RESIDENTS CREATE WHATSAP PAGE TO MOBILIZE FUNDS TO CONSTRUCT FOOTBRIDGE

By Patrick Okaba

Nebbi. Following the failed rehabilitation of the footbridge on River Nyacara by Nebbi Municipality due to budget cuts by the government, residents of greater Nebbi districts have created a whatsap page to raise money to construct the foot  bridge.

The whatsap page is one of the mobilization tools   created by forum for greater Nebbi districts geared at generating local contribution towards constructing footbridge   which will cost the group over shs 6m.

The said  footbridge which serves over 2000 households as an alternative route to the main town linking Nyacara ward,Abindu Division  with  Nebbi  district headquarters has been out of use since it  was swept last year  due to  over  flooding  of the River.

 Mr Emilio Odongo, the president for forum for the greater Nebbi districts says, due to public outcry there is need to mobilize funds by linking up with sons and daughters of greater Nebbi through social media platforms to construct the footbridge before school starts.

Odongo added that, it’s so risky for both mothers and children to access town using the shortcut bridge that was swept by the flooding River since last year in October.

“We have to mobilize both funds and communities to amplify   the construction of Footbridge on River Nyacara before pupils start their studies since the state at which the bridge is, it’s so alarming”, Odongo said.

One of the residents of Akesi cell in Nyacara ward Ms  Fatuma Afoyorwoth  says,  the existing temporary bridge over River Nyacara, which  has been used as a shortcut to various schools , offices and market was swept away by the floods last year in December 2022 and has not been worked on by the municipality making  it hard to access town via shortcut.

Afoyorwoth added that, it’s so risky for young children to cross the river more so when it floods and this prompted the community to have a self-giving initiative in mobilizing the funds.

  “Before the bridge was swept by the floods, they used to take 10 minutes to connect  to town but now,  they take a longer route which they said consumes a lot of time  and is costly ,” Afoyorwoth said.

 According to Mayor Nebbi Municipality Mr Geoffrey Ngiriker, last quarter the council received only shs 31m from shs 200m to implement the council’s activities and this becomes so hard for the council to rehabilitate the bridge.

  He adds that the council budget on local revenue is over shs790 m but  what is collected are so meager to sustain such an emergency budget and  calls on communities and partners to reach a hand to contribute  for the footbridge.

“The council has over three footbridges which are so wanting for the construction but due to poor revenue base, it’s so complicated for the council to construct because of lack of funds,”  Ngiriker said.