Kitgum town council has finally bowed to pressure and dropped the proposal to construct lockups around Boma ground. Early 2012, Kitgum town council passed a resolution to construct lockups around Boma. The decision to fense of the ground using lockups drew angry reactions from the district authorities and residents.
Subsequently, Dan Manano, the acting Kitgum Resident District Commissioner wrote to the minister of local government and minister of land to block the project. The commissioner of land wrote back blocking the project. However, the Kitgum town council decided to engage the authorities to approve the project.
Now, Richard Ojara Okwera, Kitgum Town Council LC III chairperson says that they have given up on the proposal because they are fighting a losing battle. He says that their attempt to negotiate a deal to have the number of proposed lockup reduced from 97 to 38 has also been rejected.
He says that they wanted to erect 38 lockups to accommodate service points such as restaurants, supermarket and gymnasium but this was also rejected. Ojara says that they have been left without any option but to abandon the idea all together.
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Ojara has also blasted the district leadership for fighting developments in the town council, which he says will make Kitgum town council miss big opportunities. He says developers who had paid 50 thousand non refundable fees for application for the plots will now have their money paid back.
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Ojara says despite the rejection of lockups, the council will now proceed ahead to fence the ground using a wall fence. District officials who are accused of sabotaging the project have not yet commented on the latest developments.
Developers who had paid the application fees have also remained quiet on the issue.
