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BY RICHARD DRASIMAKU
ARUA: WEDNESDAY, JULY 2, 2025
For much of her youthful period, Kideni Asia, a resident of Arua Public Cell in Arua Central division was a helpless girl who didn’t have any source of income.
It is a situation that often pushes many girls into destitution resulting in making wrong life choices. But luckily for Asia, an opportunity presented itself when the One-stop youth center was established in Niva crescent under the stewardship of the former Mayor of Arua municipality, His Worship Charles Asiki.
At its vibrant peak the center trained youths in various skills including liquid soap making, making of chalk, footwear, brick laying and concrete practice among others.
Asia was one of the beneficiaries and that she has now become an expert in liquid soap making, giving her a steady stream of income to fend for the family.
“I am grateful for that opportunity and I appeal to the people of Arua central division to return Asiki o that office so that he can revive that center to uplift the young people,” she said.
This was during a consultative campaign meeting with the residents on Monday.
Asiki assured the people that reviving the youth center is a top priority on his back-to-office agenda and he wants to be a father figure for the youths to offer guidance and effective leadership backed by ten years of proven experience.
For now the only thing being taught at the center is kick-boxing and aerobics which apart from producing bouncers, offers little for holistic growth for the young people.
Other programs he highlighted include support for widows and regulation of property tax through exemption of those with small rental units in the congested slums and suburbs of the city.
Asiki also promised to revive the compost treatment plant that the former municipal council constructed in partnership with the National Environmental Management Authority to manage garbage in the central business area but which has grounded to a halt due to poor management.
“I left office when the town was very clean. But look at what is happening now, garbage management has become a problem once again. Many of the things that had done have either remained at that stage or regressed. I want to go back and revive them and up-scale them,” he said.
His campaign manager, Muzamil Onzima, told the people that he has made a thorough assessment before throwing his backing for Asiki.
Onzima, a former councilor in the municipal council, said he has been in politics for 30 year and what he is doing now is to show the right leader for the young people to support.
“This campaign is not for me or for Asiki because he has already built himself. It is for you the youths because your security is a stake, you are being killed for stealing mobile phones of sh40,000 just because you are hungry. You need a leader like Asiki who can turn things around by creating for you opportunities,” he said.
