Ruth Akullo, whose two-year contract under the project expired in December last year explained that they opted to lock the gate as a way of expressing their dissatisfaction with the way the matter was being handled by the accountant and project focal person.
Fifteen Community based facilitators under the Agriculture
Cluster Development Project-ACDP in Lira district are protesting the delayed payment of their
wages. ACDP is an agricultural project whose major objective is to increase
on-farm production, productivity, and marketable volumes of beans, cassava, coffee, maize, and rice.
Under the project, Community-Based Facilitators (CBF) were
hired to strengthen farmer participation in the ACDP activities. Each CBF is entitled to a monthly salary of Shillings 250,000 including bicycle maintenance and other allowances. However, all the 15 CBFs in Lira District have
gone from June to December 2022 to date without pay.
On Monday, the CBF locked up some officials
in the Lira District Production Offices in protest. Tension continued for
over two hours when the protesters opened the gates after negotiations.
Ruth Akullo, whose two-year contract under the project expired in December last year explained that they opted to lock the gate as a way of expressing their
dissatisfaction with the way the matter was being handled by the accountant and
project focal person.
//Cue in: “The Ministry decentralized…
Cue out: …we came today.”//
Akullo explained that a meeting with the district
chairperson resolved to have their money paid into their accounts by end of this
week.
//Cue in: “After locking the…
Cue out: … for the money.”//
Sidonia Akullo, a CBF of Agweng sub-county wondered why they
have not been paid for three months since their contract ended in December last
year. She is disappointed that without the money, she is unable to pay her
children’s school fees and now they are at home.
Luo bite:
//Cue in: “Wan dang otye …
Cue out: … atek aloo eno.”//
Nancy Auma, a CBF from Ogur sub county wondered
why they are not being paid as though it is a debt.
//Cue in: “We are demanding…
Cue out: …worked for it.”//
Patrick Alip, the Project Focal
Point person declined to comment on the matter. But RCM Okello Orik, the Lira District LC V Chairperson, said that he
received assurance from both the Focal Point Person and the production
department accountant that the money is already in the district account and the
necessary processes are ongoing to have the money disbursed to the different
accounts.
//Cue in: “I called the…
Cue out: … into various accounts.”//
ACDP is a 6-year partnership project of the Ministry of
Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, and the World Bank financed by the
International Development Assistance (IDA) of the World Bank.
