By Our Reporter
NAMISINDWA
Residents of Baraki in Bubutu Town Council, Namisindwa District, have accused their leaders of sidelining them and only showing up during elections to seek block votes. They say the entire ward has no electricity and relies on a single open water source, which they are forced to share with animals.
Wanzala Yonah, the LC1 Chairperson of Smart Cell, Baraki, said the community has struggled with water challenges for a long time. He noted that while other areas in the district have safe water, their community has been neglected. He added that the water crisis has fueled domestic violence cases, with women often beaten for returning home late after spending hours fetching water.
Another resident, Mukholi Sam, thanked the NRM LCV flagbearer for Namisindwa, Emma Bwayo, for showing concern and listening to the community’s grievances. He said Bwayo was the first leader to visit the spring well. Cyrus narrated that just weeks ago, a child underwent surgery after consuming worms from the contaminated water—a procedure that cost the family heavily.
Khwaka Grace, a mother from Baraki, said residents have endured the hardship of sharing water with animals and have only been spared from major health outbreaks by luck. She appealed to Emma Bwayo to engage district leaders to at least provide them with a borehole for safe drinking water.
In response, Bwayo Emma, the NRM LCV flagbearer for Namisindwa, who visited the unsafe water source, expressed concern. He said the district has a fully funded water department with an annual budget of nearly 1.4 billion shillings for boreholes, spring wells, and piped water. However, he blamed the top leadership for mismanaging priorities. He recalled that during a recent visit by Minister Ogwang, more than five ghost boreholes were discovered in the district.
