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ADJUMANI DISTRICT ALLOCATES UGX 46.7 BILLION BUDGET FOR FY 2026/2027.

By Bazio Doreen.Adjumani District Local Government has allocated a budget worth Ugx 46.7 billion for the Financial Year 2026/2027 representing a 35.59% significant reduction compared to the Ugx 72.6 billion approved in the running financial year.District leaders are now concerned about the trend observing that it is likely to affect service delivery, especially amid the rising population of both nationals and refugees in the district. Currently, Adjumani hosts 528,885 people, including 300,590 nationals and 228,295 refugees.During the budget conference that took place at the district council hall on 10th November 2025, district leaders however attributed the decline to several factors, including the completion of major donor-funded projects such as USMID-AF, DRDIP, PRELNOR, and NUSAF, whose conclusion has left noticeable funding gaps.The Chief Finance Officer (CFO), Leku Samuel, acknowledged that the budget trend has shifted over time.“Where are we heading? This is the first five years before history. As you can see here, the trend is coming down. For the last five years, we were doing well. It started from 25 billion to 72 billion during COVID time. Then you can see the trend has been the positive one. Now we have moved to 46 billion. Today we are gathered here for 46 billion,” he said.Speaking on the issue of the budget reduction, District Vice Chairperson, Hon. Kaijuka Richard Arthur, noted that the decline is not unique to Adjumani.“I think everyone is aware that it’s not only in Adjumani but the whole nation is affected. But specifically, for Adjumani, most of the government projects have ended. I want to request our partners that though most donors have withdrawn, let’s continue supporting with the little we are having because the population of refugees in Adjumani is almost the same with the host community,” Kaijuka appealed.As of 31st October 2025, the district has so far realized Ugx 21.6 billion out of the current budget of 49.7 billion representing 43.53%. While local revenue performance stands at Ugx 219.77 million out of the Ugx 2.6 billion budgeted, representing 8.3%. Central government transfers were Ugx 20.4 billion out of the total budget of Ugx 42.8 billion, which is 47.7%. For donors’ support, the district has so far received UGX 1.008 billion out of the total of 4.3 billion representing 23.6%.To improve revenue performance, the Senior Finance Officer, Mr. Samson Yuma, highlighted several strategies drawn from the District Development Plan (DDP4) 2025 - 2030, including: Electronic evaluation, assessment, and collection through the Revenue and Social System; enforcement of local revenue mobilization and collection by both political and technical teams; strengthening internal control systems using electronic receipting; regular tax coding, consultations, and reviews; reviewing reserve prices for all revenue sources and enhancing supervision and enforcement at all local government levels.Hon. Kaijuka, also highlighted the importance of transitioning from subsistence to commercial agriculture to stimulate income growth.“Uganda’s economy and most of our people are employed in agriculture. But we must move away from subsistence farming to commercial so that money comes in our pocket,” he said.Despite the funding cuts and donor withdrawal, district leaders expressed commitment to strengthening local revenue mobilization, enhancing efficiency, and ensuring that the limited resources are optimally utilized to meet the growing demands of both the host and refugee communities.The annual budget preparation process was conducted in accordance with the Public Finance and Management Regulations (2026). The budget conferences at all levels are convened in accordance with section 7 subsection 1 and 2 (b) of the Public Finance and Management Regulations 2026. The District priorities are done based on submissions from the lower local governments.END. 

NEGATIVE CULTURAL PRACTICES PUSH REFUGEE BOYS OUT OF SCHOOL.

 By Bazio Doreen and Anzoo Evaline. Mothers in the refugee settlements of Adjumani District have raised deep concern over persistent cultural practices that continue to negatively affect the education and moral upbringing of their children.The practices, which include the early initiation of boys as young as 14 years into adulthood, are being blamed for promoting immoral behaviors and contributing to school dropouts among young boys.Amer Dhieu Dau, a concerned mothers say that such traditional rituals, which were once valued as a rite of passage in their countries of origin, have now become harmful in the current context of life in the settlement. Many young boys reportedly lose interest in education soon after the initiation ceremonies, perceiving themselves as “men” who no longer need to attend school.“We are worried as mothers because our boys are being forced into adulthood at a very young age. After initiation, they begin to disrespect us, we are really suffering in the hands of these boys, refuse to go to school, and start engaging in immoral activities like drinking and womanizing,” said Dhieu a mother of four living in Ayilo I Refugee Settlement. According to teachers in several refugee settlement schools, the aftermath of these ceremonies is reflected in reduced school attendance and performance among the affected boys. Some students reportedly abandon school completely, claiming they are now “adults” and no longer subject to the authority of teachers or parents.Mr. Aluma Ivuson Richard, the Head Teacher of St. Thereza nursery and primary school in Ayilo I Settlement, noted that cultural practices, though important, should evolve to fit the changing world.“Culture should not destroy the future of our children. We are in an era where education and technology determine survival, not traditional initiation rituals,” he said.The mothers have appealed to cultural leaders and elders to abandon these harmful practices and instead embrace modern values that promote education and positive behaviors among the youth. They emphasized the need for awareness campaigns and dialogue between elders, parents, and the young generation to harmonize culture with the demands of modern life.“As mothers, we are not against culture, but we want our children to be prepared for a better future through education, not through outdated traditions. The world has changed, these days we don’t even need some of this culture thing and we must change with it,” said Mama Alulo, another refugee mother.Alugbwi Albert, the Assistant Settlement Commandant – Ayilo, on his part pledged to engage cultural elders and community leaders to address the issue through community dialogues and sensitization sessions. They believe that combining respect for culture with education and technology will build a more progressive and morally upright generation.“As partners, we are trying our level best to talk to this people about the importance of educating our children before bringing in culture and we shall continue to sensitize them”, said Alugbwi.The initiation ceremonies, often conducted by community elders, involve teaching the boys traditional values and survival skills meant to prepare them for adulthood. However, mothers and education leaders argue that in the modern setting, these practices are outdated and detrimental to the social and academic development of the children.END

ADJUMANI POLICE RESCUE 9 FOREIGN NATIONALS FROM HUMAN TRAFFICKING.

 By Bazio Doreen. Police in Adjumani have rescued 9 foreign nationals believed to be victims of human trafficking who were being transported from Kenya through Uganda to Libya with promises of lucrative jobs.According to Police, the victims – four from Kenya, three from Somalia, and two from Eritrea; were intercepted after Adjumani Police Station received information from Gloria indicating that a friend from Kenya, Olupot Joseph, had contacted her. He reported that his brother and several others were being detained at a guest house called IQM, located within Adjumani Town. The information raised suspicion.Acting promptly, police officers, with the assistance of GPS technology, conducted a raid on the guest house. During the operation, nine individuals—one female adult and eight males—were found staying in two separate rooms.During an interview, Fatima Mohamed, 16, an Eritrean, narrated her story, explaining that they had been trafficked by unknown persons who promised them job in Sudan and Libya.“We were going to Juba to work. A young man called Sumani, he told me that he would get me a good job. This young man told me to throw away my phone and keep quiet, and then he would give me work there. We never saw their faces or their numbers. They just put us in a taxi. The taxi came from Uganda. They said they were taking us to collect bottles. I didn’t tell anyone everything. They told us, “Don’t tell anyone the name of the person; it’s a secret.” Now the Ugandan government has found out about these bad people and they have helped us I am so happy,” Fatima explained.Abdu Rashid Ali, 24, Kenyan, also said that the person has used different drivers to transport them across from Nairobi to Kampala and later to Adjumani where they have been rescued by police in one of the hotels called IQM in Oudrueyi village.“We are being travelled by different drivers from Nairobi to where we are. Thanks to the Adjumani police officers who are freed us, and then and they have given us good advices, helped us. And here we are doing well. The police have given us something to eat and a very good place to sleep. I don’t have more information about those people who are traveling us, but the journey was to begin from Nairobi up to Libya to Juba where they have promised us a good life, a good money, and I better job opportunities. It was just through phones and they were not even speaking to us,” said Abdu Ali.He further added that “We were not allowed to communicate. We were not allowed to use our phones and especially our SIM cards like Safaricom and Airtel. They feared maybe one of our parents could track us or give the information to the police. Instructions were following the rules. No more questions. Just follow the rules you were given.”Adjumani District Police Commander (DPC), SP Masembe Herbert, confirmed the incident, noting that the victims are currently under police protection as investigations continue to identify and arrest the perpetrators behind the trafficking network.“I want to be categorically specific. These are victims. They are not suspects in police custody. They are here for safe custody as we process and link them with their relatives to be taken back home. Following our investigation, we so far have one person in custody who was in the process of trafficking them to Southern Sudan until when they were going to be trafficked up to Libya. So, as of now we have one suspect whom we are interrogating but we are also hunting for others who are in that racket. And we want to assure the public that we shall get there and we shall update the public. We are working hand in hand with immigration and then the commissioner in charge of human trafficking for the Uganda police force. To see that they are taken away from here but handed over to the right people who are their relatives and then they are taken back home,” said SP MasembeThe Deputy RDC Adjumani, Emmanuel Okware, warned the public, especially young people, against falling prey to human traffickers who lure victims with false promises of overseas employment.“Human trafficking is against international law. We must ensure that people avoid getting involved in human trafficking. It’s against the rights of the people being trafficked, but they’re behind the scenes there are always people who are benefiting. So, we want to condemn this act. We want to condemn the financiers of this act, and we want to appeal to people to provide information to the institutions charged with responsibility of keeping law and order in the country. So, we want to appeal to the intelligence arm to continue doing a good job they are doing to provide to dig out some of these challenges we have,” Deputy RDC stated.The Police PRO of North West Nile region, SP Asea Collins, in his report urged everyone to be vigilant and report any information that can lead to the arrest of the suspect involve in this trafficking incident.“We urge anyone with information that may lead to the arrest of the suspect involved in this trafficking incident to come forward. The investigation remains ongoing,” said SP Asea police PRO.  Meanwhile, the rescued victims are receiving psychosocial support and basic assistance from relevant authorities and humanitarian agencies as arrangements are being made to repatriate them to their respective countries.The police have vowed to strengthen border surveillance and collaborate with neighbouring countries to combat the growing threat of human trafficking in the region.END.