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It is now 13 years since Lwengo separation from Masaka and the district has grappled with unmet promises and unfulfilled potential.
What was envisioned as a new dawn has become a prolonged twilight, marred by internal strife and bureaucratic hurdles.
Lwengo district leaders are lamenting the lack of progress in the area, citing infighting and disunity among themselves as the major obstacle to development.
The district, which was carved out of Masaka in 2010 with six sub counties and four town councils, has failed to realize its full potential due to persistent conflicts among its leaders, resulting in delayed or abandoned projects.
Residents in Lwengo are mainly farmers and herdsmen but they continue to face challenges in accessing basic services like education, healthcare, clean water, and electricity with un passable roads, which hurts people who fought for Lwengo to become a district.
“The time we became independent in 2010, we thought that service delivery was going to be a key to our separation from Masaka but all in vain. The development of our district is still unpromising and we are not seeing the reason for our separation from Masaka,” Deo Lukyamuzi a politician and one of the people who fought for Lwengo existence laments.
According to Lwengo Town Council Mayor Joseph Lubega Bazonoona, the lack of unity among leaders has hindered the delivery of services to the people.
“We promised the people of Lwengo unity and progress when we applied for district status, but unfortunately, we have failed to deliver due to our internal conflicts,” Mayor Bazonoona said.
Bukoto West member of parliament Mohammad Muyanja Ssentaayi echoed similar sentiments, stating that the district has lost out on vital funds due to the failure of leaders to agree on projects.
“Some funds sent to the district have been returned unused due to our failure to discuss and agree on how to utilize them,” MP Ssentaayi said.
The Lwengo district service commission has been dissolved, and the district has not recruited new employees in a long time, further exacerbating the situation according to leaders.
Residents of Lwengo district are now wondering when their district will develop, given the persistent challenges they face.
Sheikh Ismail Kibuule, the District Khazi, solemnly acknowledges the toll this conflict has taken on the district’s ability to govern effectively.
“For them they receive their salary every month plus the allowances, but they have left us the residents to suffer. We want one day to hear that salary funds for leaders were returned by its only ours for service delivery that is always returned back.”
Yet, amidst the gloom, there remains a glimmer of hope.
Leaders such as Mayor Bazonoona, in their quest for unity and progress, offer a beacon of resilience. As the community draws water from stagnant ponds and dreams of clean, accessible resources, the call for collaboration grows louder.
Source; Nile Post.co.ug