By Bazio Doreen—Adjumani District.

The Adjumani Water Supply and Sanitation Project is expected to revolutionize access to safe water and improve water and sanitation coverage in Adjumani Town Council, its surrounding sub-counties, and selected nearby refugee settlements.

The Project targets domestic use beneficiaries from the 2 Town Councils of Pakele and Adjumani, the 2 sub-counties of Pachara and Dzaipi, and the 3 refugee settlements of Nyumanzi, Olua, and Pagirinya, as well as selected institutions.

Funded by the World Bank, the project, which currently stands at 50% completion, is spearheaded by the National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) and forms an essential part of the Integrated Water Management and Development Project (IWMDP). The project is being executed by China Communications Construction Company Ltd. (CCCC) at a cost of UGX 59.8 billion and is expected to end by September 2025.

The project encompasses the construction of a raw water intake of capacity 12,000 cubic meters per day on the River Nile; 8.8 km of Distribution Network with raw water transmission to the Mijale Water treatment plant; construction of a water treatment plant of capacity 4,000 cubic meters per day expandable to 8,000 cubic meters per day; 22 km of Distribution Network with transmission to the Mokolo master Balancing reservoir; drilling and developing 3 motorized boreholes in the refugee settlements of Nyumanzi, Olua, and Pagirinya; construction of a fecal sludge treatment plant of capacity 3.6 cubic meters per day in Amelo; and construction of 7 sanitation blocks across public places in Adjumani.

Izakare Richard Kareode, the District Water Officer, says that the project is going to increase the water coverage in Adjumani Town Council and other target locations from 95% to 100%. He also added that the water coverage and sanitation coverage across the district are likely to improve with the construction of the sanitation facilities, boreholes, and reservoirs in the target locations. 

“There is going to be a constant supply of water because the River Nile is surface water. We are currently depending on groundwater, which is affected by changes in the weather and makes pumping it difficult. This is also going to be good for those who have a tap but no tank. Even adding new members on the distribution network will now not affect supply to existing users,” Izakare explained. 

Indeed, Chandia Rose Mary, a resident of Adjumani Town Council, says that for a long time, there has been high demand for water, and yet the supply has been low, which is attributed to an increasing number of new users on the distribution network.

“Water supply in Adjumani Town has been inconsistent. There are moments where some parts even take days or weeks before they are connected back. This is because water sometimes becomes insufficient,” Chandia observed.

Izakare also observes that the project will improve sanitation and hygiene in homes as well as reduce transmission of waterborne diseases. According to records at the District Health Office, out of 50,373 households, 9,829 have no latrines, only 18,590 have improved latrines, 27,010 haven’t attained Open Defecation Free Status (ODF), and 4,665 still lack access to safe drinking water.

On his part, Jogo Titus, the Refugee Desk Officer—Office of the Prime Minister, Pakele, says that the rapid increase in the refugee population has placed immense pressure on the existing water infrastructure. He observed that the project will find a lasting solution and reduce reliance on unsafe water or distant water sources.

“The demand has outstripped supply. The systems we have put in place were not designed for such big numbers. Trekking long distances is not sustainable. Some people are forced to consume unsafe water because of the challenges in access to clean, safe water,” Jogo noted.

Meanwhile, according to Martin Orwiny, the NWSC Project Engineer, the boreholes are solar powered and high yielding, and also NWSC will provide security for the infrastructure they are putting in place to avoid any contamination or sabotage. Orwiny also says that the underground tunnels or pipes are safe and similar to those used in Europe.

“We are going to ensure that the pipes are safe and the water supply remains undisrupted. Imagine the insecurity that would be posed by exposing these pipes. NWSC will contract a private security company to guard all the facilities we are putting in place,” Orwiny revealed. 

As of May 30^th 2025, according to the Uganda Water Supply Atlas, Adjumani has 1,113 domestic water points. 46 of them have been non-functional for the last 5 years and are considered abandoned. Only 87% of water points in Adjumani Town Council are functional. Many of the water points are non-functional because of low yield, technical breakdown, poor water quality, nearby alternatives, and vandalism.

The raw water extraction point in Arra Village near River Nile

By Bazio Doreen—Adjumani District.

Adjumani District Local government has approved a UGX 49,372,995,000 budget for Financial Year 2025/2026 during its sixth ordinary council sitting held on Thursday, 29^th May 2025, at the District Council Hall.

This is down from the UGX 50,599,454,000/= budget for Financial Year 2024/2025 that ends on June 30th, 2025. The budget for the next financial year is based on the theme ‘Full monetization of Uganda’s economy through commercial agriculture, industrialization, expanding and broadening services, digital transformation, and market access.”

The sitting was chaired by Hon. Oloya Jackson Otim, the District Speaker, who reminded the Honorable District Councilors that the budget would be approved in line with the priorities in the District Development Plan IV.

“This is a mandatory meeting. I don’t expect a lot of debate and arguments because the budget is in line with what the district has prioritized in the next five years. I have been informed that the first draft of the DDP IV has been submitted to NPA,” Hon. Oloya informed the Honorable Councilors.

While presenting the budget estimates, Hon. Adrupio Irene Appi, the Secretary for Finance, informed the Honorable councilors that the Education and Health sectors will take a lion’s share in the budget. She highlighted the budget estimates for the departments as UGX 17,235,859,847/= for Education, UGX 17,147,219,823/= for Health, UGX 6,317,961,637/= for Administration, UGX 530,925,700/= for Finance, UGX 756,349,677/= for Council and Statutory Bodies, UGX 2,362,606,707/= for Production and Marketing, UGX 1,729,145,000/= for Roads and Engineering, UGX 685,125,239/= for Water, UGX 698,570,742/=, UGX 976,333,639/= for Community Based Services, UGX 677,353,913/= for Planning, UGX 109,360,698/= for Internal Audit, and UGX 146,188,340/= for Trade, Industry, and Local Economic Development. The district also plans to utilize UGX 3,087,554,487/= to recruit staff to fill 166 positions

Hon. Adrupio also said that the total budget would be financed through UGX 2,647,558,000/= from Locally Raised Revenues, UGX 3,958,787,000/= from discretionary government transfers, UGX 37,954,950,000/= from conditional government transfers, UGX 941,537,000/= from other government transfers, and UGX 3,870,163,000/= from external financing. She further noted that the resource envelope was mainly attributed to a reduction in external financing.

“Mr. Speaker, our budget has mainly been reduced due to the closure of projects like DRDIP, and USMID-AF. UNHCR has also reduced its budget to the district by 20%,” Hon. Adrupio said.

On his part, Hon. Anyama Ben, the District Chairperson, refuted claims that the district wouldn’t benefit from USMID-AF II, because of delays in the road construction in Adjumani Town Council by Rock Trust Contractors Limited.

“The USMID-AF road in Adjumani Town Council is progressing well and will be completed soon. The last option is already being worked on. Let me see what else you will say when the road is complete and phase II commences,” Hon. Anyama said.

Hon. Anyama also informed the Speaker that the district leadership is investigating claims that roadblocks have been set up in Itirikwa, Ukusijoni, and Pakele Sub Counties by the UPDF who are not only collecting illegal taxes from the movement of goods, animals, and services but also defiling and raping young girls.

On the other hand, Hon. Mau Gabriel Kodili, the Chairperson of the Finance Standing Committee, also informed the august house that in a joint committee meeting for scrutinizing the budget, it was resolved that the council hall be decorated with a wall of fame with the portraits of notable personalities from the district and District Local Councilors for the regime 2021-2026. 

“We want to do something unique during our term of office. We want the people in the future to remember us and those that have done a lot for the progress and growth of this district,” Hon. Kodili explained.

However, while making his concluding remarks, Okware Emmanuel, the Deputy Resident District Commissioner, warned the councilors against campaigning before the Electoral Commission permits them to do so as per the election road map.

“I implore you to remain calm. There is no need for unnecessary processions before campaigns are launched. You saw what happened in the Kawempe North by-election. Don’t do things that will make you lose your seat prematurely,” Okware warned.

On the roadblocks by UPDF, Okware noted that these will be discussed in the next District Security Committee meeting together with the Presidential directive to evict balaalos from West Nile.

The Speaker and the Clerk to Council

By Bazio Doreen—Adjumani District.

In Adjumani District, the National Identity Card renewal exercise was launched on Monday, May 26th 2025 at both the district headquarters and the Office of the Resident District Commissioner, where civil servants and public servants were given an opportunity to renew their National Identity Cards. Adjumani received 28 kits, with 2 kits placed in each subcounty and the rest at government institutions.

While addressing the gathering, the District Chairperson of Adjumani, Hon. Anyama Ben, rallied the leaders to mobilize their communities to take part in the exercise, observing that the National Identity Card as become an integral part of assessing many critical services both within and outside the country.

“There are people who travel a lot. You can use the National ID to travel within East Africa. I call upon everyone to embrace this exercise because in the future having an ID will be a mandatory requirement for accessing critical services like Health just as the bank and other sectors are already implementing it,” Hon. Anyama observed.

Hon. Anyama also tasked the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) to utilize local leaders like Local Council I Chairpersons (LCIs) in refugee host sub-counties to enable registration assistants to differentiate between refugees and nationals so as to avoid disrupting the peaceful co-existence milestones already achieved by these communities.

“We have refugees who also belong to the Ma’di, Kakwa, Kuku, and Acholi tribes. This similarity could easily lead to misidentification or fraud,” Hon. Anyama said.

In response, the NIRA District Registration Officer, Balaba Fred, revealed that NIRA had put in place measures to help registration assistants verify details of individuals before enrolling them in the renewal process. The new IDs are expected to remain valid for ten years.

“First-time applicants are required to present an LCI letter with their personal details, and this should also be endorsed by the District Internal Security Officer (DISO),” Balaba assured the district leaders.

NIRA has deployed 5,300 biometric registration machines across the country, with the exercise expected to be extended up to the parish level. The authority has also additionally formed verification committees in each district chaired by the Resident District Commissioners (RDCs). About Ugx 666.85 billion has been allocated for the exercise targeting 15.8 million IDs for eligible Ugandans.

Balaba Fred, the Adjumani NIRA District Registration Officer, is enrolling the CAO-Adjumani on the system.

By Bazio Doreen.

Security officials in Adjumani District, led by the Resident District Commissioner (RDC), have sensitized migrant cattle keepers, commonly known as ‘Balaalos,’ on the recent Presidential Order Number 03 that said they should be evicted from Northern Uganda.

The eviction announcement had earlier been made by the State Minister for Northern Uganda, Dr. Kenneth Omona, who gave them a 14-day ultimatum ending on June 5^th, 2025. This followed a May 19^th 2025, meeting of security leaders from Northern Uganda with His Excellency, President Yoweri Museveni.

In a District Security Meeting held at the RDC’s office on Monday, June 2^nd, 2025, where the leaders of the Balaalos in Adjumani were in attendance, the RDC, Taban Peter Data, explained that although a similar directive issued earlier on May 23^rd was temporarily halted due to the Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) quarantine, many of the Balaalos didn’t meet the guidelines earlier set for them.

“We recently did an inspection and moved in all the bushes with a team from the State House. Unfortunately, many of you didn’t meet the standards except for 5 people. You must now prepare to leave. Your animals have been destroying crops in the community, and their cries have now reached the president,” Taban explained.

The balaalos had been told to have a land agreement in place for where to put their animals; every one acre should only hold 2 and ½ cows, the area should be fenced with 4 layers of barbed wire, and it should have running water. The District Veterinary Officer (DVO) is also expected to inspect the animals before they are put in the secured kraal.

Taban also informed the balaalos that security officials in the district were ready to enforce the directive but that this would follow some guidelines.

“We are going to ask everyone to bring the documents for the land to be verified before we accept you to settle because some of you could have bought air. However, landlords, I urge you to respect the agreements if they bought it genuinely and don’t claim their animals. We know all the animals that entered and where they are located,” Taban warned.

Taban also assured the landlords that smaller meetings would be held with them to discuss case-by-case issues to ensure that the process is efficient and that both parties aren’t affected by the prompt eviction.

Similarly, the commanding officer of the 5th Infantry Battalion at Bibia Military Barracks, Maj. Mutungi Maxwell, tasked the sub-county leaders to have hoarding grounds for the animals to make verification easy. He also said that the remaining animals will be auctioned if not claimed.

“We ask all sub-counties to have a hoarding ground. We have profiled all the cows and know their owners. All districts will be doing the same across Northern Uganda. We have also agreed that all of you use the Karuma Bridge to take your animals,” Mutungi said.

On his part, the District Police Commander, SSP Dickson Ayesigomwe, cautioned the balaalos to be mindful of their safety and that of their cattle because some criminals could leverage the opportunity being created by the transition to commit crime.

“Among you there are dealers. A lot of crime is going to happen. We don’t want to hear that your cows have been stolen. Desist from any sort of crime from you or others. Some landlords may also want to reclaim their land after selling it to you. You should be very careful,” Ayesigomwe warned.

Meanwhile, the chairperson of the Balaalos in Adjumani, Batereza Peter, appreciated the government for laying out such procedures to protect them from fraud by the landlords. He also thanked the government for allowing them to retain their land.

“Let us cooperate with the security officials. Let us be grateful that the government has allowed us to use our land. We can use it for agriculture. Let us be confident that the land will remain ours,” Batereza appreciated.

The Speaker of the Balaalos, Kalanzi Charles Otafiire, also requested the government to give them more time to organize themselves, as some of them had sold everything from where they were before resettling in Northern Uganda.

Adjumani has 1,300 balaalos who have animals in 21 kraals. These are located in sub-counties of Pachara, Pakele, Dzaipi, Itirikwa, and Ukusijoni. On the other hand, West Nile, Acholi, and Lango have approximately 757 herdsmen and an estimated 92,000 herds of cattle, according to the army.

Security Officials pose for a group photo with the leaders of the balaalos