Namisindwa, Uganda: Residents of Baraki in Bubutu Town Council have accused their leaders of abandoning them and only returning during election campaigns to solicit votes, despite the community’s dire lack of basic services such as clean water and electricity.
Wanzala Yonah, the LC1 Chairperson of Smart Cell, said the entire ward depends on a single open water source shared with animals, a situation that has worsened domestic violence as women return home late after long treks to fetch water.
He noted that while other areas in the district have access to safe water, Baraki has been consistently sidelined.
Mukholi Sam, another resident, praised the NRM LCV flagbearer for Namisindwa District, Emma Bwayo, for being the first leader to visit the community’s spring well. He said Bwayo had shown genuine concern and listened to residents’ grievances.
Sam narrated that just weeks earlier, a child underwent surgery after ingesting worms from contaminated water, leaving the family with heavy medical bills.
Khwaka Grace, a mother in Baraki, lamented that residents have endured years of sharing unsafe water with livestock, relying on “luck” to avoid major disease outbreaks. She appealed to Bwayo to lobby district leaders to provide at least a borehole for safe drinking water.
In response, Bwayo, who toured the spring well with residents, expressed concern over what he called “gross mismanagement of priorities” by the district leadership.
The district LC5 flag bearer revealed that Namisindwa’s water department receives an annual budget of nearly Shs1.4 billion for boreholes, spring wells, and piped water, yet communities like Baraki remain neglected. He cited a recent visit by State Minister for Sports Peter Ogwang, during which more than five ghost boreholes were discovered in the district.
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