By Alexander Mackey Okori
Amid indebtedness for the government’s development efforts, leaders from Kotido district have made a strong reminder to President Yoweri Museveni about appalling state of roads and unfulfilled pledges, calling for urgent action on persistent challenges that threaten to slow district’s progress.
The leaders, through a presentation by the National Resistance Movement District Chairperson Dr. Paul Lochap, handed over a detailed memorandum to Museveni during his campaign rally at Lomukura primary school playground on Monday, October 27, 2025.
The document outlined major accomplishments under Museveni’s government while also highlighting unresolved issues holding back inclusive development.
The leaders accredited government under Museveni’s leadership for pacifying the Karamoja Sub-region, which had been plagued by insecurity for decades, upgrade of Kotido Health Centre IV to General District Hospital, establishment of regional presidential skilling hub in Napak district, and Karamoja Peace and Technology University in Kotido district.
Other achievements are upgrade of Kamor Health Centre II to Health Centre II to grade III Health Centre, Kacheri Health Centre III to Health Centre IV, establishment of Sinat dam, Kailong dam, commence of construction of 60 kilometer electric fence around Kidepo National Valley park to curtail marauding elephants from invading people’s homes and gardens.
Despite these achievements the leaders asked the president to upgrade major roads under the central government such as Kotido-Abim-Soroti road, Kotido-Moroto, Kotido-Kaabong road to tarmac.
These central roads according to Dr. Lochap are riddled with potholes, broken bridges, and mud, making travel hazardous.
“Your Excellency, well-intentioned government programs such as the Parish Development Model (PDM), Growth, NUSSAF, Emyooga, and Operation Wealth Creation, among others, have contributed to the socio-economic transformation of the people of Kotido. However, access to external markets for what they produce remains a nightmare due to poor road network,” said Dr. Lochap.
He explained that the deplorable state of roads in the district has made the cost of doing business very cost with business people incurring huge loses.
“In line with the NRM manifesto for 2026-2031 themed “Protecting the Gains”. We would like to ask you connect us to markets within Uganda and beyond by tarmacking our roads,” urged Dr. Lochap.
He is optimistic that tarmacking Kotido-Abim-Soroti road, Kotido-Moroto, Kotido-Kaabong road, would security, education and health services and movement of people and goods in and outside the district thus boosting the household income.
Creation of Kapeta District
Dr. Lochap also urged the president to endorse the council resolution of January 11, 2025 and September 17, 2025, to create a new district called Kapeta from the Kotido district.
He said that the population of Kotido district is 200,000 people according to the National Population and Housing Census 2024 report from 34,000 people in 1980s because of Museveni’s visionary leadership.
According to Dr. Lochap, the creation of Kapeta district will help take services nearer to the people, create employment opportunities to the unemployed graduates and improve governance.
Once approve, the proposed Kapeta district with a population of 1, 3000 will comprise seven sub-counties and three town councils.
The NRM chairperson also called for the upgrade of Kotido Vocational Training Institute to provide hands-on skills to the illiterate youth in Kotido district and other parts of Karamoja sub-region.
“Based on the importance of skilling, You Excellency, the people of Kotido request you to upgrade Kotido VTI to accommodate more illiterate youths to gain marketable skills, which will stimulate job creation, reduce poverty and scale down livestock rustling, high way thuggery, human traffic, and poaching of wildlife,” urged Dr. Lochap.
Unfulfilled Pledges
Dr. Lochap also used the same occasion to remind the president about outstanding unfulfilled pledges made years ago.
Among the pledges include; compensation of livestock lost under UPDF control from the protected kraals. The cattle of Matia Longok in 1991 and Loila Lokop are among those in the compensation claim.
Others include; Kotido school bus pledge made at Morulinga state lodge in 2006, payment of veterans, who served government between 1992 and 2004, tractor and vehicle pledged to legendary musician and NRM mobiliser, Alex Loputan at Barilemu state lodge on May 17, 2023, and pardoning over 4000 Karamojong youths detained in various detention facilities across the county on charges of illegal possession of illegal firearms and cattle rustling.
What Museveni Said
In his response to the rallying cry of the leaders over poor road network in the district, Museveni assured them of NRM’s commitment to improving road network in Karamoja sub-region in order to boost its tourism potential.
He said that government will tarmac Moroto-Kotido Kaabong road and Kotido-Abim-Soroti road though he didn’t specify when the works will commence.
“Infrastructure like roads, electricity, railway and telephones are the foundation of the economy and that ever area must have them,” he told district leaders and the electorates.
Museveni, who condemned the recent teachers’’ strike over salary increment, said the NRM government believes in doing things based on prioritization.
“The tarmac is coming but you must take advantage of various government programs to create wealth don’t lamented about poor roads because you don’t sleep on them”, Museveni urged.
He warned that tarmac roads alone, which people are craving for cannot eradicate poverty.
Museveni gave an example from Moroto where a tarmacked road was constructed, and asked whether people there sleep or eat roads, accentuating that the priority is fighting poverty.
He stressed that the roads belong to everybody but poverty belongs to and individual, therefore poverty eradication must begin at the household level.
Museveni then directed the Ministry of Works and Transport to ensure timely maintenance of all marram roads across Karamoja to avoid deterioration due to heavy rains and other unforeseen circumstances as government plans to upgrade them to tarmac.
However, he called on the people to Karamoja to vote for him as the only way to protect the gains Uganda has achieved in the past decades.
