The Lodwar Municipality Board has engaged residents of Kanamekemer and Lodwar Township Wards to openly chart the way forward on service delivery and at the same time, give their suggestions on areas of improvement, through a citizen forum. The engagement meetings were conducted in town halls.

The Board Chair, Christine Tatoi explained that the exercise was in line with the provisions of the Lodwar Municipal Charter and the Urban and Cities Act 2012, which requires Municipality Boards to undertake public engagements through citizen forums quarterly.

Speaking after the engagement, Tatoi confirmed receipt of valuable contributions from the public on the need to act with speed on solid waste management and drainage systems, to safeguard the Municipality from choking with garbage shortly.

According to the Municipality Manager, who is also the Secretary to the Board, Benjamin Tukei, the exercise also provided a platform for sharing the government’s plans to be actioned in line with budgetary allocation for FY’2023/2024.

“As a government, we are fully aware that such engagements are important tools of transparency and accountability to the public. All concerns raised will be fully aligned with the services delivery plan, which is in the budget.” Manager Tukei said.

Additionally, Tukei added that participation of members had been drawn not only from individual members of the public, but also from civil society organizations, special interest groups, and associations of professionals.

During the Kanamkemer forum, Mary Emase pointed out that Kanamkemer streets were littered with plastic bottles and garbage blocking waterways.

On the same note, Peter Edung, another resident in Kanamenkemer called on the Board to regularly service the existing street lights, as some of them had been rendered non-functional.

Representing residents at Lodwar Township, John Eipa, raised concern over the garbage in the residential areas, the increased rate of open defecation leading to foul smell in some sections of the town, and an emerging trend of increasing incidences of theft.

According to him, Nakwamekwi areas had been affected by the failure of the street lights, hence increased thievery.

The Board has been carrying out similar exercises before on a quarter basis, a move that provided residents with an opportunity to request improved road networks, street lights, waste management, markets, and social amenities.

During this quarter’s engagements, residents also shared their input in a soft copy and various document formats, handed over to the Municipal Manager.

The Board members present included; Bishop Boniface Lokuruka, Chris Erukudi, Margaret Nabali, Ambrose Merinyang, Moses Mariao, and Roseline Ngilebei.