By Immaculate Ainebyoona
Residents in Amuru district are said to be living in fear following the outbreak of cholera, that has claimed 11 lives after 143 reported cases, and the situation has been worsened by the lack of medical workers and medicines to handle the cases.
The revelation was made by Anthony Akol (Kilak North) who made the plea during the 31st July 2025 during Prime Minister’s Question
Time. Akol explained, “I have been following on this case since Tuesday, 29th July 2025, there has been outbreak of cholera in my
constituency, from 2nd July of 2025, up to now, the reported cases are 143 and so far, 11 people have died in Elegu Town Council in my
constituency.
I visit the area myself, and the team is really very frustrated because they lack a lot of facilities to make sure they can
rescue the situation.”
He detailed the plight within which medical workers are working under to handle the situation noting, “They don’t have finances, there
is lack of medical supplies in the place, apart from that, the area has inadequate staffing. But above all, there is no medical facility in the
place. In 2020, government started building Health Centre III in the Elegu Town Council, up to now, the construction is not finished and
even it’s not operational.”
Akol made several prayers including the need for the Minister of Health, Ruth Aceng to provide an update on the cholera outbreak and the need for Government to conduct tests on the water sources within the area.
“It is important for the Ministry of Health to pronounce itself on this outbreak because people are suffering, imagine from 2nd July 2025,
up to now, we have lost 11 people, and above all, they are worried about the water sources that need to be tested because they are not
sure whether this problem is coming from the pipe water or the other sources of water in the area.
But I also want to understand why the Health Centre 3 of Lego, after now has not been finished the construction and even not operational after now, Akol added.
Dr. Aceng acknowledged the cries from Amuru and further informed Parliament that a team from the Ministry of Health has been
dispatched to assess the situation, given that cholera is a multi-sectoral challenge that has to be handled alongside Ministry of Water
and Environment to conduct tests on the quality of water within the area.
“We hear his cry. Cholera is a sanitation issue and sanitation is not Ministry of Health alone, it is multisectoral, including the people of
Elegu. We only come in when the disease has already broken out to control. My teams have been on the ground in that area. The water
testing is being done by Ministry of Water, but of course water is also a challenge in that area,” explained Minister Aceng.
She added, “The supplies he is requesting for, we already dispatched because this outbreak is nearly coming to two weeks, it is not a new
thing and it will be controlled soon. We always control these out breaks, it is not a scare for us.”
The Minister also requested for more time to establish why the construction of the Health Centre III in Elegu hasn’t been completed,
but she went on to urge leaders in the area to sensitize residents on the need to practice proper hygiene and sanitations.
“I want to reassure him that we shall control the outbreak, but also appeal to him to continue talking to the people because cholera is an
oral faecal issue, hand, mouth, faeces. They need to wash hands,” explained Minister Aceng.
Speaker of Parliament, Anita Among also cautioned residents in Amuru noting, “They need to boil the water that they are drinking and
make sure the sanitation is good enough. And as leaders, let’s communicate to our people. But since the people are dying, you really
need to come in and support those who are already sick. Make sure that we don’t get more deaths.”
Original article published here:https://parliamentwatch.ug/news-amp-updates/cholera-outbreak-kills-scores-in-amuru-as-health-system-falters/
