Agago County Member of Parliament, Hon. David Lagen Atuka, has reassured the people of Agago County, Agago District, about Patongo Town Council becoming a municipality in 2025. Hon. Lagen David Atuka, in a telephone interview on Thursday afternoon, reaffirmed the issue to the media. He was speaking on the phone from Kampala about his significant contributions to the development of Agago County, Agago District, including efforts to make Patongo gain municipality status in the next financial year.
He added that he has already met the Minister of Local Government, Hon. Raphael Magezi, about the matter, and the minister confirmed to him one-on-one about the three areas of Acholi that shall be elevated to municipality status. Atuka noted that at least three town councils in Acholi sub-region, including Anaka and Patongo Town Council, are going to be among other municipalities, and that will come into effect in the next financial year.
Hon. MP Atuka has called upon the people of Agago District to embrace the spirit of unity, reconciliation, and teamwork instead of segregation or sidelining others while benefiting from any government programs in the district. However, he rallied the people of Agago to take their children back to school next week, as the school calendar indicates clearly that the term opens on the 5th of February 2024, Monday next week. He said education is the key pillar of development that the people of Agago County should take seriously so that development is realized in the whole of Acholi sub-region.
MP Atuka narrated that several government programs like Emyooga, YLP, UWEP, PDM, among others, must be made known to the people by line departmental heads.
One of the youth who spoke to our reporter on the phone on condition of anonymity from Patongo Town Council, in Bardege Cell, said Lagen David Atuka, as an MP, has done a lot in supporting the youth, sponsoring about ten youth in Gulu University. However, he should now focus on carving another new district out of the current Agago.
Akot, a 48-year-old woman, added that Patongo Health Centre should be elevated to either a district hospital or a health center IV. Johnson Okello of Lukole Sub County, Agago District, a 43-year-old man, has commended MP David Lagen Atuka for always supporting various groups and spearheading the efforts to make sure UWA’s stray elephants and buffaloes were driven away from the area of Lacekoto, Adilang Sub-County recently.
A 56-year-old Mzee of Patongo Oporot Cell, Patongo Town Council, who requested not to be quoted in this publication, urged the people of Agago County, Agago District, to copy the good footmarks and examples from MP Hon. Lagen David Atuka, who is advocating for togetherness and teamwork for the people of his constituency. “MP Lagen Atuka has been giving free chairs for various functions in Agago County, developing Patongo Youth Centre, among others, and that is the kind of heart that most leaders should copy when it comes to leadership with a difference,” he said.
While talking to the Ankole Times newspaper on the phone on Thursday, Lagen thanked Gen. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni for putting in place the initiative of the PDM program whereby several people in Agago District and the whole country benefited from the one million shilling disbursement given recently. He assured the people that “he will continue to lobby from the NRM government to benefit not only a few in Agago but quite a number of people, including elevating Patongo Town Council to Municipality status among many others yet to come in the nearby future.”
