USMID lights send Moroto, Lira criminals into the shadows

Is it light at the end of the tunnel , or the elevated economic muscle that Moroto, Lira, and Apac are enjoying amidst booming nightlife economy thanks to improved infrastructure and solar street lights funded by the USMID - Additional Funding project.

This is a welcome change for the Karamoja region, which previously struggled with insecurity. Local authorities are now expecting a surge in revenue collection due to the thriving night economies.

Once shrouded in darkness, Moroto has undergone a remarkable transformation, emerging as a beacon of progress for the Karamoja subregion, thanks to the impactful interventions of the USMID programme.

Local businesses operators such as Ngole Antoniata report significant growth, applauding the efforts to the solar-lit streets that have improved both visibility and security of the Karamoja's celebrated urban zone.

"It has helped us on ‘Bayaaye’ who are break breaking the houses. You see now, ‘Bogoya’ is there, irish is there, Sukuma Wiiki is there, Chicken and Chips, Even the shops and saloons are still opening despite being late in the night," Ngole noted.

\The USMID-delivered night economy not only benefits locals but also offers positive prospects for Moroto's revenue collectors. Moroto municipal council Town clerk, Eyaru Richard revealed that the night economy has since expanded.

"So business is booming now, and when business is booming, council smiles all the way to the bank. We have a projection that this year we should be able to collect more than 700M shillings," hoped Eyaru.

A similar transformation is evident in Lira city, the economic heart of Lango subregion.

"People are able to move safely and secure, knowing that their environment is lit. So, they are able to do business as late as possible," observed Sam Etul, the Lira City Mayor.

This has in turn, boosted the Total local revenue collections in Lira City from 1.66bn shillings in the financial year 2019/20 to 2.65bn shillings as of February 2024 this financial year.

Prominent among these are Local Service Tax that rose from 86.2 million to 258.6 million; Urban Authority Permit fees jumped from 15.7 million to 141.4 million; Street parking fees from 205.3 million to 231.8 million shillings, while property tax skyrocketed from 474,000 shillings to 360 million shillings within the same period.

In Apac Municipal Council, USMID's impact is felt through the development of hybrid road infrastructure, almost competing with national highway trunk roads in design.

The USMID-constructed roads boast a number of features, including Underground utility ducts on each road, parking lanes, green islands, street lights, drainages and pedestrian walkways, among others.

"When it came to implementation of USMID, we had no problem of compensating people which enabled us to implement a very wonderful road. The final product, can speak for its self – it is like a run way for Entebbe," Moses Otimong, the Apac municipal Town clerk observed.

Other facilities delivered by USMID in Apac include upgrading of Chegere and Chawente roads to paved standards and Biashara/Kibula and Republic Street to Bituminous standard, totalling 1.363 km.