New Arua City Dev’t Forum Members Tipped On Their Roles, Governance

ARUA. The newly elected members of Arua City Development Forum (ACDF) have successfully been inducted to start working towards the development of Arua City.

At least a total of 60 participants including 33 newly elected members of ACDF took part in the training organized by Arua City with support from VNG International, the Association of Dutch Municipalities with funding from The Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs under the Sustainable Development through improved Local Governance (SDLG) programme.

The three-day training which started on Wednesday, May 7, 2025 at Desert Breeze Hotel in Arua City was facilitated by officials from the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development as the coordinators of the Urban Development Forum in Uganda.

In his opening remarks, Fred Bada, the Local Government Engagement Specialist at VNG International, said the core objectives of the training are to orient the newly elected members of the CDF on their roles, responsibilities and expectations in the three years of service, realign the individual expectations to the main CDF objective and mandate and impart elementary knowledge on; local government structure and policy, leadership skills, inclusive governance, conflict resolutions and development in diverse contexts, citizen engagement, revenue mobilization, monitoring and evaluation.

Bada noted that building the capacity of the Arua City Development Forum members will also contribute to the SDLG outcome number three that targets to achieve improved governance and societal leadership.

“As the CDF brings together different societal leaders to raise the voice of the community and interface with the city leadership to identify some of the solutions to the challenges of service delivery in the city, it will improve responsiveness of local governments in providing adaptable solutions to the needs of refugees and host communities. The newly elected Arua CDF Executive (2025 – 2027) comprises 95% new members, necessitating an induction to equip them with the knowledge and skills to execute their functions within the city,” Bada stated.

Bada was so optimistic that after the induction, the new ACDF members will have increased knowledge on their roles and responsibilities during the term of office, a clear understanding of the mandate of the CDF in Arua City, be aware of the priorities and expectations from the Arua City Council and the community.

Besides, he said the training intends to ensure that the members of CDF have a better understanding of the operation of Local Government and acquire skills on dispute resolution, citizens engagement and stakeholders’ management, and a well mobilized communities towards development programs in Arua City.

Stephen Bwogere, the National Coordinator Urban Development Forum in the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, said the training has come at a time when they are preparing for the second phase of Uganda Support to Municipality Infrastructure Development (USMID II).

He said the USMID II is going to be highly competitive when it comes to issues of governance.

As a result, he encouraged the members to take the training seriously so as to effectively implement the USMID second phase projects in Arua City.

“So, this training is timely! One successful factor for this new ACDF team was the successful election they held on February, 25, 2025 and I want to appreciate the participation of some members in the ongoing efforts of the market, the multipurpose resource center and the proposed office complex. Actually, CDF is about planned dialoging and participation,” Bwogere, who doubled as a trainer, said.

David Kyasanku, the Arua City Clerk, thanked VNG International for supporting the city in organizing the training.

He said with the coming of CDFs, work has been made easier for the technical team of the city, especially on activities like road openings among others.

“We expect you to be with us when we are implementing projects. You are going to help us in bridging the gap we have been facing in implementing projects. We expect you not to conflict with us unnecessarily on radios and in communities, instead, we expect you to be our partners in development programs,” Kyasanku advised.

Meanwhile Sam Wadri Nyakua, the Arua City Mayor, urged the new members of ACDF not to market the city negatively.

“Let us work together. All of us should be the marketing officers of our city, let us desist from publicizing the city negatively. This city doesn’t need negative noise, but let us learn to address our grievances in the right forum. So, let us give a positive picture about our city,” Nyakua emphasized.

Donah Aseru Abiniku, a representative of persons living with HIV to ACDF was pleased to be part of the team inducted to bridge the gap between the locals and Arua city leaders.

“We appreciate that to develop our city, everybody should be involved so that service delivery is appreciated by everyone living within this city. This training was very vital for me to understand my roles as a member of Arua CDF and how the local government functions and what their challenges are so that I can represent my people better.

The persons living with HIV sometimes have a feeling that they are sick people, they are vulnerable people but we appreciate that we can be involved in such forums to also raise their voices. It is only by getting practically involved that we are able to see the things that we would want to see in this city. So, let us stand up and be part of the voice that is able to see the growth of our city,” said Aseru who has lived with HIV since 1994.

Relatedly, Yasin Samir, the representative of Slum Dwellers in ACDF, appreciated the training which he said has equipped him with skills on how to work with the city leadership and the local people.

“After here, I will be able to report back to the slum dwellers I represent and brief them on what transpired throughout the three days of the training. I will tell them how things are supposed to be done, how to manage garbage at household level, the need for us to join hands together and work with the city authority in ensuring that this city develops,” Samir pledged.

Victoria Hanan, who represents the persons of concern living in Arua City, said she was privileged to learn about governance in Uganda.

“In this training, I’m so happy that there is inclusiveness where refugees are involved and this will help us to know how we can work together with the host community and Arua city leadership in developing this city,” Hanan said.

The training climaxed with field visits to Arua City headquarters where the new members of ACDF had a hand-on interface with the technical staff of the city.

The team also proceeded to Ayivu Division headquarters where they were taken through a projected design of the proposed Shs1.9bn Onduparaka Community Market.

In the company of Arua City technical and political staff, the CDF members used the opportunity to tour the market in its current state shortly after interacting with the vendors, who welcomed the project and vowed to support it.

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