In Awach sub-county, Abim district, the Ministry of Local Government has completed the repair of a 16.267km road. This road connects Abim in Karamoja to Agago District in the Acholi sub-region. The project is part of the Development Initiative for Northern Uganda (DINU) program and has cost 1.8 billion Shillings.
Under the DINU program, a total of 93.579km of district and community access roads have been rehabilitated at a cost of 7.6 billion Shillings. These include the Atunga-Koya road (8.536km), Aninata-Adwal road (12.134km), and Alerek-Kathimongor road (7.82km).
During the commissioning of the Awach sub-county road, Grace Freedom Kwiyucwiny, the Minister of State for Northern Uganda, representing the Minister of Local Government, stressed the importance of the community taking responsibility for and protecting government facilities such as roads.
The government has allocated funds to districts for road maintenance, and the local community plays a crucial role in keeping the roads in good condition.
The Minister also encouraged the community to focus on agriculture and economic development facilitated by the newly repaired road. He emphasized that the road should be used for positive purposes and discouraged the spread of rumors.
Anthony Namara, the head of Local Economic Development at the Ministry of Local Government, reiterated the message of community responsibility for road maintenance, highlighting the need for the community to care for the road as they have done in the past through road gangs.
Peter Akileng, a resident of Awach sub-county, described the earlier state of the road as a “garden.” He believes that with the rehabilitation, locals in his area will now be able to access the weekly market in Agago District.
Sunday Elizabeth Awili, a member of the Awach Sub-county farmers’ group, explained that they were previously stuck with 40 metric tons of grains in the store due to the poor road network. She is excited that the World Food Program, which has been purchasing the grains, will now be able to access the store and transport the produce. She also noted that pregnant women and children will be able to access medical care more easily.
Overall, the rehabilitation of this road has increased the district’s road network from 198km to 275.91km and community access roads from 236.9km to 253.03km, marking a 35 percent improvement in the condition of roads across the entire district.