Town dwellers in Lira Municipality are protesting the lack of public toilets facilities in the town. Lira municipality has one public toilet that is located in the crowded bus park. It is used majorly by taxi operators, brokers, boda boda motorists and vendors. They pay shillings 200 for a long call and 100 shillings for a short call.
However, not all members of the public are able to access the single toilet facility in the busy Lira town. Mathew Opio, a resident of Bar Sub County in Lira says that he finds a big challenge to answer the call of nature. He wants the authorities to construct public toilets in strategic places in the municipality.
Harriet Atim, a trader at Lira Bus Park says that because of the huge number of people fighting to use the only toilet facility in the park she prefers to use toilets in hotels. She explains that as a woman she finds it unacceptable to queue up with men to access the only public toilet in the park.
Merry Aol, a shop attendant along Obote Avenue says that women are most affected because they find it embarrassing to line up to use the toilet in the park. Ambrose Ocen, the Town Clerk Lira Municipality says that they don’t have a budget to construct public toilets in the municipality. He also says that if residents are pushing for the construction of public toilets in the municipality to get free services that will not be possible.
//Cue in: “There is no free…………..”
Cue out: “……………. but people pay”//
Ocen advised the residents to use the toilet facility at the bus park and another at the municipality building. Lira municipality is one of the towns pushing to be elevated to a city status. About 500,000 people operate in Lira Municipality daily.
