By Juma Magino
BUSIA
Residents in Lumino Sub County in Busia district have asked government to intervene and complete the stalled borehole projects that were drilled in their area a decade ago.
The area residents who spoke to our reporter said that they were approached by a non-government organization known as Eastern Umbrella of Sanitation & Water which promised to drill boreholes across their area which would later enable them access clean water.
Speaking to our reporter, James Bwire Nagafa, the LC3 Lumino Sub County, said that he was the one who connected the Eastern Umbrella of Sanitation & Water in the sub county through his friend who was by then working in Tororo district.
He said that the coordinators from the organization came and inspected the areas where they would drill the boreholes.
He added that after the team inspected the sites, they did not inform him the exact date when the project was to kick start.
He says the team came back after sometime without informing his office and they drilled boreholes in people’s land then later abandoned the project halfway after residents demanded compensation for their pieces of land where the pits were drilled.
Sega Oguttu and Vincent Sanya, all residents of Lumino Sub County said that when the leaders from Eastern Umbrella of Sanitation & Water approached them and informed them about the project, at first they voluntarily offered their pieces of land for the project to be implemented.
They added that they were later shocked to find out that the officials who were implementing the project decided to abandon the sites with halfway drilled pits and concrete stones scattered all over their land without getting compensated.
David Jackson Ouma, the chairperson of Nebolola village, has asked the Busia Local Government to make a follow up on this project that has stalled for almost 10 years.
He wants the Busia LG to take charge and complete the already drilled pits and install boreholes so that residents get relieved of the burden of looking for clean water.
On his part, Paul Wafula Bwire, the area councilor disclosed that the project had targeted villages that lack access to clean water across Lumino Sub County but it is very unfortunate that project implementers withdrew without its accomplishment. He thus asks the government to take over and complete this project.
