MULTIBILLION VALUE ADDITION FACILITY IN ARUA CITY REOPENS

By Morish Dramadri

Arua city

Leaders in Arua city have officially received the contractor for the multibillion Value Addition plant in Chongoliya cell, Awindiri Ward, Arua city after being thrown out in August this year, on allegations that he was handpicked without proper procedure.

The leaders in Arua city led by the Arua central division member of parliament Atima Lee Jackson, closed the multi billion shillings value addition plant, throwing out the contractor “Rwali investments limited” represented by Aggrey Mbekiza. 

While receiving the contractor “Rwali investments limited” officially at the facility on Friday October 27, 2023, Abdu Mansur the local council 1 chairperson of Chongoliya cell tasked the contractor to consider giving 75% of the staff percentage to the ordinary residents of the area.

Arua Central town clerk Drakuma Maliki receiving clearance documents from the Director Rwali investments Tukundane Casbart

He said “there are some contractors who usually come to Arua, they sometimes deny jobs to our people here. I want to pass this message to the contractor that at least 75% of the jobs should go to our people here in Arua then the rest you can get from the other areas”.

Meanwhile Hon. Nadia Iddi the female councilor for Awindiri ward challenged the youths to embrace education to take up the positions at the facility. “We always complain of unemployment and now that employment is at our door, I think it’s hard time for all of us to go to the field, be it in studies, whether in production, be it in technical field, let’s go and study and we come and manage this factory because it belongs to us,” Naddia said.

Hon. Naddia Iddi female councilor of Awindiri ward challenging the youth present at the reception on education

However Ezama Ham Muzamil the deputy resident city commissioner in charge of   Arua central division cautioned the contractor over corruption at the recruitment stages. “I am here strategically to address issues of corruption. When you are going to recruit people make us know how you are progressing with recruitment. Issues of locking ourselves inside and we discus different things, in display we put different things should stop”, Ezama warned.

But Tukundane Casbart the director of Rwali Investments limited pledged to recruit the staff on merit. “When we say we are going to create jobs, the jobs will be there but the jobs will be on merit, for example these are machines, they need technocrats, people who have studied mechanical engineering, electrical engineering to manage them and to run the machines. We will put the list of the jobs that will be available, we will call for applications and we shortlist and have your people employed,” Tukundane assured.

Tukundane Casbart the director of Rwali investments speaking during their official reception at the facility

The multi-billion-shilling value addition facility in Arua City is a key component of the Arua main market project under the Market and Agriculture Trade Improvement [MATIP-II] program and was commissioned by H.E Yoweri Kaguta Museveni in October 2020, with a primary purpose of empowering farmers in the West Nile region to add value to their cereals and sell them at higher prices.

COVER PHOTO: Arua city leaders handing over the keys of the facility to the official contractor By Morish Dramadri