Kamwenge gets multi-million facilities for hosting refugees

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Kamwenge district has received brand new facilities worth Shillings 4.5 billion for hosting 69,000 refugees. They include classrooms, toilets, and tanks for rain water harvesting at Damasiko, Mukole and Kamusenene Primary Schools in Kibaale East County.

The facilities were built under the Development Response to Displacement Impacts Project-DRDIP. The project was started by the Ugandan government in 2017 with the aim of improving access to basic social services, expanding economic opportunities and enhancing environmental management in refugee hosting districts.

While commissioning the facilities on Friday, the Prime Minister, Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda noted government decided to put in place the facilities because schools, roads and hospitals in refugee hosting communities face a lot of pressure due to the high population.

For instance, the problems at St Peter’s Mukole Primary School in Nkoma Sub County worsened when more than 30 refugee pupils from Rwamwanja Refugee Settlement Camp joined the school.  However, the school got six new classrooms, two stainless steel water tanks and three six-stance latrines for teachers, female and male pupils under the DRDIP.

Government plans to construct two more classrooms and administration block at the school before this financial year ends. Arthur Tumusiime, the head teacher St Peter’s Mukole Primary School, says there are 594 pupils in the school including 20 refugees.

He however, says the school lacks desks, classroom space and water source among other things. Tumusiime is optimistic that their performance and pupil’s welfare will improve with the new developments.  Under the project, government will also construct a new health center in Nkoma Sub County in Bisozi Health Centre IV to serve as an alternative to Rwamwanja Health Centre III, which can no longer meet the health care needs of the refugees and nationals in the area.

Charles Bafaki, the national coordinator of the project noted that similar projects are to be implemented in other primary schools around the district like at Bwitankanja, Bunena, Nkoma, Nkarakara and Minyuma.  The Kamwenge LC V Chairperson, Aggrey Natuhamya, appreciated government efforts to ensure better living standards in refugee hosting districts.

He was particularly pleased by the fact that some roads in the district like the 15km Bisozi-Bihanga road stretch and Katalyeba-Biguli road were also rehabilitated. The DRDIP is currently being financed with a loan of US$ 50 million that the country acquired from the World Bank.

The same bank also extended a grant of US$ 150million to Uganda for the extension of similar facilities in other refugee hosting districts including Hoima, Kyegegwa, Isingiro, Aria, Koboko, Lamwo, and Kiryandongo.  Figures from DRDIP indicate that the country is home to 1.3 million refugees from neighboring countries such as Rwanda, South Sudan and DR. Congo.

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