A section of Zombo locals and leaders are failing to read on the same page, following the wide spread practice of unlawful soliciting of cash from road users across the district
This is emanating from the pounding rainfall the area is experiencing, propelling the community to take up matters in their own hand to work on bad spots on roads that ideally should be regularly maintained by the district.
According to some leaders, many locals have turned the practice into fortunes thus exacerbating the misunderstanding propping now.
Apparently, traders who ply Patera-Abakamel road are facing it rough as they are forced to pay over sh 500 or more, to get access to the road. This is being done by a group of locals who target to fix the bad spot on the road every Market days on Sunday, as a battery of traders throng the busy Abakamel market.
Though the law criminalizes the practice, the community insists, saying the district has failed to work on the road for more than 5 years, and that they are doing it to the advantage of everyone regardless of where they come from.
In an interview with this publication on July 24, 2024, Thomas Stereo, the LCI chairperson of Nyawir village, Anyola Parish, Atyak Sub county supported the community`s practice of soliciting for small support from the public, as they fix bad spot on the road. The road leads to Abakamel Market.
He blamed leaders right from Atyak Sub-county up to the District level, for neglecting work on the road for years, noting of the revenue the government generate from Abakamel Market.
“I totally agree with what the youths are doing in getting some little money from road users when working on the road, the district and the sub-county has failed to work on this road since 2010 yet they collect revenue from Abakamel Market all the time” Thomwa stated
Asked on the allegations of forceful soliciting of money from locals and violent blocking of road access for road users who can‘t afford, Thomwa condemned such a practice, revealing that “we as local leaders have sat them down and cautioned them against violent demand for money, we have resolved that they have to request support peacefully and shouldn’t force people”
This publication understands that the road in question is to be fixed by the district in this “financial year”.
Another LCI Chairperson from Anyola lower parish who requested for anonymity, expressed dissatisfactions with the district leadership, saying the rampant practice of community soliciting for money from road users forcefully is spreading courtesy of the district failure to work on the road.
”What do you expect from the community when you the district leaders have failed to work on the road, the locals are doing so because the state of road is so deplorable” He explained
Patera-Abakamel road is the only pivotal road that helps traders access the ever busy Abakamel Market that is at the extreme end of the border of Zombo – Madi-Okolo districts.
This Publication has learnt that due to the sorry state of the road, many members of the community mobilize to work at bad spots on the road, with the aim of targeting small money from traders especially on the busy market days every Sunday.
A trader identified as Peter Okweda from Mundel Parish in Nyapea sub-county, blamed the youths who mount road blocks on the road for being arrogant and intolerant.
“Those boys especially in Anyola Lower parish are so harsh, if you say you don’t have money, they don’t give you acess to the road to the market, sometimes I end up wondering wether that road belongs to them” Okweda said as he recounted the nasty experience he went through last Sunday on market days.
A road user only identified as Jerose from Anyola Lower, Atyak sub- County wondered why the youths always undertake work on bad spots on market days every Sunday.
“Working on bad state of the road is not bad but why do they always do it every market days on Sunday, people use that road daily and if they are doing it genuinely, they would do it on any other days. It makes me think they are targeting money from people” she shared, seeking for clarification from the district leaders.
In the year 2022, President Yoweri kaguta Museveni, ordered removal of all road blocks across the country, upon flurry of concerns from members of the public, accusing mainly security officers of using the road blocks to extort money from members of the public.
Local leaders react
Douglas Rupiny, the district councilor of Padea town council and a member of district committee of works and technical services, acknowledged a number of concerns raised about that practice that he said are wide spread across the district.
Rupiny warned the involved community against the practice, adding that the committee is the verge of commencing monitoring of roads across the district, ahead of planned works for this fiscal year 2024/25.
“We have noticed with concern that some community members working on Patera-Agelemu road are extorting money from traders and other road users by force. We are saying they should be warned that we are coming for them because that practice is totally illegal, it’s not bad to fix the bad spot but should not create a ground for using force on our people, very soon we are starting monitoring of those roads” Rupiny said in an interview with this publication .
Meanwhile Francis Bolingo, the district councilor of Athuma Sub-county blamed the practice on the negligence of local leaders from local council I up to the sub county level.
He condemned the forceful practice of demanding for money from traders and rallied traders “to report such individuals to police for immediate action or take their photos for easy identification “
Recently, the resident district commissioner of zombo Grace Atim warned members of the public against mounting illegal road blocks threatening arrests of those involved.
Other hotspots that the communities are reporting such similar practices are Athuma, Jangokoro, and Warr town council amongst others.
In the neighboring Nebbi district, similar concerns have been repeatedly raised along Panyimur-Parombo road.
Apparently, local governments get financial support of sh 1 billion annually for maintenance of roads.
