Joseph Ayolo, Kotido – Officials from the Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Water and Environment, and other government bodies are still grappling with how to defend themselves after being publicly criticized by Kotido District Chairperson, Mr. Paul Lote Komol, over corruption.
Last week, Mr. Komol vehemently rejected claims made by officials from the two ministries before President Museveni that they had constructed new valley dams in every district of Karamoja.
However, when it was his turn to address the President, Mr. Komol refuted the report from the officials, asserting that no new dams had been built in the nine districts of Karamoja, apart from the old dams constructed years ago during the tenure of First Lady Janet Museveni as Minister for Karamoja Affairs.
“Your Excellency, there are no new dams in Karamoja. Let these people stop deceiving us. Whoever can dispute this, let’s go to the field,” Mr. Komol roared, throwing the officials into a state of shame and disbelief.
According to Mr. Komol, the only existing dams in Karamoja are the Arecek Dam in Napak, the Longoromit Dam in Kaabong, the Kobebe Dam in Moroto, and the Kaicom Dam in Amudat.
He further stated that Kotido and Abim districts have not received any new dams.
In his response, President Museveni remained calm and promised that the government would ensure that every district in Karamoja receives a multipurpose dam to help mitigate drought in the region.
The President was touring Karamoja to assess the progress of the Parish Development Model.
Meanwhile, Karamoja has become a region plagued by mismanagement, with over 50 billion shillings, allocated for various development projects from KFW, the World Bank, and the Islamic Development Bank, reportedly misappropriated. This has left the region yearning for much-needed development.
