- There was debates as Alebtong district Woman MP hopeful donates two ambulances.
There was a mini drama on Wednesday at Alebtong district headquarters as the district task force were to receive two ambulances to boost its rapid response to COVID-19 pandemic.
The ambulances are a kind donation from Ms Dorcus Acen, an intending aspirant for Alebtong district woman MP seat in the doubtful 2021 elections.
If she picks up a form to run as Woman MP, it will be Acen’s second stint having participated in the 2016 polls where she lost to the incumbent, MP Christine Achen Ayoo.
Acen said she left Kampala for Lira with the two ambulances on Sunday before proceeding to Alebtong on Monday with a purpose of handing them over to the COVID-19 task force on Tuesday [three days ago].
But as fate would have it, she showed up with the two ambulances at the district headquarters on Tuesday but was avoided by the district task force led by RDC Josephine Omara Olili. The transport donor had to wait for the whole day.
Again on Wednesday, the same cold treatment continued. The RDC, Ms Josephine Omara Olili came out very clear and disclosed that she was not to receive the ambulances unless Ms Acen meets ‘her stringent conditions’.
“I want you to remove from the vehicles stickers bearing your photo and name, and secondly, I want you to equally hand over to the district task force all the paper works of the two vans,” Mrs Olili decreed.
This brewed a protracted contention that escalated for hours and nearly denting the handover process of the ‘innocent’ vehicles.
It took the intervention of other members of the district task force to convince the RDC and assured her that her actions could be misconstrued as a political wire hunt and that besides, it was noble of Acen Dorcus to donate to her home district, and that the ambulances would help in managing referral cases in the district.
Acen was late evening finally allowed to donate her ambulances to the district task force.
“I want to make it clear that I am not doing this for any political reasons but as my support to Alebtong district to help the COVID-19 task force in managing responses,” Acen told the task force
She has also donated posho and beans to the vulnerable people in the district whose means of livelihood have been affected by the extended lockdown and other presidential measures aimed at managing COVID-19, countrywide.
During a task force meeting last week, the Chief Administrative Officer Alebtobg, Mr George Adoko disclosed that the district was running with only three vehicles in fair mechanical conditions, further revealing that even police had no vehicles for security management.