Due to the high priority projects the district has been implementing under the Uganda Support to Municipal Infrastructure Development (USMID) program, Isingiro district has requested the World Bank to extend the USMID program to enable them fully complete the projects. The district has also requested the development partner to consider a second phase of the program.
The current phase of the USMID program is expected to close at the end of this year December 31, 2023. In his address to the world bank team, the district Chairman Turahi Aaron said that Isingiro has the greatest number of refugees, in two settlements and that the district remains one of the largest districts in the country and hence a need for more funding than the rest.
“Isingiro has 30 lower local governments and is one of the biggest in the country. It borders Rwanda and Tanzania, and we are proud to be home to 25,000 refugees as of today, which number keeps increasing due to what is happening in the world,” Turahi Aaron said.
He added: “We are almost a size of a combined 6 districts in total but our budget allocations do not increase. We therefore appeal to the World Bank to increase funding to us, and also give us a second phase of the USMID for continuity.”
With only three months to closure, the World Bank Uganda office has been visiting the districts in western Uganda implementing the USMID program, to among others; Review progress of all activities including infrastructure in the Cities, Municipalities and Districts Hosting Refugees under the program, Review work plans, budgets, releases, and utilization of funds by the different implementing entities to identify subprojects at risk of noncompletion by program closure date, Assess compliance with the fiduciary and safeguards requirements during implementation, Review implementation progress of other sub activities implemented under the Refugee Window (Physical planning and Systematic Land Adjudication and certification), and; Discuss the plans and requirements for program closure on December 31, 2023.
Isingiro, like 10 other districts that host large numbers of refugees has been implementing the program in three areas of physical planning, systematic land adjudication and also small-scale infrastructure like culvert crossings, resource centres, markets and low-cost seal roads among others. The other 10 districts implementing the program are Yumbe, Kamwenge, Kiryandongo, Lamwo, Terego, Moyo, Madi-Okollo, Obongi and Adjumani.
Currently Isingiro is implementing 11 projects totalling to 35Bn, and these are; 8 sealed roads totalling to 7.09kms in the town council, 14 gravel roads totalling to 74.4kms both in the town council and others in Rushasha. Among the static infrastructure is construction of 3 markets and 2 resource centers, and also construction of 5 cross drains within the town council and the large Nyungu to Rwempanju cross drainage of 0.51kms in Rushasha.
Turahi, during the supervision exercise thanked the Government and the development partners and emphasised the changed environment of Rushasha which has now accessibility. In Rushasha forexample, the mission established that 700 metres new cut out well gravelled access road has saved residents a distance of 7kms to get to their destination. Such stories and impacts are what the chairman explained, and so were the residents and beneficiaries who interacted with the team.
The world bank task team leader appreciated the district performance saying the category of projects that they selected for implementation were all good and met the objectives of the program. At the commencement of the USMID program, the funding towards the Refugee hosting districts sub component included support to physical planning of the refugee host communities and their neighbouring areas within the district; enhanced land tenure security for both refugees and host communities; and infrastructure investments and all are meant to enhance social cohesion, inclusion and togetherness for the hosting communities and the refugees.
In his address, the World Bank Task Team Leader Stephen Ajaalu, also clarified on the issues of operation and maintenance especially the roads which once they are commissioned, they can be abandoned and wear out immediately especially the gravel road. He implored the district to ensure constant budgeting for operation and maintenance, and community engagements to ensure all the projects keep in usable forms.
He also tasked the district to ensure there is consensus at occupation of markets by vendors especially by first establishing clear occupation guidelines devoid of complaints and corruption and secondly forming, prior to occupation, market governance committees which shall be responsible for the general management of the markets. Ajaalu did not commit on the extension of the USMID program, but said his team would discuss it on its merits, once the Government formally submits a request.
Uganda is currently the largest host of refugees in Africa and the third-largest host in the world, with over 1.4 million refugees. Refugees settled in Northern Uganda, predominantly in the West-Nile sub-region, now constitute more than one-third of district populations.
The influx of refugees has turned the rural communities into settlements with urban characteristics and with one of the most progressive refugee regimes in the world, where refugees have right to work, establish business, move freely within the country, access social services, own property, and obtain documentation, most of the refugees always make Uganda a home hence the need to accommodate them and have social services for all.
The Ministry of lands team was led by the acting Director of physical planning and urban development Vincent Byendaimira, and he was accompanied by the commissioner of Urban Development in the Ministry of lands Pade Joseph, and the Commissioner of Urban Administration in the Ministry of Local Government Charles Magumba, and a host of USMID secretariat staff, among others.