Paul Ojok, one of the affected property owner complained that up to six meters of his only plot on which his family lives has been affected by the road.
Amuru District and Jefflen Industrial Solutions Ltd officials during commissionining of the road construction in Pabbo Town Council - Photo by Dominic Ochola.
Police have
deployed in Pabbo Township in Amuru district to guard a road contractor
following uproar for compensation by residents.
It comes a day after
Amuru Resident District Commissioner – RDC, Geoffrey Osborn Oceng, Chief
Administrative Officer – CAO Thomson Obong, Town Clerk Lilly Laker and LC 3
Chairperson; Christopher Odongkara handed over the site to the contractor,
Jefflen Industrial Solutions Ltd.
Only a handful of
residents affected by the project participated in the exercise. A few minutes
after the departure of the officials, furious residents attempted to block the
road works until they are compensated.
Paul Ojok, one of the affected property
owners complained that up to six meters of his only plot on which his family
lives have been affected by the road.
//Cue in "Lutina ki an…
Cue out...marac otim ber."//
Pastor Jacob Otim, another affected resident wondered why
the road project is being hurried without the authorities resolving the issues
compensating the affected households. He wondered why other districts
compensate people affected by such road projects and not Amuru.
//Cue in "Ci dong ka…
Cue out...kong ocul wa."//
Christine Aciro also argues that the authorities must be
considerate with the road project, which has greatly affected several families
as it encroaches on their land.
//Cue in "Ci man dong …
Cue out...olany wa alanya."//
Geoffrey Wavamuno, a site Engineer with Jefflen Industrial Solutions Ltd
appealed to the affected residents to harmonize their grievances with the
respective offices at the district to allow work to go on as planned, saying that
they have already lost time.
Geoffrey Osborn Oceng, the Amuru RDC confirmed that they
decided to deploy police officers to protect the engineering team and their
equipment to avert a possible attack by residents. He asked the contractor to
deliver on the project as expected, saying that they will not tolerate shoddy
work.
//Cue in "It is one of…
Cue out...monitor every week."//
The project road is funded by the Uganda Road Fund - URF at
a tune of Shillings 670 million. It is meant to link up to the proposed
satellite market to be constructed on a 5-acre piece of land in Luzira Ward in
Pabbo.
A community engagement held by the District leaders convened by Michael
Lakony, the LC 5 Chairperson last week resolved to display a valuation report
by the Government about the compensation rates due but the residents argue they
have never seen it.
Lakony explained that the affected landowners who bought their plots before
2011 and constructed properties like houses and planted trees, the time when
Pabbo Town Council resolved and approved the planned road in the area will be
duly compensated.
Ochola's journalism career begun from Radio King 90.2 FM in Gulu around 2009, and Radio Rupiny 95.7 Fm under Vision Group in 2012. He also reported for Mighty Fire 91.5 Fm, Kitgum in 2015 before joining Wizarts Foundation in 2017.
He has been reporting for Uganda Radio Network (URN) since 2017 before being posted as Bureau Chief Kitgum, and latr Gulu between 2018 - 2021. Currently, he reports from Parliament.
