ARUA CITY 🆚️ AYIVU DISTRICT: A BRIEF ABOUT THE MEETING AND RESOLUTIONS THEREIN AT NRM SECRETARIAT CHAIRED BY NRM SECRETARY GENERAL RT. HON. RICHARD TODWONG.
Written By Richard Andama.
20-5-2025.
*Background* Arua city is one of the cities that was pronounsed to be established as one of the regional cities in Uganda, meaning all the people in West Nile would enjoy and embrace it's establishment!
Before NRM took over power on 26th January, 1986, Arua District had the following counties that constituted it.
1. Ayivu County
2. Vurra County
3. Madi_Okollo County
4. Maracha County
5. Terego County
6. Koboko County
7. Yumbe County
However, as we allude on this , the above six former sub counties in the former Arua were being created, elevated as Districts with exception of AYIVU County, whereof the creation of Arua city curved the entire area/ land of AYIVU people as a clan, into becoming Arua city, yet the same claim they too as the landlords had also surrendered Arua Central Division for establishment of Arua municipality then, therefore, former seven (7 ) sub counties ie. Oluko, Dadamu, Manibe, Aroi, Ayivuni, Adumi, and Pajulu automatically being submerged into the city, giving way for Vurra county with only four( 4 ) sub counties to automatically adopt Arua district, the mother name of ( Original Arua District )
Nevertheless, Arua city by population and land size happens to be one of the highly populated and the largest in size, amongst over all the newly created cities in Uganda, whereas the over 90% population having come from AYIVU and over 90% land size coverage! Arua Central covers a small land size which is less than 10%
Thisrefore, exacerbating the rationale in both political representation and service delivery in the city.
The Big question is if other cities are silently and quietly embracing and developing their cities, What specifically went wrong ?
What injustice did our own leaders do that has made the same leaders be branded by their people as liars before God, the president, and the Secretary General NRM of the mighty party in power?
Was it submerging them all in the city where they claim that they have lost their identity as AYIVUS' , their land, the exorbitant property tax being imposed and other taxes that might emerge with time, long distance movement to access offices and poor service delivery that emerged as a result of the creation of the city or their cultural identity and their values that the city is capable of evading them from! Hence, making it null and void to embrace ....
Therefore, to any informed person who is people_ centered, are the above reasons valid ?
Assuming if you are a judge would you rush to judge that the said locals are tribalistic and creating division in West Nile and or give credit to those who failed to do due diligence right the word go following the forgone concerns and petitions that even those who appreciate humanity value at the same time!
Practically, as a result of these same gaps _making it difficult for NRM to organize it's grassroots elections in a city context that was created out of emotions as apposed to logic and patience! Meaning , has AYIVU now become autonomous with about 210 elected persons to Arua city , while at party level having a ratio of 210: 30 ( Ayivu Division: Arua central ) respectively being a creation by the poor Ayivu people!
Consequently, the creation of Arua city was seen as a blessing by the locals, indigenous people and landlords of AYIVU people.
Around 2014, at Arua Hill Boma grounds where president Museveni usually conducts his rallies, it was a jubilation by then when president Museveni made and broke this news loose!
His pronouncement about creation of Arua city made sleepless nights in Arua, West Nile and diaspora at large, both elites and illiterates sung in unison!
Yet in July 2015 the same got themselves in Statehouse meeting with Head of state demanding for a city!
I was one of the witnesses! Yet I keenly can remember guidance the president have to AYIVU people about their land and thanking them for being accommodative and peaceful people as a clan not as would want to portray!
But time has come for dialogue to rejoinder this excitement that happened as a result of creation of the city, It's very normal world over for siblings , brothers and sisters to disagree and agree at the same time at any level, even in families ! It's the same AYIVU'S that must determine their future and destiny by either dialogue or consulting with third parties for a leveled ground provided every platform gives a leeway/ opportunity for concesus, sanity and satisfaction to the warring parties.
To all, this was infact the coming of our " Lord Jesus Christ" as John the Baptist proclaimed !
Similarly, and as usual, politics took the autonomy and center stage to shape this design, conversation, ideology and the architecture of determining how Arua city being pronounced would look like in size and how it's representation would entail visa _vie it's future merits and demerit, in short, medium and long term!
Every decision was made and rushed omnibus without due diligence as well as doing prompt local " *Barazas* " or sensitization at either village or parish levels about the same!
Thou the said leaders claim that an intensive and extensive consultations were done involving all stakeholders including the religious leaders, elders, and civil society for guidance! Something the researchers and *SAVE* *AYIVU* *INITIATIVE* ( SAI ) an organization that is spearheading to reverse the process refutes due to lack of evidence, saying it was a clandistine fraud of the former leaders doing top to bottom management style which is dangerous to societal transformation!
Claiming the same leaders who were at the epi_center of this manipulation are now crying victim ! Saying, it's perturbing for the same to come to realize now that serious issues of poor service delivery has been realized by the community in just a period of four years of the existence of the city!
While the former mayor Al_Hajji Issa Kato distanced himself from the blame game, saying the same comrades never took his guidance to do further consultations into consideration, leaving him vulnerable in the process of engaging further but to succumb to pressure.
The current Arua City Mayor Mr. Nyakua Sam Wadri snubbed the meeting and didn't attend, yet he was responsible to respond because he is one of the key person's/ leaders who happened to be the LC.5 chairman of the Arua District by the time of creation of the city.
HON. Atiku Benard who also led former MPs in Arua was lashed and rebuked by most of the leaders both in government and opposition members who attended the high profile meeting at NRM EC offices in Kampala, where in the middle of the meeting because of the pressure from petitioners, he banked the table and ran out of patience due to anger, leading to the security to descend at the venue and outskirts of the tend where the meeting took place. This was seriously condemned by SG and chair of the meeting, leading to almost his arrest by police, but he later apologized and was given opportunity to respond to claims against him. Mayor Ayivu Division Mr. Malon Avuitia who is being blamed together with other leaders who crafted this creation stated that in his presentation to the delegation that, currently it takes about 30,000= for an ordinary local person to travel to and fro to access services from the current HQ at Onduparaka compared to where they were getting from the said sub counties, something which is quite unusual for people down from Riki in Oluko, Luvu in Dadamu, Eleku or Luvu in Manibe including those at Mangasaba or Odramacaku in Ayivuni. While for others near the HQ spend about 2,000= Uganda shillings yet the sub counties would serve them better at the vicinity and proximity of their existence nearer to the people.
Probably, the confusion, political *quagmire* and contradictions both internally and externally we are witnessing is as a result of how we manage our desires of conflicts of interest at the expense of the ordinary poor people!! Hence, we should look at ourselves as leaders at every stage of implementation of projects at both National and Local levels as servants and good shepherds! Why do our leaders always embrace a rushed decision without consulting all the stakeholders that matter is the quest that cut_across ? Who can ask this one question without blaming anyone and wanting to be for the local people and the vulnerable!
How have we reached here? Who took advantage of the local poor? Who manipulated the whole process? What aspirations and desires were the architects pursuing when they decided to submerge the whole AYIVU people in the current City circumference? As said, who is responsible for the current state? Is it the same politicians as claimed/ alleged by the locals themselves? What informed their state of mind to now openly complain about the same poor service delivery? What lessons have they/we learned from what's happening now? What mitigation measures did they institute to resolve any emerging complaints such as this in their tribunal desks! Has Simon Peter now remembered that, he had made promise to Jesus that, he would never deny him yet after realizing that he had actually done so three times🙏 Has appostle Thomas also now believed that truly Jesus has risen? Have those who doubted the coming of Jesus as proclaimed by John the Baptist seen the truth from the arrival of "Jesus !"
Will it be a *AYIVU* *District* or Creation of more *Divisions* ?
AYIVU people remain the *protagonists* in this movie ! Does creation of a District offer more opportunities as apposed to creation of divisions?
*Resolutions* 1. The former 7 sub counties in Ayivu and 2 in Arua Central that's Oli to and Arua Hill be reinstated for the forth coming NRM grassroots elections.
2. The party NRM chairman who doubles as the president of the Republic of Uganda and CIC, shall be briefed about the meeting for the next course of action.
3. All petitioners shall be informed after guidance from the president at appropriate time but not so long!
4. Be informed here that creation of the said proposed four Divisions by Arua City Council as AYIVUS East, AYIVU North, AYIVU South, AYIVU West and two separate Constituencies for Arua Central and AYIVU District are a preserve of Cabinet and approval to by parliament which ultimately go hand in hand with financial implications.
*Richard* *Andama*
A Landlord and a resident of Arua city _ AYIVU East Constituency.
When too elephants fight, the grasses will always suffer.
ReplyDelete