Residents of Kibiito town council this afternoon disrupted an induction meeting for district councilors to protest the lack of access to clean water in the town council. It all started, when residents got information that the councilors were attending an induction meeting at Kibiito town council hall.
The residents mobilized and stormed the meeting demanding for an explanation from the councilors why town council has been lacking water for the past one year. Last year, Kibitto town council was formed out of the areas of Kaina, Rwembunzi and Rwekomiire. However since then, there is no single water source and the residents have often blamed the district for neglecting them.
Frank Musinguzi, a resident says that for a year, they have been consuming dirty water from unprotected water sources, which has increased cases of dysentery in the area. Musinguzi says that they have resorted to harvesting rain water or move long distances to access clean water.
Gorreti Kansiime, a resident of the town council says that the nearest water source is at Yelya parish church, which is 7 kilometers from the town council. Kansiime says some people have taken advantage of the lack of water, to increase the cost of a jerry can of water to 600 shillings.
She also says that she is not happy because this year’s budget did not cater for construction of water sources in the town council. Michael Kyomya, a resident of the town council says that there was no need to create a town council yet the basic necessities are lacking.
Kyomya says that the creation of the town council to bring services nearer to the people is a hoax because it is the leaders who are benefiting and not the residents.
He says that the leaders wanted the town council created because they wanted to vie for political offices. Kyomya says that in future administrative unit should be created after the basic necessities have been established.
//Cue in: “the creation of…”
Cue out: “…other than dividing them”//
However Clovis Mugabo, the speaker of the district council has appealed to the angry residents to calm down, saying that water sources will be constructed in the town council before the end of this year.
When the residents asked him why they were not included in this 2011/2012 financial year, Mugabo blamed the Secretary for Finance and the budget committee for not allocating funds for the construction of the water sources.
