Nakapiripirit Leaders Ask Govt to tackle K’Jong Urban Migration

By Lawrence Okwakol  

Leaders in Nakapiripirit district have asked the Government to address the causes of child trafficking and grassroots  urban migration  especially from Karamoja to urban areas.

Agnes Flora Aguma, the clerk to  council of Nakapiripirit district council in an engagement meeting held at Nakapiripirit town council hall organised by Governance and Accountability of Inter district network (GAIN) supported by a German international NGO Kondrad Adeneur Stifftung said  Kampala  Capital City Authority (KCCA) and other towns should not chase away the street children,  merely because they resolved in council without assessing the causes why the street children and beggars left their residential districts.

Aguma said that the Government should tame urban migration by first accessing the real causes of the children abandoning their mother districts.

Joseph Bongo, the District Police Commander of Nakapiripirit while making his presentation said some children are taken as labourers, maids,shamba boys while some are trafficked to do prostitution, barren people also steal and traffic children for themselves and for labour.

Bongo said insecurity either economic or social are some of the reasons why victims get exposed to child/human trafficking. They move because they are promised opportunities.

Paul Wayama, the chairperson of Morita ward in Morita town council, Nakapiripirit district said some of the street children are being hunted by people whom they reported to have guns.

Wayama said some of the street children can not freely come and settle in Karamoja  unless there are  some activities more attractive than being on the streets.

However, Addah Anyakun the community development officer of Nakapiripirit town council said this grassroot movement to urban areas results from peer groups and poor parenting.

Anyakun said parents don’t give time to their children by guiding them on how to embrace education, instead they  are proud if a child can consume alcohol and remain strong  without staggering while walking on the way.

Samson Okurut Emaasit, the GAIN program manager said they initiated the idea of engaging local leaders to find suitable means of controlling rural-urban migration,  and set some economic activities that will put money in people’s pockets at  the village level.

According to Emaasit  the interventions of the local leadership have been captured and at appropriate time delivered to the committee of gender, labour and social development chaired by Alex Ndeezi .

On his part John Michael Okurut, the resident district commissioner for Nakapiripirit district said that  with all the  concerns raised ,  people  should take education as key.

Okurut said Nakapiripirit district is experiencing high dropout rates in the region and what people think is  sending their children to town as beggars.

Angelina Amaese, one of the participants said GAIN should take this clear package to curb the grassroots  to urban migration to manyattas where the victims live.