Housing Supports Government Operations in Amuru
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| Staff housing in Amuru will help keep local government employees focused on citizen needs.
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To facilitate the delivery of government services in northern Uganda, Amuru District was carved out of Gulu in 2006. Large numbers of displaced people were returning to the area that was once plagued by the Lord's Resistance Army, and officials believed that local offices could better address the returning citizens' needs.
Government operations in Amuru, however, did not run as smoothly as anticipated, since most of the employees assigned to the new district lived in Gulu town, some 40 km away from Amuru's administrative seat. Many roads in the region are unimproved and transportation services can be unreliable, so staff members spent significant time and energy seeking transport and commuting. Consequently, workdays started
late and ended early.
Other officials forsook their Amuru duty stations altogether and continued to work from Gulu, traveling to the area only for the most pressing matters. Government responsiveness was severely hobbled.
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| OTI Country Representative John Gattorn and JICA's Tetsuo Seko cut the ribbon inaugurating a staff house in Amuru District.
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Recognizing the need to keep local officials focused on their jobs, USAID's Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI) supported the construction of eight staff houses in Amuru. The facilities are intended to allow administrative staff to serve the district and its returning citizens without the distraction of a long, arduous daily commute.
Significantly, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) also saw the value of providing government staff housing in the district and not only constructed an additional eight units but also worked with OTI to provide solar power and water systems for all the structures.
Speaking at an inaugural ceremony, Amuru District Chairman Anthony Atube Omach said, "The district is committed to improving services, now that [staff members] have no basis for living outside Amuru." USAID and JICA representatives urged local authorities to make good use of the facilities, and the resident district commissioner instructed the chief administrative officer to quickly assign the units to staff members.
The new housing has addressed a significant roadblock in the effort to establish effective local government institutions in the Acholi region. It helps keep government workers in Amuru District where they can respond to community needs and help solidify the peace that has returned to the region.
For further information, please contact the USAID Africa Bureau.
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