Karamoja LDUs Foot for 184 Kms To Withdraw Salaries

Maj. Peter Mugisha, the UPDF 3^rd Division spokesperson, confirms that the lock down has affected everyone including the army and LDUs and as such, they should also adhere to the directives so that the public can learn from them.

The Local Defense Unit (LDU) security forces in the Napak district of Karamoja sub region in northern Uganda are footing for a distance of up to 184 kilometers to withdraw their salary after since there is no transport service available to take them to Moroto.

Aica has learnt that the LDUs have to trek from Napak to Moroto district where they can access the ATM services for their monthly salaries and return to their duty stations. The distance from Napak to Moroto is 92 kms and in summation for a return trek, the distance comes to 184 kms.

Napak district currently lacks any banking services nearby for any user to access cash and according to our sources among the LDUs [who also preferred anonymity], this challenge has negatively impacted on their daily routine. They reveal that they have to leave Napak in the wee hours of the morning so that they can get back in time to catch up to their respective duty stations the next day.

They disclose to Aica that the lock down has made means of transport to Moroto very difficult and some of them are forced to break the Presidential directives by sharing a motorcycle.

“Some of us now hire a motorcycle and you find three people loaded on it which is also against the directive, but we have no choice although people keep shouting at us,” said one of the LDUs.

They call upon the government to direct banks to use mobile banking services to reach them in such distant areas so that they can avoid being caught on the wrong of over loading on motorcycles.

Maj. Peter Mugisha, the UPDF 3^rd Division spokesperson, confirms that the lock down has affected everyone including the army and LDUs and as such, they should also adhere to the directives so that the public can learn from them.

He added that they had issued a directive to all soldiers and LDUs to wait until the situation is normal so they could be taken as a team to make transactions as always done or else they can use their trusted family members to do such transactions on their behalf.

“This pandemic is a big threat and our forces being the pillar of the country, have to be safeguarded from this virus. That is why we issued those directives to them,” Maj. Mugisha said.

The spokesperson also reminded the security forces that being in uniform does not exempt them from adhering to the directives, and also urged the general public to keep observing the issued directives such that the Virus can be defeated in Uganda.

Napak district has never had any banking service since it was curved out of Moroto in 2010. The only mobile banking service in the locality is done by Post bank, that only goes to deliver arrears for Social Assistance Grants for Empowerment (SAGE) to beneficiaries.

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