KAABONG AFTER 23 IN YEARS.

KAABONG AGAIN. The year was 1989 –I confirmed this time through a brief ring to mommy who is over 100+ kilometres away in sweet Morulem, Abim district. Gifted indeed by nature, Kaabong district in Karamoja region is where I spent my preschooler days until 1989 when the family had to move closer to the birth place of mom and dad in Abim.

Today am here again, God! I can’t even remember a thing in this place. How time runs, mom on phone asks me to go see Komukuny girls’ primary school, where she used to teach and Komukuny boys’ where daddy was second to the head teacher then. I visited Kaabong Secondary and, - boy; all is beauty – the packed rocks done by God, yet looks like man’s handiwork. A Bududa man would live here on constant heart break, but here- naught, the earth is tacked in Karamoja.

Situated in the middle of squatting rocks, kaabong town has just about four streets; Main Street, campswahili road and some nameless ones. Oh.... but you can’t easily visualise these roads because good structures are yet to be born.

The best accommodation for you diplomat visiting Kaabong district is Memabo Lodge and restaurant located at the centre of town.I took the trouble to engage Mike Mudi the proprietor of Memabo into some non-formal interview for some 180 seconds. Friend, talking to people is such a good! Even to strangers, some can show you a greening line in life.

Out of the blue, I discovered that Mr. Mudi actually knows daddy. Muddi was head prefect in Kaabong S.S, 1988 when Ben my dad was deputy head teacher Kom boys’ and also part-time coach of the English language subject at the secondary school.

A robust engineer, credulous of the availability of funds would cause lots of cries and mourning for land owners in a bid to re-organise the town council of Kaabong. Am not implying that the town is disorganised and needs to be sorted out, I just think a civil engineer whose head has a clear picture of a fairly ideal town in the contemporary world would think of opening up more streets that might crash down most houses and other old style property in Kaabong town

Nonetheless, am joyous to be back again here in this small town that my family lived in 23years ago when I was a mere toddler. I can visualise some young beautiful ladies also decorating the dusty town. Wait! Am not just being funny or womanising in this statement –no! A man who is not interested in ladies is not normal...am just being normal.

The only injustice I can see is that imposed on the town by Kampala just like many other juvenile towns across the country. Despite the gold deposit, the famous Kidepo National Park, the beautiful scenery and the presence of a unique iik tribe that have attracted tourists to this part of the world, things have not changed.

Amin’s Kampala would simply say UNRA, I want a tarmac road from Lira to Kidepo and the road would be there the next day. Or Ministry of energy, I want electricity power in Kaabong so we can employ modern technology to exploit the gold deposit in that district and it would be straight there.

But let’s pray for the best tomorrow. End of a one day’s quick refreshing visit to dodoth land, bye-bye KAABONG.

20 ARMED WARRIORS SIGHTED ALONG TAPAC ROAD, ROBBED ONE PERSON

A group of heavily armed warriors were sighted along Tapac road on the morning of Friday 24/2/2012. The warriors who were over 20 in number -all with guns, were seen at about 11:00am in a location of about 3 KMs away from Tapac Junction.

They were seen by the DRC/DDG field workers who were heading to Katikekile parish to conduct a dialogue meeting between the Community and Security providers (UPDF).

The suspected thugs, who were following the road heading to Moroto side, scattered off into the jungle immediately on seeing the NGO vehicle. The vehicle moved on slowly and proceeded since it was too abrupt and there was no more space and time to turn and drive back.

However, half of an hour after the incident, a boda-boda businessman who was from Moroto town riding to Tapac following the DDG car was reportedly stopped by the gang and robbed off his merchandise before setting him free.

Another NGO worker of Warrior Squared Foundation who was also following riding a motorcycle survived the attack as the army had already learnt of the gangs and were following them up. The Warrior Squared worker was alerted by the UPDF.

This incident comes hardly a week after Two armed warriors (two men, both had guns) were sighted at the first river after Kodonyo junction still in Moroto at 3: 30 PM. The gunmen jumped off the road into the bush on seeing a DDG staff that was coming from Tapac riding a motorcycle. This was on Thursday 16/2/2012.

The same gang was also cited by a boda boda man coming from the same direction. The warriors, according to the cyclist stopped in the middle of the road and when he (the boda man) also stopped, they slide off in the bush before the riders sped off crossing the river with a lot of terror. This case was reported to the army detach in Musas.

The latest information coming from the UPDF in Tapac detach indicates that one of the warriors who were actually three in number was apprehended and is under investigations currently.

This thus, is a caution to the NGO workers and other travellers; business people and tourists to be on the alert while travelling on Tapac road. This season is that of nomads searching for burnt grass and animals to be raided. They can be injurious to the innocent road users any time!

FRIDAY, THE MAGIC DAY

I have a friend who owns this day. Simon owns Fridays. He sees it, feels it, smells it come with love, if the twelfth month of a year was the sixth day of the week, then Simon’s Christmas celebrations would be there every week. He tells me the day is purely for thorough happiness...I hope so.

People are so early as usual for work! No hangover?...I think yesterday wasn’t any big day in Uganda. Not significant at all because if it were like Independence Day, Christmas, the 1st of Januaries etc people would have hangovers and a day like this would be lazy. Why? Because Ugandans love to drink, to party, to dance etc. Again, I hope the 26th day of Januaries since 1986 is a considerable one to Ugandans.

5:30PM and the tour starts; as usual with my 2x2 Chinese wheel ride. When you are in Moroto, two places are popular for being well populated and cosmopolitan if you need.
These are; Campswahili and Kakoliye; My destination for today is Kakolye although I dissect Campshwahili to get there, my interest is on Kakolye.

There is a small market-like place in Kakolye called Nabatua. If you are keen like I am, you will discover very unique things here. From the Turkana men and women eating 100% raw meat to the bad boys haggling for weed. From drunken mothers galloping more local brew, to hungry children gathering little drops of food that their eyes can see.

The most interesting thing about Nabatua is again its location...near the seasonal river bank; the place is too dirty, so dirty that the stench of the human droppings overshadows that of the meat being smoked. But wait! This is Karamoja, other places are still waiting for us...we need to take one journey to development, Amen.

My time at home is here, and I change to high speed gear. After 10 mins, am home again. Water should be first, supper and coffee then to this wooden table where I start to chew the cards as my INSPIRON takes charge of digestion.

Trust me, tonight I will take early rest and rest longer because tomorrow belongs to me alone. It’s a one man’s weekend and office can wait till Monday. So I’ll just watch, read and listen to local, national and global news. I will not give it to INSPIRON mini. I’ll make a comprehensive amalgamation on Sabbath day.

THE NRM DAY IN KARAMOJA - MOROTO

The crowd wasn't seen, yet the noise was there. Money was overworked; buying fuel, hiring vehicles, public address systems, drinks for the bellied men and women who represent country power in this part of Uganda.

I sneak out of my humble resident and slope down town expecting to meet people in celebration. Am surprised. I meet seemingly scared poor looking citizens. Are they just ignorant or they have little trust or no trust at all on things around?

I sit at Genesis restaurant to load a simple meal of dried fish and imported sweet potatoes and posho. Things are looking different, even boda boda men say they hate the day. I hope people are happy. For me it's surely a wasted day out of office. Moroto is not fine today, I hope other parts of Karamoja and Uganda are fine.

In neighbour Kenya the ICC speaks again. Two key people are charged with orchestrating murder, rape, forcible transfer and persecution in the polls' aftermath in 2007/8 as ASP reports.

What I say: If there was hope that this Hague court could quicken their legal queries of the two Kenyan presidential hopefuls, then Uhuru Kenyatta and Francis Muthaura would have displayed their sincerity in front of Kenyans.

How? That they can be willing to quit a public office in case there is a problem that needs to be sorted out first. It could be something the two men would be able to refer Kenyan electorates to as they solicit for votes next year. So their willingness to step down could be a disguised blessing. Any way, it’s just what I think.

Back to Moroto, at about 4:00PM the boredom is worsening. I take a ride upwards...this is my pleasure, the advantage I harvest for living at the foot of Mt. Moroto. I make it up to Lia Primary School on my Chinese mountain climber machine.

For those who treasure adventure when you come to Moroto, I suggest you visit this school. Lia Primary school has very many latrines, let me say WASH (Water Sanitation and Hygiene) equipments put up by NGOs. But one thing is crystal clear; the latrines are very clean, -so clean you can bite a goat’s rib inside. Why? I hope they are engaged. But down to the river side there are lots of “human droppings”, the stench makes you sick...

7:00pm am back to my humble cottage. I take a shower and start chewing the cards. I chew what my eyes ate during the day and I swallow it on this mini Lapi of mine.

On the internet, news is ripe –coming from Kampala: Rwandan president Paul Kagame and Equatorial Guinea Teodoro Obiang Nguema have been decorated with the Pearl of Africa medal. The function took place on top of Mt. Elgon in Kapchorwa district. The medal is the highest honour reserved for the heads of state.

President Museveni is recognising the two leaders for their “I hear” contribution to the 1981-1986 NRM/NRA liberation struggle of Uganda. Kagame also received Kagera medal. I hope the two African leaders are appreciative of the current political and economic situation in our country... I don’t know why am not making a clear point. May be because am not expert in the political history of Uganda since 1986.