CS Wamalwa pleads with locals to back water projects

Residents of Teso have been urged to embrace multi-billion projects initiated by the national government.

Speaking at Lwanya Catholic Church on Sunday, Devolution CS Eugene Wamalwa urged locals not to oppose projects meant to improve livelihoods.

Wamalwa’s plea comes days after residents of Koseny in Teso North Constituency vowed not to move from their ancestral land in order to pave way for construction of Kocholia Multipurpose Water dam.

Kocholia and Angololo Multipurpose Water projects are to be constructed in Teso.

Wamalwa said the key solution to the perennial floods of Teso and Budalang’i was construction of dams to collect water from Malakisi, Malaba and Nzoia River.

“Residents should support the projects by giving out land, the projects will benefit some parts of Uganda and neighbouring counties like Bungoma,” said Wamalwa.

He went on: “We have got money for the projects and to facilitate compensation for the land the Government would acquire for the projects."

He said the project would ensure production of sufficient food through irrigation.

Governor Sospeter Ojaamong downplayed residents’ ‘resistance’ towards the water projects.

He attributed last week's incident where villagers at Koseny opposed the Kocholia Multipurpose project at a meeting organised by county government officers to get views of the locals.

“The place the meeting was held is not where we intend to put up the project and those people (hecklers) were incited by some politicians,” said Ojaamong.