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By Bazio Doreen. Adjumani District Council has paid tribute to the late Hon. John Boyi Opio, the first District Chairperson of Adjumani, recognizing his contribution to education, public service, community leadership and environmental conservation.The tribute was made during a special district council meeting held on 16th October, 2026, where councilors and district leaders reflected on the late Opio’s legacy and resolved to name key district facilities in his honor.The council resolved to rename the Administration Road that connects Gulu – Adjumani highway to Paridi Stadium; as JB Opio Road. It also proposed that a planned Resource Centre to be constructed at the district headquarters under the Development Response to Displacement Impacts Project (DRDIP II) be named after him.District Chairperson, Hon. Ambayo John Anyanzo, described the late Opio as a role model teacher, mentor and political father to many serving leaders in the district.“As a pioneer leader, the late Hon. JB Opio demonstrated that sacrifice is an essential virtue in leadership. His commitment to serving the people earned him their trust and respect,” Anyanzo said.He explained that the meeting was initially intended to be a joint Ma’di Sub-region Council gathering but proceeded as a district-level tribute because the chairpersons of Moyo and Obongi districts were away on official duty in Kampala.Hon. Anyanzo also revealed that the Ma’di Sub-region Convention planned for December 2027 is expected to establish a prominent Ma’di Elders Forum to strengthen the participation of elders in community affairs and regional development.He added that the late Opio’s photograph would be included in the Hall of Fame being developed at the new district council hall, preserving the memory of leaders who contributed to the district’s development.The district chairperson further urged the District Service Commission to consider qualified children of former leaders when filling available positions, in accordance with the established recruitment procedures and merit-based requirements.The Assistant Resident District Commissioner for Adjumani, Obumai Simon Peter, described the late Opio as a selfless, peace-loving patriot who dedicated a significant part of his life to serving the people.He called on current leaders to emulate Opio’s example, particularly his commitment to unity, public service and environmental conservation.Representing the Lajopi Clan, Thomas Lagu described the late as a humble and unifying leader who valued teamwork and cooperation.Beyond his political career, Opio served as a head teacher at Cesia and Onigo Primary Schools. He later chaired the District Service Commission during the tenure of former district chairperson Hon. Owole Nixon.He was also a prince in the Lajopi Clan and a respected farmer known for growing mangoes, demonstrating his involvement in both community leadership and agricultural enterprise.His daughter, Glofa Opio, remembered him as a cheerful, hardworking and responsible father who cared deeply for his children.The late Opio who died at Adjumani Hospital on 9th October 2026 after a short illness was survived by a large family, including 6 wives, 22 children and 76 grandchildren, according to information shared during the meeting.The district’s resolutions to honor him through public infrastructure and the Hall of Fame are intended to preserve his contribution to Adjumani’s history and inspire future generations of public servants.END.
By Bazio Doreen.Adjumani District has taken a step towards strengthening climate change resilience among school children and surrounding communities following an inception meeting for the Climate-Savvy Children in Uganda project held on 13th October 2026 at the District Natural Resources Department Boardroom.The meeting brought together key stakeholders and district technical from the education, natural resources and production departments to discuss the implementation of the initiative, which seeks to promote climate literacy, energy conservation, ecosystem restoration and tree planting in refugee-hosting communities.The project is being implemented under the Uganda Refugee Resilience Initiative (URRI) by a consortium led by Save the Children International (SCI), with support from Haldor Topsoe. Valued at Ugx 247,232,380/=, the project is scheduled to run until July 2027.Speaking during the meeting, Aciro Kevin, Programme Manager at Save the Children International, said the project would help children and communities understand climate change and adopt practical measures to respond to its effects.“We can’t run away from harsh weather and therefore people need to adopt resilience initiatives and adapt to climate change,” Aciro said.The initiative targets 10 schools, 10,000 children, 1,000 vulnerable households and 40 artisans across Adjumani and Lamwo districts. In Adjumani, the project will work with selected schools and communities to promote sustainable environmental practices and reduce reliance on traditional firewood use.Planned interventions include: establishing 10 functional climate clubs, installing 10 institutional cooking stoves and planting 500 seedlings across four nursery sites.The project also seeks to reduce firewood consumption, although the precise reduction target and measurement method will need to be confirmed during implementation.Aciro emphasized that community ownership would be critical to sustaining the project's achievements beyond its implementation period.“We shall consider schools that are ready to commit to owning the project and taking good care of the trees,” she said.Allan Ssebutinde, the Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) Coordinator at Save the Children International, explained that the organization would assess schools against established selection criteria before identifying the final beneficiaries.“I request the District Education Department to submit a list of 20 schools for assessment, from which five schools will be selected,” Ssebutinde said.The remaining five schools will be selected in Lamwo, bringing the total to 10 schools across the two districts.Among the considerations are the availability of a school feeding programme and the school's readiness to support the interventions and maintain the facilities provided.The Resident District Commissioner, Toko Swaib, commended Save the Children International for selecting Adjumani for the initiative and encouraged the project team to prioritize fruit trees, which could provide both environmental and nutritional benefits.“The PTAs, and SMCs, need to understand what this project is about before they commit to ease implementation. This will also help us achieve sustainability when the project ends,” Toko said.He also called for relevant authorities in selected schools to be oriented on the project and advised the implementing team to avoid schools already benefiting from similar interventions, where possible, to promote fair distribution of resources.The District Vice Chairperson, Hon. Obulejo Geoffrey, urged the project team to extend its engagement beyond school administrations to include communities surrounding the selected schools.“I am a tree grower and I also know the benefits of trees. We have unreliable rainfall and our people are starving. We need our farmers to also embrace afforestation,” Hon. Obulejo said. He noted that strengthening community participation could help reduce dependence on forest products and encourage households to explore alternative sources of fuel.The initiative comes at a time when Adjumani is experiencing climate-related challenges, including a recent three-month dry spell and concerns about heavy rains and possible flooding. These conditions underline the importance of strengthening preparedness, environmental conservation and community-level adaptation.To promote sustainability, the project plans to support maintenance committees and work with School Management Committees (SMCs) and Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs). Climate-related activities are also expected to be integrated into school improvement plans to encourage continued action after the project ends.END.
By Bazio Doreen. Adjumani District has recorded a measles-rubella vaccination coverage of 197 per cent, ranking second nationally following the five-day immunization campaign conducted from October 1st to 5th, 2026.The campaign targeted children aged nine months to five years, aiming to close immunization gaps and strengthen protection against measles and rubella.Adjumani vaccinated 61,652 children against a target of 31,200, exceeding the national reported coverage of 110.9 per cent and West Nile’s 129.1 per cent. The campaign’s national performance target was 95 per cent.The achievement comes amid continued national efforts to prevent measles outbreaks. Uganda recorded 66 measles outbreaks in 2025, while a national analysis reported that 115 of the country’s 146 districts experienced at least one confirmed outbreak between 2020 and 2025.National and regional performance.According to the campaign figures provided by the Ministry of Health (MOH), 8,446,467 children were vaccinated nationally against a target of 7,616,746, including 101,937 children who were receiving their very first dose.A total of 139 of Uganda’s 146 districts achieved the initial target of 95 per cent, while 29 districts reported coverage of at least 120 per cent.Across West Nile’s 13 districts, 730,024 children were vaccinated against a target of 578,873, with 10,390 children receiving their first dose.Performance across lower local governments.Despite the Adjumani district’s overall performance, results varied across lower local governments.Itirikwa Sub County recorded 110 per cent coverage, Adropi Sub County 108 per cent, Arinyapi Sub County 106 per cent, Ciforo Sub County achieved 99 per cent, Ukusijoni Sub County 97 per cent, Pachara Sub County 95 per cent and Adjumani Town Council 104 per cent.However, Ofua recorded 74 per cent, Dzaipi 76 per cent, Pakele Town Council 80 per cent and Pakele Sub-county 85 per cent, falling below the 95% national target.The results point to the need for continued community mobilization, targeted outreach and follow-up of children who may have missed vaccination opportunities, particularly in refugee-hosting and underserved communities.Addressing population and data challenges.The reported coverage of 197 per cent has been attributed to several factors, including: mobile refugee populations, outdated population estimates, children vaccinated from neighboring districts and mop-up data that have not been fully reconciled.These factors highlight the importance of accurate population estimates and reliable vaccination records to support planning, resource allocation and monitoring.Reconciliation of campaign data will help establish the extent to which the reported figures reflect the eligible population within the district and identify communities where additional vaccination efforts are required.Strengthening routine immunization.National immunization data reinforce the importance of maintaining vaccination services beyond supplementary campaigns. World Health Organization/UNICEF estimates for 2025 placed Uganda’s measles-containing vaccine coverage at 92 per cent for the first dose and 66 per cent for the second dose.The figures underline the need to identify children who have missed subsequent doses and ensure access to routine immunization.In Apaa, measles cases were reportedly registered between January and March 2026. Limited access to a public health facility and children missing subsequent doses after receiving their first vaccination have been identified as concerns.The district’s next priority is therefore to sustain the gains of the campaign by strengthening routine immunization, improving access to health services, following up on missed doses and reviewing lower local governments that performed below target.The reported results provide an opportunity for the district health team and local leaders to reinforce efforts towards ensuring that every eligible child receives recommended protection against measles and rubella.END.
