HUGE RELIEF as hilly Budadiri residents get metallic ladders…thanks to NRM’s Woboya; Works ministry challenged
A section of Sigwa ladders- Butandiga sub county
It is a common sight to see residents in eastern Uganda especially in Bugisu sub region climbing makeshift ladders to make it to the top of the hills.
Such risky steps have earned Agnes Nambozo, who works at Buluganya Health Centre III found in Bulambuli District an accolade for the nurse of the year by Health Minister Ruth Aceng.
However, as the Works Ministry wakes up from the slumber land, the wooden makeshift ladders may soon become a history in the region as area leaders rise to the occasion by erecting permanent metallic ladders.
And one of those area leaders championing this initiative is Vincent Woboya, the former MP Budadiri East, Sironko (10th Parliament).
Sironko district is structured into both high and low lands.
And given that residents depend on agriculture, most of the productive areas are those on the slopes of Mt. Elgon.
Nearly half of the population inhabiting these hilly areas produce coffee, Irish potatoes, onions, tomatoes and beans that are supplied throughout the year with most of the fresh products sold to markets in South Sudan, Kenya and other areas within the Great Lakes region.
Woboya observes that the problem of high terrain threatens livelihoods of the mountain dwellers as quite often they fail to ferry down fresh produce to the markets on time which end up rotting away making the owners lose income from their hard invested capital.
On the other hand, social services like education and health are seriously hampered—some of the learners are forced to drop out of school as they fail to commute on the risky routes daily.
Civil servants like teachers and health workers who are not accommodated at their workplaces within the Mountainous communities are curtailed to climb through the terrain daily to offer their services especially in rainy seasons thereby affecting service delivery.
In Sironko district, the sub-counties facing this challenge in Budadiri County East include; Legenya, Bugitimwa, Masaba, Zesui, Butandiga and Bukyabo where close to 5,000 households are affected.
“After a thorough analysis of this problem as the area Member of Parliament in the 10th Parliament, I devoted time to study it and sought solutions from geological and structural engineers on what should be done.
“We then developed an initiative through what we termed as a simplified movement for people living in Mountainous areas.
“Under this proposal, we agreed to erect metallic ladders on 10 identified hills within the area scope,” Woboya told this publication.
Accordingly Sigwa hill in Butandiga sub county, Bunagami Hill in Legenya, Gasawa Hill in Bugitimwa, Zesui Hill in Masaba, Bukyabo Hill in Bukyabo were the first to be identified to benefit under the initiative.
“We successfully erected metallic ladders on Gasawa Hill at a cost of shs60m through personal savings. The ladders on Sigwa and Bunagami hills cost us to a tune of shs50m and also from personal savings,” he says, and is now imploring the Ministry of Works and Transport to intervene.
The beneficiaries interviewed by this publication on a recent visit to the communities, were visibly happy with the structures that have greatly improved their lives and given them a ray of hope as mountain dwellers for better education of their children, improved social service delivery as well as increased access to markets and other trade opportunities.
They say the metallic ladders have also drastically reduced crime rates as previously wrongdoers could carry out crimes in the community and escape through the ungazetted routes.
Politically the people appreciate the NRM Government for this support and pledge to continue the support.
On the tourism front, it’s a worthwhile venture that has already seen a number of tourists trekking to Mt. Elgon uses these ladders to climb up and down and certainly numbers will increase and that’s a boost to the tourism industry.
“It’s our prayer that more of these projects can be focused on hard-to-reach areas and facilitate delivery of services to mountainous communities,” Woboya, who in the 10th Parliament served on various committees in the house, pleads.
At 53 years of age, he has a lot of pragmatic experience on local government administration having worked as a sub county chief and deputy chief administrative officers in the formative days.
His contributions in the military are on record in northern Uganda.
Since landmines were classified as a disaster in both military and government circles, Woboya as a principal disaster officer under the office of prime minister found himself in the middle of such a heavy assignment.
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