The State Minister for Northern Uganda Rehabilitation, Dr. Kenneth Omona, has drawn strategic plans for the socio-economic transformation of Northern Uganda and its gradual leap out of poverty.
The plans according to Dr. Omona come against the backdrop of the 2019/2020 Uganda National Household Survey reports which puts the poverty rate in Northern Uganda, at 67.7%, making it the poorest region in the country.
Barely three months in Office, since his appointment as the State Minister for Northern Uganda, Dr. Omona unveiled what he considers the magic bullet to salvage the Northern Region from its current poverty status.
Speaking to stakeholders in Gulu City Dr. Omona said one of the strategies is community engagement (Baraza), which will be conducted by Parish Chiefs in the parishes in Northern Uganda, comprising Acholi, West Nile, Lango, Bukedi, and Elgon.
Omona noted that community engagement, which will take place every three months and has already received a nod from the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Local Government, will help to highlight the experiences of locals about government programs and the challenges they are facing.
“The Permanent Secretary of Local Government will issue a circular to the Accounting Officers…to ensure the Parish Chiefs conduct Barazas in their Parishes,” Omona said.
According to Omona, the Parish Chiefs will not receive additional payment for the task but are required to use premises such as churches, schools, and tree shades to discuss with the community government programs such as the Parish Development Model (PDM), Emyooga, Universal Primary Education (UPE), Universal Secondary Education (USE), and Security among others.
Omona on Baraza’s
Dr. Omona argued that people should share experiences during such meetings on their income-generating activities and the challenges they are facing in operating them.
“This community engagement can expose you to a lot of ideas that can be shared by the people and brought to the attention of the government for action,” he said.
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