Newly installed street lights excite business community

By Mike Rwothomio

The business community and residents of Paidha town council, Zombo district have commended the efforts of Paidha town council, for installing street lights in many dark spots in the town that are hotbeds of criminal acts, especially at night hours. #WhisperEyeNews

This comes at a time when crimes like snatching of bags, phones, and food items amongst others have become common in the town.

The LC III Chairman Paidha town council Innocent Onega Godfrey says this development will reduce the rate of crime which are committed during night hours, and promote business for the residents in evening hours.

Onega observed that places like Kaya trading centre, Bar Okoro, Paidha health centre 111, Club Kwete, Tiend Mach, Lorry Park and Bed Kuwengu Street now have street lights meanwhile the plan to move to other places is underway.

The LC III Onega has urged the residents to own these street lights, by watching out for scrupulous people with ill motives of vandalizing the lights for metal scrap.

12 electrical lights and 14 solar panels of 130 watts each, worth shs.31,150,000 have been installed out of the local revenue generated in town.

In January 2021, Due to a hike in cases of night robberies by thugs who were later well-identified by locals, 7 men were lynched by burning in broad daylight in different parts of Paidha town council.

What the community say

Scovia Oweknyinga from Oturgang ward, noted with excitement that the street lights will ease movement and improve security.

Ayenya Jennet, a fishmonger says the solar panel street light at “tiend mach soko” is helping them to sell fish unlike before when she could use light from her phone.

She says the phone light would not provide an adequate source of light hence the rate of stealing their fish was too high.

However, Sadiki Juvono from the central ward expressed concerns about the missing street lights at some dark spots in Alengukuma which he notes is another hotbed of criminal acts.

Paidha market which is just 2 kilometres away from the DR Congo border, was started by local farmers in the 1950s, became a town board in 1983, and a town council in 1994. Its leaders are appealing for it to be uplifted to municipality status.

Among other developments in Paidha town is the construction of a multi-billion lock-up market which the locals boast about as it will improve business as well as livelihood.

This project which is one of the combined efforts of the government and European Union is being implemented under the Development Initiative for Northern Uganda DINU project.