CDOs faulted for failing gov’t programmes in Acholi

Gulu, Uganda |  THE INDEPENDENT |  Community Development Officers – CDOs in Acholi sub-region have been faulted for slow mobilization and training of rural communities to access and benefit from livelihood projects.

A CDO supports programmes aimed at reducing poverty and helping to improve the lives of people who live in deprived areas. Their role seeks to involve communities in seeking solutions to the problems they face in partnership with statutory and voluntary bodies.

However, local leaders in the region have accused the officers of laxity in mobilizing, sensitizing and training beneficiaries of Government programmes aimed at improving household incomes to alleviate poverty. 

The Government has rolled out several regional and national community schemes like Northern Uganda Action Fund-NUSAF, Uganda Women Entrepreneurship Programme – UWEP, Youth Livelihood Programme -YLP and Operation Wealth Creation – OWC among others. 

However, the implementation of some of the programmes have been frustrated and remained on paper due to a lack of awareness among the target beneficiaries.

Geoffrey Akena, a resident of Bardege Division in Gulu Municipality, says that most CDOs don’t visit villages to conduct training for rural communities about the existing government projects citing lack of facilitation. 

Dorcas Keyi, a trader in Gulu Main Market disclosed that several good interventions by government lack community ownership because they lack practical implementation and adequate sensitization.

Betty Aol Ocan, the Leader of Opposition in Parliament – LOP, also Gulu District Woman MP says that women and youth in the district lack training and have little knowledge about some interventions by government.

The Lamwo Resident District Commissioner, James Nabinson Kidega, argues they have intelligence reports that some development officers conceal vital information from the public and only deal with isolated community groups where they can directly benefit from. 

However, James Okello Okidi, the Kitgum District Community Development Officer asserts that they lack adequate facilitation to do extensive community sensitization in hard to reach areas. 

While launching the ambitious Presidential initiative on wealth and job creation in Gulu last week, State Minister for Finance, Haruna Kasolo Kyeyune noted that the laxity of CDOs is a national wide challenge.

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