By Alexander Mackey Okori
KOTIDO: Despite receiving Shs1 billion from the central government for road rehabilitation, poor road network remains a big problem in Kotido district and as such, pregnant mothers and other patients have found it hard to reach the health centres in time.
Health workers, residents and Sub-county leaders in the district are blaming poor health service delivery on roads, which they say are impassable especially during rainy season and are hampering not only the health services but also other sectors of development such as trade.
These concerns came to limelight during an interface meeting organised under Women’s Amplified Voices for Accountability (WAVA) Project being implemented by Nakere Rural Women Activists (NARWOA) in partnership with Forum for Women in Democracy (FOWODE) with funding from the Royal Danish Embassy.
The meeting held at Losakucha Catholic Church over the weekend, brought together community members, women community monitors, Sub-county leaders from the Sub-counties of Kapeta, Kacheri, and Kacheri Town Council and district leaders to discuss issues hindering service delivery.
During the discussion session, Rose Leya, the district councilor representing Kacheri Town Council who also serves as the Chairperson of Kacheri Women’s Network, said that movement of emergency cases, mostly those in labour pain, has been made more difficult due the poor road network across the district.
She explained that the road linking Lokiding to Kotido town through Lopuyo is in a deplorable condition.
“The roads full of neglected gullies have been rendered impassable, especially during rainy season, denying residents access to healthcare services, education and markets among others”, Leya remarked.
Sande Ayo, also known as Namuteker, a resident of Tepeth village, Kalogwel Parish, in Kacheri town council, cited an incident where a woman reportedly gave birth on her way to Kacheri Health Centre IV because the boda-boda rider carrying her could not reach to the facility on time due to poor road network.
“One woman went into labor, and her relatives called a boda-boda rider to take her to Apalopama Health Centre II. Unfortunately, she gave birth along the way, and the child’s backbone got damaged because the boda-boda rider could not reach the facility on time due to the deplorable state of the road,” Ayo said.
Hellen Napeyok, from Kapeta Sub-county lamented that though the health workers at the facilities are committed to serve the people despite the enormous challenges they go through such as understaffing, and drug stock outs, accessibility remains a huge barrier.
“The road that goes to the facility is in a sorry state and patients cannot access the facility”, she pointed out.
Napeyok said that the facility which serves as the only source of medical care for the residents in the area, remains underutilized because the roads are ruined.
Judith Irene Amuge, the health in-Charge Apalopama Health Centre II, voiced similar concerns, saying that it takes an ambulance from Kotido General Hospital three hours to reach the facility in case of an emergency, a distance that under normal condition of the road would take at most one hour.
“The road leading to the facility is in a poor state. Right now it’s accessible but when it rains neither a motorcycle nor vehicle can get through,” Amuge said.
She appealed to the district leadership to rehabilitate the road leading to the facility, noting that improving on the road would not only restore access to the facility but also enhance overall development in the area.
The LCIII Chairpersons of Kapeta Sub-County, Paul Calvin Moding, faulted the district leadership for allegedly neglecting roads that are under its docket.
“A majority of the roads that are under the district have not been graded for years, which has rendered them impassable especially during rainy season. And I want to appeal to the district to ensure routine maintenance of these roads to ease mobility of people, goods and services across the district”, Moding said.
Daniel Alex Kolia, the LCIII Chairperson of Kacheri Town Council, cited Lokoona-Lotanyant Road, Kokuwan-Lokiding, Road, Lokoona-Kalogwel Road, and Makal-Kalogwel Road as some of the roads that urgently need to be graded.
In response to the concerns, Patrick Ocan, the Kotido Civil Engineer in charge of water, who presented the engineering department, assured the community the roads would be worked on under Uganda Road Fund (URF) and Road Maintenance Grant (RMG) this financial year.
Among the roads earmarked for rehabilitation under the Road Maintenance Grant (RMG) include Dopeth-Nakoreto-Lopuyo Road (8.98Km), Maaru-Nakwakwa-Lopuyo Road (8.95Km), Nakoreto-Nakwakwa Road (6Km) Kadukan0Kaidila Road (7Km), while Kanair-UPDF Brigade Road which is 5.2 Km will be worked on using Uganda Road Fund (URF).
Micheal Okongo, Women’s Amplified Voices for Accountability (WAVA) Project for Kotido district, said the issues which were raised during the interface meeting and are beyond the capacity of sub-county and district leadership would be forwarded to the regional interface meeting.
He said that upgrade of Health Centre IIs to grade three status are policy issues which can be discussed at the regional interface meeting to be held at Moroto on a date to be communicated.
The regional interface meeting according to Okongo will bring together the leaders from the five districts of Amudat, Karenga, Kotido, Nakapiripirit, and Napak, where Women’s Amplified Voices for Accountability (WAVA) Project is being implemented.
