By Bazio Doreen

Many people agree that menstruation is indeed a normal phase of a girl’s life but few people acknowledge the challenges it comes with for the one who has to go through it every month because people interpret differently the onset of the cycle. In a traditional Adjumani community, a girl in her menstruation period was not allowed to live in the same home with her mother as she would be seen to be a woman herself now. However, with formal education and the ever-changing dynamics in culture, this opinion is slowly dying away.

Team Work.

According to Gloria Matapkwe, 17, a Primary Six pupil at Ajugopi Primary School, Menstrual Hygiene in her school and the community has improved as all children are now aware of it.

The children manage their menstruation by themselves without the help of the teachers and the elder children help the young ones to manage theirs properly.

Gloria also observes that girls no longer miss classes due to menstruation but now the boys and girls in her school now have the skills of making reusable sanitary pads and how to manage menstrual hygiene.

“Boys no longer laugh at a girl whose uniform gets stained with blood. But they rather do help the girl who is in trouble.” Gloria says.

Gloria also reveals that from the trainings provided by EMESCO children in her school have now learnt skills such as sewing and it has become a source of income and livelihood.

“The money which I would use to buy disposable pads now is used to buy something. And also I can make the pads for myself and I sell some to other people to get money. Before EMESCO came in, girls were spending much of their money to buy sanitary pads monthly which sometimes they cannot afford to buy thus missing school” Gloria describes.

Involvement of boys.

On the other hand, Iceta Norbert, 15, a Primary Six pupil at Ajugopi Primary School, the increasing rate of school dropout was due to embarrassment by boys which made the girls shy and decide not to come to school.

He rates the menstrual hygiene management at his school at 90% owing it to the trainings by EMESCO on menstrual hygiene management and how to make reusable sanitary pads.

“As a boy, I have learned the skill of making reusable sanitary pads for my sisters at home. I no longer laugh at the girls whose clothes get spoiled with blood but I rather help them. I can also make the re-usable sanitary pad and sell them to any man.” Iceta Norbert said.

Before the coming of EMESCO, Iceta Norbert reveals that he did not know menstruation happens to every girl. He used to tease the girls who underwent their menstruation because he thought they were ready for marriage.

Involvement of teachers.

Masudio Rosemary, a teacher, at Ajugopi Primary School, says EMESCO has contributed a lot to menstrual hygiene at the school by teaching them how to make emergency re-usable sanitary pads in addition to providing disposable sanitary pads and soap for girls in the school.

“Before EMESCO, girls were facing difficulties in purchasing sanitary pads. Parents were unable to provide them with sanitary pads which made them miss classes because of periods and some dropped out due to lack of sanitary pads as they feared to be laughed at by the boys at school when their clothes got spoiled with blood.” Masudio Rosemary explains.

Masudio also observes that before the coming of EMESCO, some girls were asking for money from their boyfriends to purchase the sanitary pads. They did not know how to make reusable sanitary pads. But now both boys and girls know the good materials to make the sanitary pads and they make the pads by themselves.

“The children act as role models. They even train the parents at home on how to make the reusable sanitary pads.” Masudio Rosemary explains.

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By Doreen Bazio,

It is about 9:10 am when we arrive in Oliji Refugee Settlement which is a 15-minute drive from Adjumani Town. The situation in our destined home brings both pain and joy. I find Sabina, a resident of this settlement having breakfast with her 3 daughters and 5 grandchildren. They are having a mixture of beans and maize commonly/locally known as; ‘Anyoi’.

Anyone could tell that this might be the most important and affordable meal for this family. Maybe even as a routine. More than just a woman struggling to fend for her family, Sabina presents herself as a courageous woman when she later tells me a story of bravery and passionate motherhood.

In 2013, the civil war in South Sudan forced Sabina to leave the youngest country on the continent after she abruptly became a widow. This is how she was inherited by a Hajji (moslem man with many wives) relative of her husband. Little did she know that this marriage too wouldn’t last.
Although he was an alcoholic and irresponsible husband, Sabina was willing to stay with him for the sake of marriage but only if he would stop beating her. But this never stopped. The disagreement that consequently always led to the fights was about intimacy. Sabina had a chronic illness and doctors had advised her to tread carefully when it comes to conjugal rights. Sabina had 3 children with her first husband and 2 with the second.

When Sabina couldn’t take the beatings anymore, she decided to leave her husband in Alere Refugee Settlement in another Sub County where they had first been resettled when they came to Uganda. She moved on along with her teenage daughters.

This decision however came with far-reaching implications as she later found it so hard to afford school fees. This meant that her daughters would spend a bigger part of their time at home and thus conceiving was inevitable. But this condition equally took a toll on her, she lost her self-esteem and confidence.
However, this recently changed after attending sessions conducted by EMESCO through Gender Promoters. EMESCO has reached out to about 5,000 persons of concern on messages about Gender Based Violence through 100 trained Gender Promoters.

From these sessions, Sabina has regained her confidence and self-esteem. This was unlike before when she used to live a miserable life out of self-pity due to the domestic abuse she was going through. Sabina says she is now empowered and feels better because of the advice she received from the sessions.
Sabina also says that because these sessions are done jointly, the community now feels responsible for uplifting and protecting survivors of Gender-Based Violence. This motivation has helped Sabina start life all over again by doing odd jobs so that her extended family can survive.

Sabina now hopes that she will thrive and look after her family with the support of her community which she feels understands her better. This is how gender promoters are ensuring that protecting of especially women against GBV is a communal rather than a personal responsibility.

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By Bazio Doreen.

Each year, an estimated 358,000 women in especially developing countries die while pregnant or giving birth and 2 million newborns die within the first 24 hours of life because of inadequate or insufficient health care. During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, each day approximately 800 women died from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth – meaning that a woman died around every two minutes. Observers say these statistics could be lessened if midwifery services are prioritized or upgraded. Uganda has made strides!

According to the 2022 Uganda Demographic Health Survey, recently (2023) released, maternal morbidity reduced from 524 (2001) to 189 (2022) deaths per 100,000 live births. This is mainly because development partners have joined the government in its effort to improve health service delivery at all levels. This is important because Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target 3.1 is to reduce maternal mortality to less than 70 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births by 2030.

The situation in Adjumani.

According to Lulu Henry Leku, the Assistant District Health Officer in charge of Maternal Health, among the 36,000 deliveries registered in Adjumani District in the last three financial years (between 2020 and 2023), only 7 maternal deaths occurred. For a refugee-hosting district where resources are usually meager, what has then been the magic cure?

As a patient narrates her experience, you realize that the solution lies in not just ensuring that all that is required is available, but putting in place dedicated staff with a passion for bringing life forth.

For Chandia Stella, a refugee, and mother of three, the experience of labor is always new. There might be some experience but it never means expertise. As fate would have it, Stella and Harriet met in the labor ward as strangers but left as friends.

Harriet Agwang is a midwife recruited by EMESCO Development Foundation, an NGO supporting health service delivery at Agojo HC II, Agojo Refugee Settlement, Ciforo Sub County, in Adjumani District. She has served there for only 10 months as per the project. But in this about a year, Harriet has touched the lives of many.

Difficult moment.

Harriet’s competence was put to the test when in the middle of the night, Stella was due for labor but had complications. But she had more to worry about, there were 5 other mothers in the ward and they all needed her attention. Stella stayed all night trusting that God would come through for her. At least she felt, she was in the best care.

Harriet dozed off and lay beside her waiting and monitoring her progress. Looking back, Stella says she felt sorry that Harriet had to sleep by her side without any mosquito net. She feared that they might survive the battle to bring her son to the world alive but Harriet may have contracted Malaria. But she stayed strong and thanked God that she had met a good nurse on duty on her expected day of delivery.

Regains faith.

Stella had met Harriet before and heard good things about her passion for work, but they had really never been in a difficult situation together for her to experience it. Besides, she believed that that was her routine work and was probably paid to do so. But she was now more impressed about her human side. She could have decided to go and have a rest in her bed as they waited. Hours later, her son was delivered but the complications continued. She had lost her faith but her son won the battle and still continues to live.

Intervention by EMESCO

Stella is one of the 866 women who received pre-natal consultation services and delivery care. These were offered at Alere and Agojo HCIIs through the recruitment of a midwife at each. According to Stella however, Mothers at Agojo HCII just like in many other parts of the district, suffer from many other challenges ranging from the small delivery beds to the lack of reliable ambulance services and unstable electricity supply.

Harriet who also worked during COVID-19 observed that SOPs were greatly hard to manage for mothers and that could partly explain the high numbers of maternal mortality rate at the time. However, the Ugandan government has since learned its lessons and is now doing better.

Future.

For refugees, UNFPA works in partnership with the Ministry of Health to improve delivery care by strengthening health systems; and training health workers, in particular midwives who are then recruited to work in some of the most hard-to-reach parts of the country like Adjumani and other refugee hosting districts.

According to the State Minister in charge of Primary Health Care, Hon. Margaret Muhanga, the Ministry of Health in Uganda has also been able to ensure that 85% of the population has a 5km radius of a health center. The Ministry of Health also established a system that allows them to identify and categorize women at risk, as well as to continuously monitor and ensure their continued care through pregnancy mapping done by the village health teams and volunteers (partners).

Every year, Uganda hosts the ‘Safe Motherhood Conference’ as an opportunity to reflect on the progress made in delivering the different components of safe motherhood and also provide inputs in the key agenda and campaigns focused on improving maternal and reproductive health in the country.

END.

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.

By Bazio Doreen and Marko Taibot

A section of the refugees from Maaji I Refugee Settlement, in Ukusijoni Sub County, Adjumani District, have hailed the Government of Uganda and the World Bank for heeding to their cry for a better road that connects them to many service points.

The 20.59km Kulukulu-Zoka road that is worth shs 2,231,356,352/= is funded by the World Bank under the Uganda Support to Municipal Infrastructure Development Additional Funding (USMID-AF) that started in June 2024 and was intended to end on December 31^st, 2023.

Moses Jibi, 65, a refugee who came to Uganda in 1994 attest that, in the past, the road was in bad state rendering it impassable during rain seasons.

“The road had a lot of potholes, it was very difficult to take sick person especially at night due to the bad road, at least this time we are able to transport our goods, movement is now easy,” Moses noted.

Zainab Baako, another refugee from Maaji I also explains that the road has been a threat especially while transporting pregnant women to deliver at a health facility.

“In the past, due to poor roads, we have lost babies on the road, but we are now happy that we have got a very good road finally,” Zainab reveals.

Mary Abe, 34, also notes that the road will now help them when it comes to referrals to other health facilities.

“Ukusijioni is a remote area with poor roads and this obviously affects referrals especially during the rainy season when the roads are in a terrible state,” Abe notes.

Mansur Alumai, a peasant farmer from Bekeri Village, Ayiri Parish, Ukusijoni Sub County, observed that the road will help them transport their produce to the market.

“We have been selling our produce cheaply because the road was very poor, now we are beginning to enjoy the road, for many years we have been in trouble particularly during rainy season,” says Alumai.

Hon. Dominic Arambe, the LC III Chairperson, Ukusijoni Sub County, during an interview told journalists the people of Ukusijioni said the good road was long overdue because so many of them were facing challenges in accessing basic social services.

“My prayer is that farmers can now have access to their farm and increase productivity, and the road can transform them economically. Our people are still very poor,” Arambe stated.

He also added that they are targeting the second phase of USMID and other government programs like DRDIP, to open more access roads to farms and other social service points.

The 20.59 kilometer road rehabilitation was awarded to BLD Construction Company limited. Eng. Fred Ijjo, the Site Engineer working with BLD observed that, the road has a guarantee of two or three months which he notes will help improve services.

“We have done the work according to the design that was given, we have a defect liability period of three months that ends by February 2024,” Ijjo said.

Mindra Francis, the Senior Assistant Secretary (SACAO), Ukusijoni Sub County, acknowledges that the road rehabilitation is one of the kept promises and priority of the sub county that will help connect refugees and nationals to many service point.

Mr. Nick Afayo, the District Engineer, says that the road is almost 98% complete and it’s expected to be handed over in January 2024.

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.

By Bazio Doreen and Taibot Marko

Farmers in Adjumani District, including refugees, have been urged to take advantage of the multibillion-dollar market that has been constructed under the Uganda Support to Municipal Infrastructure Development Additional Financing (USMID-AF) project in Kiraba Parish, Ukusijoni Sub-county, Adjumani District.

Mr. James Lowgenya, the Dzaipi Sub-county Agriculture Officer, notes that the Kiraba market has the potential to become a regional market due to its strategic location but only if farmers in the area take advantage of the new market to empower themselves economically.

“Most times, farmers are cheated by the middlemen who end up getting a lot of profits. This is the time for farmers to take advantage of this market so that they avoid the middlemen,” he said.

According to Mr. James, most of the farmers in Adjumani grow maize, simsim, rice and soya beans, but lack market for their produce. Initially, traders were struggling under dilapidated structures, sheltering under trees and during rainy seasons, the market was suspended. The traders also lost their goods to rain and theft because there were no secure places to keep them. 

Mr. Mansur Alumai, a Farmer in Bekeri Village, Ayiri Parish, Ukusijoni Sub-county, attests to this. He observes that many farmers are now likely to earn more from their trade because they will even have an opportunity to store and sell at the same time.

“This market is going to help us because we don’t have stores to keep our produce, and the market has some stores. We are happy that we shall start selling our produce at better prices. I have been getting about Shs4m from sale of cassava and Shs3.5m from rice. With a proper market in place, I expect to earn more because I know the buyers will also increase.” Mansur boosts.

Mr. Dominic Arambe, the Ukusijoni Sub-county Chairperson, says that they are lucky to have been allocated this market, because his Sub County is the only one that has so far been allocated one under the project.

Arambe also observes that this market will attract a lot of farmers and produce dealers from West Nile and Acholi sub-regions and it will be a link to Juba due to its strategic location.

The market is funded by the World Bank at a cost of Shs2.6b, and has capacity to accommodate more than 1,000 traders. The project is expected to be completed by the end of January 2024.

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.

By Bazio Doreen and Aol Nancy.

Local leaders and residents in Adjumani District are happy and excited about the grace period extended to the ongoing road works in Adjumani Town Council under Uganda Support to Municipal Infrastructure Development-Additional Funding (USMID-AF) that was intended to end on 31st December 2023. The 3.1-kilometer road construction costs 10.3 billion and kick-started in June 2023.

However, due to numerous challenges like heavy rainfall, and flooding among others; the contractor, Rock Trust Construction Company Limited was unable to execute the construction works within the project timeline, which necessitated an additional six-month extension of the contract period.

In a letter dated December 18th, 2023, written on behalf of the Director of Regional Integration Africa and Middle East and North Africa Bout (World Bank) to Uganda’s Minister of Finance, Planning, and Economic Development, Hon. Matia Kasaija, and copied to among others, Mr. Ramathan Ggoobi, the Permanent Secretary to the treasury, Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development and some copies were  sent to all the Chief Administrative officers; indicates an extension period of six months from the date of issuance of the letter.

“We refer to the financing Agreement (“Financing Agreement”) between the Republic of Uganda (“Recipient”) and the international Development Response to Displacement Impact Project in the Horn of Africa (“Project”), and to your letter dated October 18, 2023, requesting the Association to extend the closing Date of the above captioned grant provided for under the financing Agreement. I am pleased to inform you that the Association has established June 30, 2024 as the closing date for the purpose of section III. B. 2. of schedule 2 to the financing Agreement,” reads part of the letter.

On the project benefits, Hon. Mangapi Lawrence, the Mayor, Adjumani Town Council, appreciates the World Bank for the funds extended to cities and Municipalities, observing that this funding has greatly improved road infrastructure in cities and municipalities despite the local challenges. He particularly cites 80% reduction in cases of road accidents in USMID-AF project areas due to improvement and upgrading of roads.

Hon. Mangapi appealed to the World Bank to consider extending such funding to other districts that have not benefited from this support such that the livelihood of the people is enhanced.

Mr. Agwe Solomon, a beneficiary in Adjumani Town Council and the district, also says “I would wish to express my unreserved appreciation to World Bank for extending its development objective towards us, by helping strengthen our capacity through Infrastructural Development by funding for Road upgrades as is ongoing in Adjumani Town, building modern markets and Recreational facilities in Ukusijoni and other facilities.”

Mr. Agwe also at one moment mobilized residents of the town to demonstrate over the failure for the project to kick off as expected and what they termed as shoddy works. The delays in implementation of the road works had casted doubt on the competence of the contractor and caused fear that the project was on the verge of failure, as the project period closure date approached with a success rate less than 50%. With the contractor, Rock Trust Construction Ltd, being granted an additional contract period, Mr. Agwe observes that this gives the people of Adjumani, the opportunity to express their gratitude and have a benefit of doubt.

“The upgrade of the road in Adjumani Town Council will perfectly rhyme with the construction of the 66km Atiak – Omi road by STRABAG which incidentally passes through the heart of the town. This will give a uniform developmental face of the infrastructure upgrade complemented by roadside street lamps that will for once give Adjumani a modern demeanor, complete with covered water drainage and a two-way pedestrian walkway,” Agwe observes.

Edina Ajio, an Activist and a Business Woman in the Town, also says that despite all the challenges faced by the contractor, the road network being executed will give Adjumani Town a wonderful facelift if completed within the extension.

“Before the roads were narrow but now, they are wide which I believe will ease movement, Business will also be boosted because with the highway from Atiak connected to Adjumani town, more business opportunities will be realized with this improved network, all thanks to USMID-AF,” Edina says.

Ajio added that with this improved road network, Adjumani town will now enjoy a flooding-free town since this new road will have proper water drainage system unlike in the past.

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

By: Bazio Doreen and Amacha Goli (Daily Express).

The World Bank-funded Leisure Park Project in Adjumani Town Council under USMID-AF was launched by the Minister of State for Lands, Housing, and Urban Development, Hon. Kania Mario Obiga, on August 10th 2022, amid a stern warning to the contractor, Hotel Zawadi Ltd., over delayed works. Hon. Kania further directed the district leaders and technical officers to keenly monitor and supervise the work progress so that the contractor will be dealt with swiftly if he is not compliant.

During the high-profile function that attracted officials from Adjumani District Local Government, USMID Secretariat Kampala, and the Ministry of Lands; the stakeholders unanimously agreed to work together to ensure the project succeeds. True to his word, the contractor has delivered the project, which lies in the heart of Adjumani town along Atiak-Omi Road, as expected and now awaits official commissioning by the Office of the Resident District Commissioner, Adjumani. The components of the leisure park include walk-ways, change rooms, showers, water borne toilets, gardens, and perimeter walls.

The contract, according to the Managing Director, Hotel Zawadi Ltd., Mr. Amaza Emmanuel, was signed on April 13, 2022, and it took exactly 8 months for his workforce to complete the work.

Mr. Amaza also says he is grateful to have been given the opportunity to deliver the shs 1.5 billion project in a record 6 months and that all certificates for work have been duly completed by the office of the District Engineer and he has also been dully paid.

Mr. Afayo Nick, the District Engineer, lauds the contractor for following contract instructions to the dot and attests that the Leisure Park project is one of the best executed contracts under USMID-AF, which also needed less supervision because the company was up to the task.

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

Hon. Anyama also says it is important to encourage and continue building the capacity of more local contractors since they desist from shoddy work for fear of severe backlash from the community, and besides, they are easier to engage in case of poor workmanship.

Meanwhile, 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 facility management 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-based grant (PBG) program that 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

By Debo Ronald – Adjumani.

5^th March 2024 – Authorities of Adjumani district call for immediate withdrawal of communities from acts of burning bushes

Authorities in Adjumani district have called on residents of the district to desist from burning bushes.

Bush burning is the practice of setting fire to vegetation,r intentionally or accidentally.

It is a common practice in the Adjumani district, especially during the dry season.

Some people do bush burning to prepare land for farming, others grow green pasture for animal feed and others go hunting.

In the process, property, which includes; food crops in gardens, houses, and animals, gets destroyed, even when human beings get burned.

Environmentalists and local leaders warn of the dire consequences of this action at the current time and in the years to come.

Charles Giyaya, the Natural Resources Officer of the district local government, says it is a cultural practice that destroys the ecosystem, resulting in climate change thus affecting livelihoods and it is high time residents denounced the practice.

Giyaya appeals to leaders to be able to enforce the district Ordinance about the protection of natural resources and the environment in a bid to minimize and eventually stamp out the vice.

The Secretary of Finance of the district local government, Adrupio Irene Appi says they always sensitize communities about the dangers of bush burning but she attributes the continued uncontrolled bush burning in the district to the rigid mindset of the people that burning bushes clears way for farming and gives way to fresh green grass for animal feed.

The council of Adjumani district local government passed Ordinance on protection of natural resources and the environment, sanctioned by the government lawyer some years ago.

But Richard Kaijuka Arthur the Vice chairman of the district local government says there is a challenge in enforcing the Ordinance.

According to Kaijuka, the local communities do not want to disclose names of persons who set on fire bushes for fear of generating conflicts making enforcement of the Ordinance to catch up with offenders to face the rough of the law difficult.

However, once the challenge is addressed and the Ordinance is enforced without fear or favor, the district will become free of bush burning.

By David Anyanzo/Adjumani

29/02/2024

Adjumani district has experienced significant effects of climate change since 2017. Daily temperatures go to a record high above 32 degrees Celsius, and the community is getting puzzled about what they can do to address the situation.

When Moving around the district, it is visible that there is serious dryness affecting plant, animal, and human lives. Lives of these things are at risk, people struggle to get clean and fresh water for consumption, plants wither for water to keep growing, and animals starve to death, the unending conditions in the district have harmed both humans, plants, and animals.

Mr. Obol Dima the former Youth chairperson of Adjumani district and now an environmental activist blames the adverse heat on the rampant destruction of the natural forests in the district. “he said that there are many human activities that lead to the adverse climatic conditions like indiscriminative cutting down of trees for charcoal, logs, and farming in Zoka corridors and surrounding areas. These trees were helping a lot in rainfall formation and climatic atmospheric modification.

“Bush burning yet is another factor that causes climatic changes, bush burning has continued to be a threat to the ecosystem and general environment hence contributing to the current extremism in weather as the ozone layers get affected, “says Mr. Obol.

“He said that encroachment of the wetlands for settlement and other human activities like farming, and recreational centers within the town and outside the town continue to pose a threat to the climatic hence the current hazardous climatic conditions”.

Mr. Tako Michael the chief executive director of Moini Botanical Garden located in Pakwinya Village, Mungula Parish, Itirikwa Sub County in Adjumani District blamed the unending conditions of the climate in Adjumani district on two human activities firstly, overgrazing and keeping animals beyond the capacity in the area and secondly overuse of nitrogen fertilizer that produce nitrous oxide into the atmosphere all these causes has led to negative effects on both humans and animals like constant drought, floods, increase incidents of pests and diseases, storms, reduction in water levels, high temperature, hunger, loss of biodiversity among others throughout the year.

Mrs. Alice a large-scale farmer in Orungwa Village, Mungula Parish, Itirikwa sub-county said ten years ago she used to harvest over 100 bags of maize grain, 50bags of beans, etc. but due to the change in climatic conditions had drastically affected her farming, When asked what she thinks causes all these shortcomings in the district, she attributed all these to two things, human activities that hinder rainfall modification and the over-dependence on wood fuel and rampant destruction of Zoka Forests for logs. Farming has hurt the climate and affects humans, plants, and farming has given a negative impact on climate that affects humans, plants, and animals.

However, according to Mr. Obol, things can be done to fight the conditions, which includes launching a campaign and enforcing the protection of indigenous tree species that contribute much to environmental conservation

Promotion of farming practices that can allow trees to co-exist with trees; in other words, environment conservation and gazetting more forest reserves in the district, especially natural forests.

Discouraging settlement in wetlands and promoting only eco-friendly activities, promoting massive tree planting by every household, reducing charcoal usage and identifying alternative fuel sources, massive awareness of the role of the local community in environmental protection, and enforcing in-laws against bush burning. 

Mr. Michael lamented that all these negative effects on humans, plants, and animals can be avoided in some ways through the use of renewable energy, diversification, keeping more animals instead of crop farming, the use of an integrated natural resource management approach, afforestation, conservation of existing wetlands, and most importantly, the sensitization of the people to the dangers of climate change on both human and animal lives.

Mrs. Alice requested that the district officials have strict laws put in place for those destroying forests without replacement and the use of renewable energies to reduce the high rate of cutting down trees for charcoal.  

Trees and forests are key to addressing biodiversity and climate change, as they absorb greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide from the air and help stabilize the earth’s climate. 

But as demand for food grows, an increasing number of forests and natural habitats are being destroyed to pave the way for more and bigger farmlands and pastures, hence affecting the climate pattern in an area. As the earth’s temperature rises and the moisture content in its atmosphere increases, weather patterns like droughts, heatwaves, wildfires, hurricanes, floods, landslides, and storms, become more frequent, unpredictable, and intense.

Climate change refers to long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. Such shifts can be natural, due to changes in the sun’s activity or large volcanic eruptions.