By Kagolo Igra
Leaders of Butenga Sub-county, Bukomansimbi district, were left in disbelief as they discovered that thieves had brazenly stolen the doors of a newly constructed pit latrine.
The incident occurred at the site earmarked for the construction of the sub-county headquarters at Kanonivillage along the Villa Maria-Bukomansimbi-Sembabule highway, adding an unexpected twist to the ongoing development project.
“I came to monitor the site when I saw that the metallic doors that we have just put on the latrine were stolen,” Kagimu Leonard Ssalongo the sub-county Chairperson said.
“We are just constructing our sub-county headquarters but there is no way we are going to develop when everything we put in place they steal them,’ Nayiga Sylvia Kawoko Parish chairperson added.
Kagimu said that since Bukomansimbi became an independent district in 2010 after it split from Masaka, Butenga sub-county is one of the sub-counties that first made Bukomansimbi district but since then they have no offices and they have been operating from Kabaka’s buildings.
He added that ‘After a period of now 13 years while borrowing Kabaka’s buildings, in the financial year 2021-2022 the government gave us shs.20m to start constructing sub-county headquarters so I sat with my sub-county council and we decided to first build a pit latrine and it costed shs.18m and the stolen doors cost shs.800,000.”
Kagimu also said “As Butenga sub county we receive little funds for example this financial year we received only Shs. 17m to run the sub-county which is very little and now we don’t know where we are going to get money from to replace those doors because even the Headquarters building we are constructing remained on a flow due to lack of money. So, we are appealing to the government to help us to replace these doors as we are waiting for funds to finish our Headquarters building. ”
The Butenga youth councillor Kyagaba Lawrence also appealed to the government to help them with funds so that they finish their Headquarters. ” If we have been operating from here, I am sure thieves would have fear to come and steal the doors because they would have a fear that someone can see them but now it’s just a bush and someone can take anything he wants without any compromise.”
Residents and leaders alike are now grappling with the implications of this peculiar crime. Law enforcement has been notified, and an investigation is underway to identify and apprehend the perpetrators responsible for this unusual theft. The incident has sparked discussions on security measures for government infrastructure projects, as community members express concerns over the safety of future developments in the area.
As the community rallies to address the setback, there is a collective determination to ensure that such incidents do not hinder progress. The stolen doors serve as a symbol of an unexpected challenge that Butenga Subcounty leaders are now determined to overcome, emphasizing the resilience and unity of the community in the face of adversity.
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