All was well until Olaka tasked the purported defectors to hand over membership cards from their former political parties and attires to prove they were indeed defectors. However, none of the purported defectors had a membership card of the opposition parties they were claiming to be leaving.
Zabedu, who was conducting her hotel business that fateful day, was rushed to Gulu Regional Referral Hospital where doctors decided to amputate her leg on Monday this week to extensive damage.
Jimmy Patrick Okema, the Aswa River Region Police Spokesperson, says following the flooding Gimono went to check on his son and found the entire house submerged by water.
On Sunday night the residents, consisting of children, women, male and elderly persons deserted their homes and camped at the URA offices for fear of being washed away by the fast flowing floods.
This brings the total numbers of deaths in relation to the flood to nine in just three months this year.
Kasim Kasule, the local council chairperson for Elegu told URN on Sunday evening that more than one hundred pit latrines have been razed to ground due to the flooding, he added that over ten public toilets in the area have also been filled with water.
The deceased was identified as James Tako. Preliminary police investigations reveal that Tako drowned when he and his peers had gone to swim on the turbulent river, a tributary of Aswa River that joins River Nile.
Lucy Akella, the Chairperson of Diaspora Acholi in Uganda says they are targeting to comfort extremely vulnerable families who are enduring the negative impacts of pro-longed COVID-19 lockdown measures.
Kasim Akule, the LC I Chairperson of Lorikwo West Cell of Elegu explains that the floods destroyed homes, shops, restaurants and the only market and public toilet facilities following days of a heavy downpour.
Already 828 suspected contacts have been placed under home quarantine as opposed to being in the designated institutional isolation centre at Gulu School of Health Sciences located in East Division of Gulu City.
There are over 35 health staff deployed at treatment unit and institutional quarantine centre at Gulu College of Health Sciences. The health workers say some patients have been dodging or skipping COVID-19 treatment schedules while others some escape from the center before clinical decisions are made to discharge them.
Amuru is listed as one of the COVID-19 hotspots in the country due to its proximity to the Uganda – South Sudan border. Up to 125 positive cases of COVID-19 have been intercepted in Elegu Town Council in Amuru district since March 2020.
According to Atiak Sub County Chairperson Wilfred Odiya Baguma, the area has been highly infiltrated by people from mainly South Sudan, which currently has nearly 1,900 cases of Coronavirus Disease.
Records by the District Health Department indicate that there have been 33 confirmed community cases of COVID-19 in Amuru. The district has also intercepted up to 233 long-distance cargo truck drivers who were mainly from Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda on transit to South Sudan through Elegu border post.
Elegu border is responsible for between 80-90 per cent goods and services that enter South Sudan though Nimule. According to the Trade Ministry, from 2016 up to 2018, the border post has been responsible for over USD 1.2 billion in revenue to Uganda. But this time around, it has seen lengthy queues, holding trucks stationed for days as drivers undergo COVID-19 testing.
One commercial sex worker told URN that some of the truck drivers have families in Elegu and because of the restriction imposed on them, they are only able to meet their sexual partners in trucks at night.
Michael Lakony, the Amuru LCV Chairperson told URN that the eight contacts have been added to six other suspected patients who were repatriated on April 17th from South Sudan to undergo the 14 days’ mandatory institutional quarantine at the school.
