Arua Vision

Arua District Local Government has a Vision to have a healthy, productive and prosperous people by 2017. It is also hoped that by 2015, most of the United Nation's 8 Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) will be achieved.

With the resourceful information posted on this Blog and Website (@www.arua.go.ug), it is hoped that those involved in Arua's development are well informed about the issues affecting the district and the measures being taken to alleviate the problems.

Feel free to contact the Local Government on any issues of your concern or dealings. Located on Arua Avenue, opposite Catholic Centre and adjacent to the Arua Central Police Station, you will be attended to by dedicated civil servants.

For GOD and my Country!

Facebook Description:
Established on 14th June 1914, Arua Town (the Ancient Capital of Pan-Africanism) is 64 Km away from the Sudan Border, 39 Km South of Koboko Town, 14 Km East of the Congo Border and about 530 Km from Kampala (Distance according to Gaagaa Coach's first female driver Kenyan Alice Nyambura). Widely regarded as the Capital of West Nile and a business hub linking Northwestern Uganda to Sudan, Congo and the rest of the world, Arua is home to mainly the Lugbara tribe and other smaller groups like the Madi, Kakwa and Alur.

During the 1945 African Chiefs/ Heads Conference in Manchester (England), the Pan Africanism Association was formed and ARUA was chosen as its Head Quarters in the independent Kingdom State of Lado. Ghanaian Kwame Nkrumah (His First Name was Francis ) became the Secretary and Kenya's First President Jomo Kenyatta (His Real Name was Johnston Kamau) became Assistant Secretary while the Agofe/ King Atabua was Chairman. [WARNING: This King is not recorded in African History. He was assassinated because he asked USSR (Russia) to raise the question of Lado Independence at the United Nations in 1947]

In 2005, Uganda was included among third world countries allowed to export honey to the European Union. Consequently, a factory for natural bee products that meet EU standards was set up in Arua. The factory provides a ready market for honey from local farmers. Arua is the hive to one of the World's Best Honey (and won a Gold Medal at the 2000 Lisbon Expo in Portugal). Also, the farmers here produce 50 percent of Uganda's tobacco. It is home to World Champion Athlete Dorcus Inzikuru, the first female gold medalist from Uganda. The World Famous President Idi Amin Dada (a Kakwa with a Lugbara Mother) has a house in Arua District and made it famous...

Welcome to the Little City named Arua; it's inside Uganda’s Sunshine District: Area Code 0476, something like the Toronto of Ug*. Some natives fancy calling it 'California' (USA - United States of Arua which comprises the break-away Districts of Moyo, Koboko, Yumbe, plus Nyadri or Maracha and Terego). You can see Mount Wati from atop Arua Hill which has a fantastic panoramic view of the municipality (while you enjoy tinned fish from Morocco or the Barifa Forest breeze with your partner on the Lovers' Rock - East Side of the hill) plus will find abundant Mangoes everywhere during harvest season, Maize from Vurra, White Ants, Honey, Ope (Lugbara for 'Guinea Fowls' which are reared most by people in Arua compared to anywhere else in Uganda), Green Fields, Nice People, Fresh Air, Good Food, Rocks, and Picturesque Thunderbolts… The Beauty of the Golf Course can get you closer to GOD.

'Sunday Magazine' inside Uganda’s Best Selling Newspaper 'Sunday Vision' on 18th September 2005 called Arua a 'Sleeping Giant awakening'. Meanwhile, Joel Obetia the West Nile Diocesan Archbishop on Christmas Day 2007 prophesied that, “In five years time, Arua will be a city…” That is by 2012, the whole world should fathom Arua as the Sweetest Place on Earth two years before its 100th Anniversary.

Requirements for City Status include: Ability for quality service delivery, enough water resources connected to the national grid and a population of over 500,000 people. Arua somehow meets the standards including the old one of having a cathedral. Arua has more than two cathedrals already. The only problem is that the advancement is not extended to a wide area but it is happening steadily even despite local opposition. Tourism is a major investment in terms of financial dividends and as the government tries to promote it in Arua, there is no limit this small Northwestern town will not reach.

To get to Arua, you can either fly Eagle Air, United Airlines, Challenge Air, West Nile Air, Royal Daisy to the Idi Amin Aerodrome (Uganda's Second Busiest after Entebbe Airport) or ride in a matatu/ coach (Nile, ANKK, Gateway, Regional, Gaagaa, KK Transporters) most of which passengers board on Johnstone Street behind King Fahd Plaza. Travellers who prefer Posta Bus services can board from the Main Post Office in Kampala. No railway network was constructed up to Arua Town from Pakwach or Congo (despite plans in the ancient times) so you will miss that experience here. Crossing the Albert Nile from Adjumani might require a ferry though. The journey can be quite enchanting especially at places like Karuma Falls, Pakwach or Paraa Ferry Crossing (Pure Paraa-dise, allow me to quip here!).

Rhino Camp used to be the home of white rhinos that were unfortunately wiped out but there is a (wildlife) game reserve at Ajai. Currently, the reserve is experiencing fast growth in Hippos, Colubus Monkeys, Velvet Monkeys, Baboons, the Bush-buck, Uganda Kob, Water-buck, Warthogs, Statunga, Leopards and bird species. Ajai offers campsites at Tangi Gate, about 200 metres away from the banks of the Nile that flows gently in this area. Lugard's Fort in Maracha County is of national significance and could be developed in order to diversify the tourism products in the Northern Region. Barifa Forest which encloses the Dorcus Inzikuru Sports Ground is also a major attraction. You may be surprised to find that the Arua Kids League (AKL) has more technical talent than the Kampala outfit KKL sometimes. Other Places of Interest include the heavenly Catholic Media Centre that houses Radio Pacis plus Vineyard in Ediofe - West Side, Hotel Pacific, Slumberland, Heritage Group of Restaurants and Guest Houses, Kuluva Hospital, 'Aci Engine' (WENRECo Power Station), 'White Castle' with swimming pool in Ewuata - 5 Km outside Arua, Falls on rivers, Night Spots like Discotheques, Picturesque meanders at Ragem Beach, Fort Wadelai near the Albert Nile, Emmanuel Cathedral in Mvara - East Side, Ediofe Cathedral (which will celebrate 100 Years in 2012), Mount Wati, the West Nile Golf Course and much more...

Overview of Arua District

BACKGROUND: HISTORY

Arua is one of the 80 districts of the Republic of Uganda. It is one of the 21 districts of the Northern Uganda Region; and one of the 7 districts of the West Nile Sub Region. Arua District was curved out of the then West Nile and Madi District which was founded in 1912 during the colonial period. In 1953 Madi District comprising of the current Moyo and Adjumani districts was granted a district status leaving West Nile as a District. In 1973 West Nile was given a provincial status but reverted back to a District in 1979 with Nebbi being curved into a District of its own. Arua District got its name from Arua town. In 1979 when the Ugandan president at the time Godfrey Binaisa declared that all districts/ provinces acquire their names from their regional capital so that is how Arua district inherited the name from Arua town. In 2001 Yumbe District was curved out of Aringa County of the then Arua. Koboko District was similarly curved out of Koboko County of the then Arua District. In 2006, a District comprising of the counties of Maracha and Terego was curved out of Arua though its political organs are not yet operational due failure to resolve on the location of the district headquarters. Arua District as of now comprises of the counties of Ayivu, Vurra, Madi-Okollo and Arua Municipality.

Key Development Challenges

INTRODUCTION:

This chapter presents some of the development challenges facing Arua District. It gives an analysis and explanations regarding service delivery levels in the district. It further highlights key investment priority areas for collaboration.
Arua District local government is mandated to deliver quality services to the community so as to realise improved quality of life for the populace. However, the district is faced with a lot of development challenges in realizing its development goal. The development challenges are discussed as below.

POOR FARMING PRACTICES:

Over 80% of the district’s active labour force is engaged in agriculture and most of them are in rural areas. The goal of production department is to improve the livelihoods of the people through transformation of farming from subsistence to commercial farming. The department also aims at improving household food and income security. However, this goal has not been realised due to insufficient extension services, most farmers are still small holders who produce on small plots and using traditional tools that is responsible for poor yields. There is limited farmers’ access to improved planting materials. Above all the farming community heavily rely on natural weather which is not easily predicted. There have often been situations of late start of rain which often affected agricultural production. This unreliable rainfall both in quantity and timing is still a big challenge to farmers as it often results into crop failure and loss of livestock during adverse weather conditions hence household food insecurity. The Government of Uganda has focused on increase of production and productivity in the agricultural sector as one of the major ways of improving the livelihoods of the population. This is expected to address the challenges of low household incomes and food insecurity.

INADEQUATE AND LIMITED ELECTRIFICATION:

A greater part of Arua District lacks electricity. The old thermal generator with a capacity of about 1.5MW of electricity which provides power for only a few hours a day, has for the last few months been non operational. The Nyagak hydro electric scheme from which the District is expected to benefit is far behind schedule. Lack of a reliable and sufficient source of electricity has kept the District backwards in terms of attracting investments in spite of its strategic location to the two neighbouring countries of the DRC and the Sudan; the high potential of the area of agricultural production and agro processing; and the high population which constitutes a big market for manufactured products among others. Only 0.8% of the households had access to electricity by 2002 population and housing census report. Lack of reliable power in the district is a big disincentive to investors and hampers value addition to agricultural products. The district has got a number of potential sites for hydro electricity generation. The district is now faced with the challenge of attracting investors and needs to intensify its efforts in lobbying from the government through the rural electrification programme to develop the various sites for hydro electricity supply in the region.

Environmental degradation and poor natural resource utilization practices
Given that the majority of poor people depend on the environment for their livelihood, the state of the environment has a huge implication for poverty reduction: Over 89% of the population of the district lives in the rural areas and depends on natural resources for their livelihood. 80 percent of the population is employed in agricultural sector. Ninety nine percent (99%) of the population rely on wood fuel for their domestic energy needs. Degradation of the environment leads to low productivity of the natural resources and consequently poverty.
The sector's efforts to improve environmental conditions contribute to productivity and poverty eradication.

PRESENT SITUATION:

Arua District has high natural resource potentials such as fairly fertile soils forests, wildlife, water resources, wetlands, and a favourable climate with rainfall ranging from 900mm to 1500mm per year. However, several factors have led to the degradation of the Environment. These factors include high population increase and unsustainable utilization of natural resources, poverty, desire to increase per capita, low levels of technology, low levels of environmental awareness, introduction of tobacco growing in the district and influx of refugees.

The above strain has resulted into a number of environmental issues
(a) Soil degradation:
Soil degradation is one of the most disturbing environmental problems affecting the district. This is particularly so in lower Ayivu, some parts of Vurra and Madi counties.

(b) Deforestation:
The District has 39 gazetted forest reserves totalling 60 425 Ha. Between 40 to 60 percent of the forests has been removed. However, deforestation is mainly taking place in communal and private lands.

(c) Poor waste disposal/sanitation:
Solid waste management is one of the major problems in the district both in the urban and rural areas. Arua Municipal Council is currently not in position to manage the waste properly as stipulated in the Public Health Act of 1964 and Local Government statute of 1997.
Equally, most households do not have disposal pits. Latrine coverage in the district is still low (58 percent). Waste is disposed of in unhygienic manner.
Water supply in Arua District is equally not very good. Only 65% percent of the people in the District have access to safe water.

(d) Wetlands & river bank degradation:
Wetlands cover approximately 2.8 percent (87 km2) of the total land area of the district. This allows water to stay in one place long enough to maximize infiltration. The water holding capacity and buffering effect of wetlands ensure that rivers and streams continue to flow during the dry season and ground water is sustained. There has however been a lot of wetlands and river banks degradation through drainage for cultivation, brick making, sand mining and burning of vegetation. Unless the above trend is reversed, the district’s wetlands will be completely destroyed in future.

(e) Loss of biodiversity
Arua district contributes very little to the wildlife resources of the county in spite of the fact that the district has Ajai Game Reserve that covers an area of 15,800 hectares and is located in the south-eastern part of the district. Ajai, the main wildlife area was initially gazetted as a White Rhino Sanctuary in 1937. Other fauna included elephants, hippopotamus, buffaloes, monkeys, baboons and many birds. By 1981, some of these animals were reduced to extinction including; (e.g. white rhinoceros, elephants, hartebeest). This was as a result of poaching. The current wildlife present in the reserve is hippopotamus, antelopes, bushbucks, warthog, and monkeys (Vervet,Potas Dorcupine Monkeys), Cane rats, Baboons, birds and reptiles. The main causes of poaching are: Political turmoil and lawlessness which prevailed in the district in the 1980; Poorly managed resource base; Ill-provided for and demoralized game workers; Lack of awareness on the importance of wildlife.
The negative attitude of the local people to conservation.
Poachers have taken advantage of all these leading to severe poaching and extinction of some animals. People should also be educated about the advantages of conserving wildlife so that they are not alienated from their conservation.
The maintenance and management of wildlife resources is often affected by varied and often opposing view points and interests especially where matters of resource allocation an accessibility are to be decided. Many times the local community surrounding game reserves are not involved in the protection of reserves. Information on community participation in the management of wildlife resources in Arua district is inadequate.
Some encroachment has been reported in the game reserves. Human activities taking place in the reserve are cultivation and grazing which is seasonal. Squatters have occupied a few localities in the reserve. There has also been legal settlement of inhabitants who were residents in the reserve prior to 1964 who were issued with certificates. There is no record of the number of livestock, huts and human settlement to show the exact impacts of human activities in the reserve. As a result of encroachment, the wildlife habitat has been disturbed. In some areas it has led to complete loss of habitat forcing animals to migrate. All these together with poaching have not only caused reduction in number of wildlife but even led to complete extinction of some species.
As a result of the above state of affairs, Arua District is not exploiting the potential of income generation and employment from the wild life reserve as much as it should have done.

GENDER INEQUALITY:
Gender imbalances still do exist in the district especially in ownership and access to productive assets such as land. Generally women do not own nor control land. They only have access to the land but the decisions on what to produce and in what quantities remain the domain of men. Furthermore, women do not control proceeds of neither what ever is produced nor what they sell in the market. This explains why many women are poorer in Arua District than men. Gender Based Domestic Violence (GBV) is also common although there is no clear statistics on this matter. The existing gender disparity still remains a challenge to development of the District. A more detailed analysis is presented in Chapter Three.

POOR ACCESS TO SOCIAL SERVICES:
Availability and access to quality social services (health, education, extension services, clean and safe drinking water) translates directly into the quality of life of the people. In Arua district, access to quality social services is still undoubtedly limited with the following implications for the quality of life of the people.
The key actions in this Sector shall include,
• Capacity building of the Communities to demand for services in a participatory manner.
• Improve and promote social mobilisation for development planning and management at all levels amongst the community.
• Support the Youth, the elderly, and the cultural groups to participate fully in all development initiatives.
More detailed analysis and current service levels are presented in sectoral analyses.
The District intends to squarely address these challenges in the short and medium term using strategies and objectives outlined in the Arua DDP Policy 2009 - 2010 available at the Local Government offices on Adumi Road.

Potential Investment Areas for Cooperation

This section presents some of the potential investment priority areas of the district for cooperation. Due to limited resource envelop the district could not fund within available central government transfers, local revenue and donor funds that the district receives. The district expects development partners, private investors as well as well-wishers to support and complement the district’s effort in these key investment priority areas that would have great impact in improving the quality of life of the people.

ENERGY AND RURAL ELECTRIFICATION DEVELOPMENT:

The West Nile sub region has some potential sites that could be developed for generation of hydro electricity. The district hospital and health centres lack sufficient and reliable power supply for successful operation and storage of vaccines. There are a number of secondary schools, tertiary institutions and sub-county head quarters and up coming trading centres which all require power. The production and generation of stable power supply would help improve on effective teaching and learning of science in secondary schools and promote trade. This would also promote agricultural productivity through value addition. The district encourages private developers to explore this opportunity in partnership with the district for energy and rural electrification development as there is high demand for it.

TOURISM PROMOTION AND DEVELOPMENT:

Arua District has some history sites that could be preserved and developed for tourist attraction. The wild life reserve at Ajai could be improved to make it more attractive. The district would like to join hands together with the private investors to promote and develop tourism industry.

VOCATIONAL AND TERTIARY EDUCATION DEVELOPMENT:

The district has only two government aided vocational school at inde and ragem.The unemployment level among the youths is quite high due to lack of skills. The youths who have dropped out of school could be made productive through skills training especially in metal fabrication, motor vehicle repair and carpentry and joinery in vocational schools.
Whereas a number of tertiary institutions has sprung up in the District, the is need to improve infrastructure and amenities in these institutions to enable them provide better services.

AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT AND PRODUCTIVITY ENHANCEMENT:

Over 80% of the districts active labour force is engaged in agriculture and most of them in rural areas. Majority of the farmers lack knowledge and skills on modern farming practices due to poor extension services caused by limited number of extension staff. Most farmers are still small holders with limited access to information and use rudimentary tools for land opening which could not manage big acreage. A few people have access to ox-traction. Therefore, the district would like to cooperate with other development partners to support the District in Agriculture development and research and knowledge sharing among farmers. Increase agricultural productivity and yields by increasing acreage through mechanization by use of tractors. There are plenty of mangoes and other fruits which often get wasted due to lack of skills and capacity to preserve them. The district would encourage investors to exploit this business opportunity for value addition not only in fruits but also in fish and honey which are being produced in large quantities.

Land and Climate in Arua

LOCATION:

Arua District lies in the North Western Conner of Uganda between latitude 20 30'N and 30 50'N and longitude 300 30'E and 310 30'E. It is bordered by a District comprising of the counties of Maracha and Terego in the North West; Yumbe District in the North East; Democratic Republic of Congo in the West; Nebbi District in the South; and Gulu District in the East.
Arua town, the Administrative and commercial headquarters of the district is 520 kilometres away from Kampala, Uganda’s capital city.

LAND AREA:

The district covers a total area of 3,112.85 Km2 area is about 2,702 square kilometres 87% of which is arable.

County [Sub-County] Land Area Km2 (Parishes) Villages


Arua Municipality
[Arua Hill] 6.38 (3) 22
[Oli River] 3.76 (3) 28
SUB TOTAL 10.14 (6) 50

Ayivu
[Adumi] 113.68 (9) 102
[Aroi] 42.42 (6) 52
[Dadamu] 50.13 (7) 51
[Manibe] 40.14 (8) 69
[Oluko] 80.71 (9) 66
[Pajulu] 64.11 (9) 78
SUB TOTAL 391.19 (48) 418

Madi-Okollo
[Offaka] 306.52 (6) 53
[Ogoko] 603.57 (6) 33
[Okollo] 419.34 (4) 30
[Rhino Camp] 247.21 (6) 50
[Rigbo] 233.93 (8) 68
[Ullepi] 130.24 (3) 18
SUB TOTAL 1,940.81 (33) 252

Vuraa
[Ajia] 274.38 (9) 32
[Arivu] 170.49 (6) 55
[Logiri] 207.24 (7) 48
[Vurra] 118.6 (10) 84
SUB TOTAL 770.71 (35) 219

TOTAL [18 Counties] 3,112.85 Km2 (119 Parishes) 939 Villages

[Source: Population and Housing Census 2002]

TOPOGRAPHY:

Arua district comprises mainly of rolling plains rising from the Nile floor in the rift valley (600m above sea level) to the Zaire - Nile water divide (1200 to 1400 meters above sea level). Arua’s landscape can generally be grouped into three topographical zones.

a) Madi Plateau - Occurs at an altitude of about 900 meters above sea level. It occupies the eastern parts of the district in Terego and Madi - Okollo counties. Several broad valleys that cut across to enter River Nile dissect this plateau.

b) Western highland - this upper plateau occurs at an altitudinal range of 1200 to 1800 metres above sea level. The parent rocks include basement complex metamorphose which is responsible for the formation of the hilly terrain. The zone generally covers the central western parts of Arua district especially in Ayivu and Vurra Counties. The slopes in Vurra consist of many facets.

c) Rift valley - The rift valley escarpments are highest in the South and fade off to the North. They consist of several faults carps arranged, roughly parallel with the Albert Nile. These scarps separate the Rift valley plains from the Madi plateau. The rift valley low lands consist of wide seasonal swamps. All major valleys are aggraded and consist of alluvial and swamp deposits.

GEOMORPHOLOGY:

Arua District consists of a monotonous Madi vast plain with occasional hills rising abruptly from it termed as zone of tors and inselburgs. At the Nile, rift valley, faults are seen at about 300 meters in height. Rift valley deposits occur and are backed by a series of scarps arranged in an echelon, which separate the rift valley plain from the Madi Plain. Large scarps in the West, above which the West Nile is Plateau in turn, stop the plain. This succession of plains is largely due to rift valley movement hence two erosion surfaces have been established, the Madi plain which is part of the African end of tertiary surface, and another principal erosion surface which is the older Gondwana surface.
The major valleys are aggraded with alluvial and swamp deposits. The aggradations are partly geomorphic, but also associated with dense growth of papyrus and other plants which block streams and cause deposition of sediments.

CLIMATE:

Arua district has a bi-modal rainfall pattern with light rains between April and October. The wettest months are normally August and September which receive 120mm/month. The average total rainfall is 1250mm. The mean monthly evaporation ranges from 130mm - 180mm. In the dry season (December -March) temperatures remain high throughout.

The table below displays average monthly climate indicators in ARUA based on 8 years of historical weather readings.

Temperature by:Centigrade
ARUA 1211 meters above sea level.
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec


Avg. Temperature
25 25 25 25 24 22 22 22 23 23 23 24

Avg. Max Temperature
30 30 29 28 28 26 26 26 27 27 27 28

Avg. Min Temperature
16 18 18 18 18 17 16 17 17 17 17 17

Avg. Rain Days
0 0 0 0 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 0

Avg. Snow Days
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0



AdministrativeLY, Arua District comprises 4 counties, 18 Sub-counties (including the divisions in the Urban Councils), 119 parishes (LCIIs) and 939 villages (LCIs). The district has one Urban Council namely Arua Municipal Council.

Natural Resources in Arua District

SOILS:

Arua district is underlain by Pre-cambrian rocks of Basement complex, which include granitic and metamorphic rocks. The rocks are composed largely of aplitic granulites, which generally form enclaves in the gneiss complex. These cover parts of Vurra and Ayivu counties. They are part of the tectonic groups.
A wide range of Basement rock type represented includes quarzites, schists, amphibolites, charnockites, phyllites, mylonites and others.
Other rock types of Cainozoic era are part of rift valley deposits of Pleistocene age, which occur in Madi Okollo county. Red course sands, silts and subordinate amounts of clay, gravel and diatomite, represent them.
Most of the hills are of inselberg type and rise abruptly from the plains as steep, bare marsses of fresh solid rock usually with no soil cover at all. Ollier (1960) described their formation.
On hilltops grey granite and gneiss are left exposed over wide areas. These gneisses and granites are intensively metamorphosed and deformed. Soil depth is not more than 15 Cms. However, it is fairly fertile along valleys due to alluvial deposits found on the lower portions of slopes.
The predominant soils are ferralitic and sand loams covering large areas in Arua district. These soils are fine textured with loose structure erodible and easily erodible and easily leached. Most soils are acidic.
Vertisols are found in the northwestern parts of the district. These soils have poor drainage and thus easily become water logged.
There is a lateritic layer in most soils. This reduces the rooting depth and moisture conditions, where it is close to the surface, making the land difficult to cultivate. Sub-soils lack minerals for plants. They are good for building/construction purposes. Soil types in Arua include: There is a lateritic layer in most soils. This reduces the rooting depth and moisture conditions, where it is close to the surface, making the land difficult to cultivate. Sub-soils lack minerals for plants. They are good for building/construction purposes. Soil types in Arua include:
• Yellow-red sandy, clay loam latosols varying from dark grey to dark brown which are slightly acidic and mainly derived from granite, gneissic and sedimentary rocks. They occur on gently undulating-hilly topography.
• Brown-yellow clay loams with laterite horizon with a variation of dark brown to dark greyish brown, which are slightly acidic. These occur on flat ridge tops or on top of undulating topography.
• Light-grey white mottled loamy soils with laterite horizon ground (water laterite), structureless loamy sands. They are acidic-alkaline and are mainly found on the lower and bottom slopes.

WATER RESOURCES:

Arua district generally lacks adequate surface and ground water resources. In Arua district the sources of water include ground water, rivers, springs, wells, gravity flow scheme. The coverage of water resources over various counties is fairly equal. Major problems attributed to water are only experienced in Madi-Okollo County where there are fewer water bodies and water quality is rather low.
Although the Nile is a very reliable water source and has attracted significant settlement pattern along it, it is not strategically located and covers less than 0.2% of the total area of the district. It benefits only Madi-Okollo County.
The Albert Nile is fed by streams and ground water during the heavy rains and loses its water during the dry season through evaporation and also to the surrounding unconsolidated sands, silt and gravel which recharge the water content of the surrounding countryside through natural means. Part of the Albert Nile is found in the east of the district. Other important rivers are Enyau, Jurei, Ala, Ora, Kochi which all drain into the Nile in the east. There are also numerous streams in the district.

WETLANDS:

Wetlands are vegetated areas of land that are flooded permanently or seasonally and stays wet long enough for certain plants and animals to grow even when there has been no rain. Wetlands are also defined as transitional lands between terrestrial and aquatic systems covered by shallow waters (SOER 1998). The water holding capacity and buffering effect of wetlands ensure that rivers and streams continue to flow during the dry season and ground water is also sustained. Wetlands also support a number of fauna and flora.

Wetlands cover approximately 2.8% (87 Km2) of the total land area of the district. This allows water to stay in one place long enough to maximize infiltration and thus access to water supplies for plants. There has however been a lot of encroachment on the wetlands for crop cultivation and unless the trend is reversed, the district’s wetlands will be completely destroyed in future.
In Arua district, the wetlands are being used for cultivation and livestock grazing crops such as sugarcane, yams, rice, maize, beans and sweet potatoes are grown at the edge of wetlands. During the dry season, grazing and watering of livestock mainly take place in the wetlands. Papyrus, reeds and similar plants are used for everyday necessities such as thatching, mats, baskets and other handcrafts. Palms and smaller sized trees are used as structural building materials.
Wetlands provide habitat for substantial population of fish, which have been caught for both domestic and commercial purposes. The fish species caught from the wetlands in the district include catfish (claricus), lungfish and Bagrus (catfish).
Other uses of the wetlands in the district include provision of water for domestic, hunting, sand mining The pressure can lead to ecological imbalances in wetlands as products are not used sustainably. There is no sound management of the wetlands and over-exploitation in some parts of the district. The most over-exploited wetlands in the district are in counties of Vurra and Ayivu. The policy, which discourages wetland drainage and conversion to unsustainable uses, should be enforced in the district.
Drainage is one of the major threats to wetlands in the district. Wetlands are drained for cultivation of vegetables, sugarcane, yams, maize and beans. They are also drained for excavation of clay for bricks making, sand mining and reducing incidence of mosquitoes breeding.
The main pressure on wetland is due to the location of factories near wetlands. Activities in these factories end up polluting the environment. Car washing directly in the river also pollutes the river. These factors disrupt ecological balances affecting the fauna and flora in wetlands, resulting in deterioration of the environment. To address the problem, land use should be properly planned. Feasibility studies of all projects and activities targeted around wetlands should be done before they are started. People should also be properly educated on land use in order to reduce environmental degradation of wetlands due to their activities.
Vegetation
The natural vegetation used to be characterized of open lands with equatorial type of savanna grasslands, with small pockets of natural forests on hills, especially along the northern parts of the district.
The original vegetation of Arua district was composed of mixed woody savanna, which has greatly been reduced by subsistence farming that currently occupies about 80% of the total land area.
Forests are an important part of the vegetation of Arua District. This is again divided into low and high altitude forests. But in Arua district the predominant type is the high altitude forests. The former are mainly found along valleys.
The Savanna by far is the predominant vegetation in the district. The vegetation is Butyrosparmum – hyparrhemia savana. It is characterised by such trees as Isobulinia doka, Danieh cliveer and Afzeha africana.
In the central parts of Arua, the vegetation consists mainly of butyropernum-Hyparrhenia Savana with dry hyparrhemia grass savana. Post-cultivation communities of Imperata-Panicum-Hyparrhenia and Hyparrhenia-Peridium are found on the lower ground. Palm savanna is found to the northeast. Also present are dry combretum Acacia-Heteropogan an d Butyrospermum-Hyparrhenia savana.

THE PEOPLE

The Lugbara, largely inhabit Arua District. They are the dominating settlers in all parts of the district. Other tribes are Kakwa, Madi, Alur and Lendu. The Madi live in the eastern parts while the Alur and Lendu are mostly found in the western parts of the District. The Lugbara and Madi are Sudanic origin while the Kakwa are Nilo-hamites. The Alur and Lendu are of Congo origin. All the ethinicities have similarities in culture.

Human Resources

INTRODUCTION:

A country’s most critical asset is its human resources. Human resources serve as means to and an end in development process. As a means, it provides labor force for production. To a large extent, educational level and health situation of a given population determines its labor productivity. As an end, the human development indicators show the level of development of a given society/country. Any development effort should therefore be based on and should aim at improving the welfare of its population.

POPULATION OF ARUA:

The geographical area comprising the current Arua District had a total population of 402,671 persons as of the Night of 12th/13th September 2002. This population has grown and currently stands at about 499,600 people.

SEX COMPOSITION OF THE POPULATION:

The sex composition of a population is useful in understanding the past trends of population change. The sex ratio defined as the number of males per 100 females is an index for comparing the numerical balance between the two sexes in different population groups irrespective of the size, location and time reference. Overall, during the 2002 Population and Housing Census there were 192,447 males compared to 210,224 females giving a sex ratio 91.5 males per 100 females.

POPULATION GROWTH:

Arua District population grew at an average annual rate of 3.97% between 1991 and 2002. This was much higher than the growth rate observed during 1980 to 1991 which stood at 2.83. The high growth rate is largely due to high fertility levels averaging about 7 children per woman, observed over the last four decades.
Given the high growth rate, the district needs to expand substantially its entire infrastructure especially in education, health, and water supply in order to enhance the welfare of its population.

HOUSEHOLD POPULATION:

In demographic terms, a household is defined as a group of persons that normally live and eat together. According to 2002 Census, out of the total population of the district (402,671), 98.6% (397,034) were living in the households while the remaining was institutional population. Total number of household in the district was 74,027. The mean household size (summary measure that gives the number of persons per household, obtained as the ration of the total household population to the number of households in the area) was 5.4. This is quite close to the previous censuses and shows that the mean household size in Arua has been fairly stable over the past four decades.

FUNCTIONAL AGE GROUPS:

A very high proportion of the district population is in the young age group. 23% of the total population is children aged between 0-5 years; 22% are aged between 6-13 years (primary school going age); 54% are aged between 0-17 years. Secondary school population (14-17 years) constitutes 9% of the total population. The productive age group (15-64 years) is 51% of the total population. Only 2.5% are aged 65% and above.
A young population like that of Arua District requires considerable investment in the services for children. For instance, immunization services, pre-primary and primary education, among other things.

Arua District projected (mid 2009) population by function by Age.

Population (of Selected Age Groups) Number [Percent/Proportion]
Primary School Age Population (6-12 Years) 104,916 [21.0]
Secondary School Age (13-19 Years) 82,933 [16.6]
Adolescents (10-24 Years) 167,366 [33.5]
University Age (20-24 Years) 42,466 [8.5]
Children (Below 18 Years) 275,779 [55.2]
Adults (18 Years and Above) 223,820 [44.8]
Youths (18-30 Years) 110,911 [22.2]
Working Age Group (14-64 Years) 259,292 [51.9]
Elderly (60 Years and above) 19,484 [3.9]
Girls Below 16 (Below Official Marriage Age) 126,398 [25.3]
Women of Child Bearing Age (15-49 Years) 118,405 [23.7]
Women 50+ Years (Above Child Bearing Age) 20,483 [4.1]

[Source: 2002 Population and housing Census]

The age structure also implies that a significant proportion of the population is dependent. This exerts a heavy burden on the few productive members of the population because they have to look after a number of other people, a fact that hampers the rate of investment in the productive sectors.

POPULATION DENSITY:

The population distribution in the district is far from even. There is a relatively heavy concentration of people in the counties of Arua Municipality; Ayivu and Vurra counties are moderately populated while Madi Okollo County is sparsely populated. Overall, the population density of the district, based on the 2002 census is 153 persons per square kilometre.