your pocket, give him as well your ATM card and allow him to equally withdraw from your bank account.

Others were supposed to be mere comedians and trick-stars. To serve the world in the entertainment industry by creating untrue statements that sounds true and presenting in front of a large innocent audience who end up spending all their monies to pay the price of lies. However, a political comedian is worse than a religious politician. A comedian is like a conman. He uses wrong ideas to steal money from the audience; all he will strive to do well is protect his job by singing praises for the sponsors of the function that gives him the platform to play his creepy game. We should try to weed these characters off our political plantation otherwise the voters shall continue paying the price. Am done for the moment.