The Communities of Kyondo Exercise their Power

– A people centered Approach to Advocacy
The men and women of Burumbika village, Ibimbo parish in the highlands of Bukonjo County, Kasese districts are poor, their voices unheard, rights and opportunities to social services minimal. The main problem is access to health services where the nearest public health facility is Kyondo Health Centre III, a journey estimated to be more than 10km from their village. Local bodaboda cyclists charge UGX 3000 for a single journey which imposes a huge burden on the poor communities. It is mostly women who bear the brunt of inaccessible health services. The district takes cognizance of this challenge and during immunization days, a mobile outreach clinic is arranged and camped in Burumbika village at the site of former Kyondo Sub-county headquarters. The Sub county offices were moved to a more central Kyaruhutu, leaving the former land idle. Having enjoyed the ease of access of immunization services, the communities led by human rights activists, demanded for a full-fledged health centre at the site so as to save them the burden of accessing the distant Kyondo HC III. In the meantime, word reached the village members that Kyondo Sub-county council had passed resolution to lease out the site in question to a private developer. It meant that now the community had been presented with an even bigger challenge because if it was going to be a big task to convince Kasese District Local Government to consider setting up HC II at Burumbika, it was going to be an even bigger task forcing council to undo the resolution.

 In the many village meeting conducted the community agreed to invite two key stakeholders to help them deal with the enormity of the challenge. These were: KALI, and Rwenzori Children Living under Difficult Circumstances. KALI immediately mobilized the community resulting in the formation of a Health Centre construction committee headed by Bwambale James. A neighborhood assembly was organized where community members expressed their dissatisfaction with council decision to lease out the land to a private developer. In the immediate aftermath of the Neighborhood Assembly, a community petition was submitted to the Speaker of Kyondo Sub-county council challenging the decision. At this point in time the councilors were feeling the pressure from the community so much that during the following council meeting, the earlier resolution to lease the site to a private developer was rescinded and a new resolution made re-designating the site for construction of a new Health Centre II. Currently, the community members have offered to contribute labour, murram and sand while the Sub-county would meet the rest of the requirements. The architectural designs for the health centre have been completed pending allocation of funds.