The children aged between three to thirteen years whose identities had not been established were in the company of two males and a female adult only identified as Winnie when the small canoe they were traveling in overturned in the waters flooding the road.
Bodies of three children have been recovered from Aroca swam, a tributary of River Nile along Amii to Alworoceng road in Ibuje sub-county, Apac District. Security
is still searching for two male adults who were traveling with the children.
The
children aged between three to thirteen years whose identities had not been
established were in the company of two males and a female adult only identified
as Winnie when the small canoe they were traveling in overturned in the waters
flooding the road.
The
floods have covered a stretch of 3 kilometers of road from Amii through
Alworoceng to Kidilani in Oyam district via Atapara. David
Okot, the Persons with Disability (PWDs) LC III Councilor confirmed the incident, saying that Winnie together with her husband were returning to their marital home in Alworoceng when the incident happened.
Luo bite:
//Cue in: “Toto
atini te…
Cue out: …
doge Ibuje outpost.”//
Referring
to the flooding that happened on the same road in 2021, Okot described how
hard they have tried to get Uganda National Roads Authority-UNRA to fix the road to no avail. He said being
blind, he has been missing council meetings because he is unable to cross the
flooded road.
Luo bite:
//Cue in: “Kokowa
tye bot…
Cue out: …twon
alano tutwal.”//
Similarly,
Sam Opira, a councilor in Apac District Local Council attributed this to the
poor status of roads in the district especially those with swamps, which are poorly managed during the rainy season.
Luo bite:
//Cue in: “Man
Obedo peko…
Cue out: …
jo me Apac.”//
Translation:
“This is
one of the problems we have in this district especially this road which is a UNRA-managed road but year in and year out the road is flooded but they fix it poorly
which cannot stand the magnitude of the floods in the following years and that is
why people are crossing using canoes which unfortunately has resulted into this
tragedy. We think this requires a permanent solution. Let them raise it high to
help the people. As leaders, we shall look for other avenues to let the
government know that we are not happy as the people of Apac.”
Alex Ogota, the chairperson of LC3 Ibjue sub-county advised parents to keep their children away from crossing the flooded road to avert such incidences.
Luo bite:
//Cue in: “Dong
akwayo nii…
Cue out: …
atyeko otinowa oko.”//
Although
this is the first time people have drowned on the road, in 2020, the same road
flooded, resulting in the closure of St Anne’s Hospital, a private health
facility that provided care for the residents of Ibuje sun county.
