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By Julius Mugaga/ KMA Updates.
Kiziranfumbi- Kikuube: Scarcity of Water has stood out as the major challenge facing the people in the newly created Kikuube District.
Kikuube District is one of the new districts in the country located in Bunyoro Kingdom. It was established by an Act of Parliament and became operational on 1st July 2018 having been curved out of Hoima District and covers the entire Buhaguzi County.
It is composed of 5 Sub Counties namely; Bugambe, Buhimba, Kabwoya, Kiziranfumbi and Kyangwali, two town Councils of Kikuube and Buhimba, 29 Parishes and 333 villages.
The district has a total projected population of 443,752 including that of refugees out of which 222,640 are males (50.2%) and 221,112 females (49.8%).
With such a population however, the challenge of water seems not to have been prioritized and this has caused the community face hardships on getting enough water for domestic use, maintaining sanitation and hygiene.
This impulse has been unearthed by community members while sharing views in the four-day training in Kiziranfumbi Sub County on Budget Monitoring Evaluation and Tracking Training organized by Action Against hunger USA-Uganda Mission in partnership with Civil Society Budget Advocacy group [CSBAG].
This has come at a time when Action Against Hunger USA-Uganda Mission [ACF] is implementing a five-year Right to Grow Project in Kikuube District funded by the Dutch Government, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of The Netherlands geared to curb the problem of Malnutrition amongst children below five years.
Kwerema Zainab Patience fetches water from a well in Kinywambeho village, Munteme Parish-Kiziranfumbi Sub County. Photo by Julius Mugaga.
I took trouble to visit key villages with this challenge. I found one Kwerema Zainab Patience, 25 a mother of two fetching water from the well In Kinyambeho village, Munteme Parish in Kiziranfumbi Sub County and narrated the hardship she goes through to collect water for home use.
Kwerema told this News Website that, she moves about two kilometers to reach the water point with worries of the place being inside the bush which puts her life in a risk.
She added that the water is not safe for home use as they use it with animals in addition to erosion from the hill during rainy season. The situation is not different for Kiryatete Cell in the same Sub County.
“Children of this village including mine are not allowed to go to the well because of fears that they may draw or being bitten with snakes”. Kwerema said.
The impulse has not only affected people but also domestic animals.
Kwerema Zainab Patience speaks to journalists at the well in Kinywambeho Village. Photo by Julius Mugaga.
Herbert Asiimwe, the Chairman of Kinyambeho Farmers Group raring rabbits, goats etc.…. informed that rabbits especially, need a lot of water arising from the fact that they are fed on dry food.
He says that water is also needed to grow some fresh feeds for them.
Gerald Muganyizi, Area Councilor Munteme Parish, Kiziranfumbi Sub County Speaks to journalists. Photo by Julius Mugaga.
Gerald Muganyizi, the area Councilor Munteme Parish informed that the whole parish is badly-off regarding water.
He noted that, there is almost one source of water in Munteme parish serving all the neighboring areas.
He says the recent only two boreholes have rolled out for rehabilitation one in Kyakatemba in Kidoma Parish and the other in Kiswaza, Munteme Parish. The two boreholes were prioritized by the Sub County after learning about how water has become a great challenge to the area but that it is not enough because the area is populous with many villages.
He went on and informed that they have collected enough data regarding the water coverage in the area which they will soon forward to the district authorities seeking for consideration.
Muhumuza Shadrack Silver, LC3 Chairperson of kiziranfumbi Sub County in Kikuube District addresses Journalists. Photo by Julius Mugaga.
Muhumuza Shadrack Silver the LC3 Chairperson of kiziranfumbi Sub County blamed the district authority for constantly leaving out his Sub County in regards to the issue of water being the most pressing one in the area.
He says Kiziranfumbi has 32 villages with acute challenge of water in addition to very limited budget allocated to work on such necessity of the village.
He informed that in the 2021/21 FY Budget, only two boreholes were repaired in the Sub County which presses a need for serious interventions in tackling the impulse in the area.
Muhumuza say, because of the big problem in the area, SEED Foundation, a non-governmental organization has promised the construction of shallow wells in Villages of Butimba and Kykatemba and this target those areas with low water table.
He noted that, Kiziranfumbi has about 20 water sources but each converges more than three villages scrambling for water.
Gulihanengo Peter the Parish Chief Munteme Parish admitted that water scarcity is the area’s major hinderance to development but some interventions are being made to avert it.
He informed that they have already had budget conference at the Sub County level and three water sources have been selected ready to be worked on and of the fourteen springs in the area, four were selected.
During her closing remarks on the Budget Monitoring Evaluation and Tracking Training, Mariam Akiror, the Advocacy and Communications Coordinator at Action Against Hunger [ACF] USA-Uganda Mission felt concerned of the prevailing water problem in the area after it was raised during the training.
Mariam Akiror, Advocacy and Communications Coordinator at Action Against Hunger [ACF] USA-Uganda Mission gives her closing remarks after a four-day Budget Monitoring Evaluation and Tracking Training. Photo by Julius Mugaga.
It’s on this point that she asked the community to always flock offices of the parish committees seeking for response on your queries and hold them accountable in case they fail to deliver accordingly.
She commended church leaders regarding them as good advocates of development and asked them to consistently hold the candle for the development of the area.
With Action against Hunger [ACF] USA-Uganda implementing a five year Right to Grow Project on behalf of Uganda’s government in the in Kikuube District with funding from the Dutch Government Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mariam pledges technical support to the implementers of development in the area regarding Water Satiation and Hygiene [WASH], Nutrition, Food Security and Livelihood.
She says, any community without having the above not harmonized is deteriorating one.
She called on the community members who were present in the training to always involve themselves in development government programs in this case the Parish Development Model that is geared to benefit Ugandans right from the Parish level.