Report by Bufunjo People’s Forum on service delivery monitoring

Bufunjo Peoples Forum is a youth advocacy forum in Bufunjo Sub County, Kyenjojo district initiated by the local citizens with support from ToroDev in 2012. The advocacy forum which has been at the forefront in ensuring accountability by the local leaders, monitoring service delivery and ensuring local citizens participation in local government planning and budgeting processes using the most appropriate ICT tools like FM radio stations and mobile phones.

Meeting of the advocacy forum members and ToroDev staff 

Below is the report on their priority service delivery monitoring submitted to ToroDev in March, 2013?

1.     WORKS

In the sector of works, Bufunjo as whole has a poor road network for all access road leading in and out of the sub county. Our biggest concern was on;

a)      Kahombo River that had submerged and blocked the road which resulted into the destruction of the bridge.

b)      Kifuka-Mbale, Kataraza road that had a conflict in its tendering processes, which the district had kept a deaf ear on.

We are happy to report that out of the forum’s effort and voices through a listeners voice radio program on better FM, all the two issues have at least been partly handled as follows;

a)     On Kahombo Bridge there were a lot of pits that were left by the running waters during the flooding period which could not enable vehicles to cross loading, but the UNRA Fort Portal branch poured marrum that filled up the pits. Now Lorries can cross without first off loading. The government has also promised to re-construct and will be raised higher than it is today

b)     Kifuka-Mbale, Kataraza road was re-contracted and construction is ongoing. And it is promised that this is going to be a first class marrum road.

2.     HEALTH

ToroDev Staff meeting the lab attendant of Bufunjo health center III

By the time we raised concerns over the health state in Bufunjo Sub County, we had the following priority key areas to address;

a)     Lack of enough health workers at the only health Centre in Bufunjo with a population of over 32,000 people.

b)     Incomplete construction of health Centre II in Kataraza

c)     Unfollowed presidential pledge for supporting Kanyegaramire Health Centre III

d)     Lack wards at Bufunjo health Centre III.

Am also happy to report that in this sector the forum has registered some achievements for at least all the areas of concern as follows;

a)     Staff has been increased by 100% compared to the number of staff (6) we found at the centre by the time of raising our concern in November, 2012 and the time we visited the health centre on 13/03/2013 to evaluate the impact of the forum’s work where we found 12 staff out of the required 26 staff according to Mr. Kasaija Chance, a lab attendant.

b)     Effort is underway to complete the staff house at Kataraza Health Centre II so that it can be operational according to the sub county chief Bufunjo.

c)     For the un followed up health Centre III presidential pledge for Kanyegaramire, a follow up team was constituted by Bufunjo sub county council and it is headed by Mr. Kajura Selvest - parish councilor, Kitega.

3.     EDUCATION

In education, our major concern was on BUFUNJO Seed Secondary School where students of S.2 & S.3 last year were cut off from USE sponsorship and the construction of the school was on halt without clear communication and reasons for the halt.

A tremendous achievement has been realized on these two issues where by the students were re-instated on the USE program and the contract for Bufunjo Secondary was re-contracted to Pekasa .

4.     MICRO FINANCE

We had a problem with Bufunjo SACCO and Bufunjo SIDA SACCO where by these two closed without informing their members of what had gone wrong.

According to the current state these SACCOs they all re-opened and started operating though still with a number of challenges and constrain. Our achievement as a forum on this is that they became operational and people can have where to lodge their queries and complaints.

We have largely came to all these achievements as a result of the continued support from Tooro development network especially through sponsored radio programs and training in on-line advocacy that have popularized our work and given basis for trust by the community to express their concerns. We are indeed grateful because we are doubtful whether we would have reached this level if it was not your support. We pray that the same spirit continues to unite us for a noble cause.