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BY RICHARD DRASIMAKU
Arua: Monday, December 22, 2025
The people living with disabilities in Ayivu West Constituency have selected as their patron Bernard Atiku, the former Member of Parliament who is seeking to reclaim the seat from incumbent MP John Lematia.
At a meeting at Ombaderuku, the headquarters of the former Pajulu sub county, over 80 PWD said they have been like an orphan that they even do not know whether there is still a minister for persons with disabilities.
They praised Atiku and late Hon Margaret Babadiri, the former Women Member of Parliament for Koboko district for always standing for matters concerning PWDs in West Nile.
“During Atiku’s regime we used to get bags of rice and posho for Christmas. Some of us got dairy cows and goats but we feel totally forgotten since Atiku left parliament,” Charles Bada, one of the participants.
The PWDs presented a litany of demands to Atiku whom they have asked to incorporate into his manifesto.
These include lobbying for electric wheel chairs to uplift the living status of PWDs to befit a person in a city environ.
They also asked for skilling in welding, tailoring and footwear crafts and above all modern farming.
The Ayivu Education promotion fund, a program cherished by Atiku in his time as the people’s representative in Parliament, was particularly commended for removing the burden of school fees on brilliant children of persons with disabilities.
Susan Ajio particularly asked for land security, financial support and proper accountability for funds targeting PWDs so that they can get the benefits.
Atiku accepted the challenge and assured the PWDs that they will have an office space to coordinate their affairs based at the block that he had already constructed at the Division headquarters in Onduparaka.
He added that he has already decided that sh200m that parliament allocates to MPs for new cars will be used as a seed capital for microfinance scheme for the Ayivu West Constituency.
The scheme will give interest free loans to the borrowers and persons with disabilities will have a special consideration.
Atiku told the people that he has plans to acquired three tractors that will be stationed at the headquarters of the former sub-counties and this will assist the people to quickly plough their gardens.
He promised special care and treatment of the PWDs in his cocoa farming program. Enrolment of families that want to venture into cocoa farming is ongoing alongside the campaign and Atiku said they are registering 200 families in every cell (village) in all the 181 cells in Ayivu West.
“Cocoa is the best crop for persons with disabilities because it will be growing near you there and the money will follow up to home,” he said.
Indeed Atiku acknowledged that it was easier for him to get assistance for PWDs in his constituency because he had very good rapport with the minister for PWs and the relevant government departments.
Atiku said he will provide effective linkage between the PWDs, the line minister, the government and philanthropic organisations such as the Lions Club and the Rotary club from whom he used to secure food items, braids, white canes, surgical camps and wheel chairs.
He asked the PWDs to work through their networks to organize similar forums in Adumi and Ayivuni so that he can interact with other PWDs who were not able to make it to Ombaderuku due to long distance.
