By Richard Onapatum
KATAKWI: Government through the Ministry of Education has commenced the construction of Okore Seed secondary school in Kelim village, Okore sub county, Ngariam county in Katakwi District.
The project will cost government a total of Sh849m in the first phase. Soroti Catholic Diocese offered the 8acre piece of land on which the school is to stand.
Phase one will see the construction of have 4 classroom blocks, staff houses, administration block and pit latrines among other facilities in six months.
Two weeks ago the vice president launched a similar project in Okulonyo sub county (Okulonyo Seed Secondary School).
The Vice President Maj. Jessica Alupo in conjunction with Katakwi district authorities yesterday handed over the construction site to the contractor Dag Investments Limited.
Alupo who is also the district woman representative in Parliament assured the people of Katakwi and Ugandans at large that Government is indebted to serving and bringing services to them.
She emphasized that government has made it a policy to continue in a phased way to establish a seed secondary school in every sub county a primary school in every parish across the country.
Available data reveals that there are presently 1,617 parishes without a public primary school and 350 sub-counties without a secondary school.
She appealed to residents to monitoring the construction works to ensure value for money.
She thanked the people who turned up in big numbers for the groundbreaking ceremony for getting back to their ancestral land since government has caused peace in the border sub counties and districts.
The vice president asked communities willing to work with the Contractor to display good behaviour so that they can earn a living from it and uplift their family income.
She also appealed to the district council to pass a resolution that prevents people from degrading the environment especially through burning bushes as it kills soil fertility.
She urged parents to let children go to school now that they have Epel memorial Institute which is now taking in students.
“We currently have two technical schools one in usuk county and the other in Ngariam county, Katakwi technical school. Let all children go to school, whether disabled, girl or boy child, so that they can get jobs that can sustain their families,” Alupo appealed.
She told the gathering that Marriage will be after graduation.
The woman MP also advised communities to get ready for the planting season. “You should not sit and wait for rains and wake up to plant when not planned. Please plan in advance that’s when you’ll get good yields,” she said.
She asked cattle keepers to always take care of their animals not to be left at the swamp leading to thefts.
Animal is a reason as to why our children go to school so keep them safe she advised.
Chairman Geoffrey Omolo asked the contractor to follow the Bills of Quantities and appealed to all stakeholders to do the respective roles while implementing the project. He also appealed to the contractor to deliver good works.
The RDC Katakwi district Maj. Godfrey Katamba said this financial year Katakwi has got funding for the two seed schools of Okulonyo and okore seed schools and government through the vice president for extending services to the people.
The parish priest of St. Simon Catholic Parish, Magoro thanked government for partnering with the church to extend services closer to its people.
The groundbreaking ceremony was attended by district authorities, security chiefs of the region and locals.