By Bazio Doreen and Nancy Aol

Residents of Adjumani Town Council and Ukusijoni Sub County are optimistic that the new Resource Center constructed in their area and the Leisure Park constructed in Adjumani Town Council under the Uganda Support to Municipal Infrastructure Development Additional Financing (USMID-AF) is going to spur economic and social development.

The construction of the facility valued at shs 1.52 billion at Kiraba Parish that commenced in May 2023 is now standing at 98% completion rate. The contract was awarded to Weko Engineering consultants Limited.

Mr. Patrick Nyanda, a resident of Kiraba parish in Ukusijoni Sub County attested that, this is the modern facility the sub county is getting after waiting for so many years.

“We are very happy to the Government, and the World Bank for this facility. Instead of moving for more than 15 kilometers to look for similar facilities for meetings and conferences, we shall just walk in to this facility and have our activities here,” Nyanda stated.

Nyanda appealed to the young people in the Sub County and the surrounding areas to take advantage of this facility to develop their talent.

Mr. Moses Jibi, a refugee from Maaji I Refugee Settlement, is also happy that the facility presents them with an opportunity to attend meetings and events in a modern facility instead of makeshift structures of any other improvising.

“This facility is one of the best facilities so far, NGOs have been inviting us for trainings but most times we had these trainings under tree, or under temporary structures, this facility has now solved that problem,” Mr. Moses reveals. 

Mr. Francis Mindra, the Senior Assistant Chief Administrative Officer (SACAO), Ukusijoni Sub County, says the modern facility has the capacity to host meetings, conferences, social events like wedding, traditional marriage, cultural galas and trainings.

“We shall be hiring out this facility to generate revenue for the sub county, the facility has all the components like toilets, Kitchen, street solar lights and others,” Mindra said.

According to Hon. Mangapi Lawrence, the Town Mayor, Adjumani Town Council, was able to secure a Leisure Park worth 1.2 billion which includes; walk ways, change rooms, showers and water borne toilets, gardens and perimeter walls.

Afayo Nick, the District Engineer, has hailed the contractor for following contract instructions to the dot and attesting that the Leisure Park project is one of the best executed contracts under USMID which also needed less supervision because the Company was up to the task.

Hon. Anyama Ben, the District Chairperson, who doubles as the Secretary for Works and Technical services, also says he is satisfied with the way the contractors delivered the land project and hailed him for the technical workmanship which has attracted praise from town residents and visitors.

The Leisure Facility according to information obtained from the office of CAO will be used under the public private partnership so that the district will be able to monitor and supervise the tenderer accordingly and ensure absolute value for money and smooth sustainability.

The Uganda Support to Municipal Infrastructure Development (USMID) program is designed as a Program-for-Results (PforR) program building on the Local Government Management and Service Delivery (LGMSD) program- a performance base grant (PBG) program which was piloted by the Bank under the first LG Development Program (LGDP I) in selected districts and later scaled nationally to cover the entire LGs system in Uganda with funding from the Bank and other development partners.

END.