Amolatar: Agikdak residents repair 6km access road abandoned by local govt

Frustrated by years of neglect and now facing a dire health emergency, residents of Agikdak parish in Amolatar district have taken the unusual step of manually repairing their own six-kilometer access road.

While they do it their way the residents are also issuing an urgent appeal to the newly elected district leadership for permanent intervention.

The residents, led by their Local Council One (LC1) chairperson, Sam Obura, spent Wednesday May 27 laboring on the critical stretch from Agikdak trading centre to Teite trading centre in Aputi sub-county.

The action was born from desperation, as the deteriorating road has become a major barrier to development, cutting off the parish from essential services and markets.

Expectant mothers, who say the impassable road is a direct threat to their lives and those of their unborn children, are now making an urgent plea to the district leadership.

“The challenge we are facing is getting health services and medical care,” said Dorcus Were, a resident of Agikdak village, highlighting the terrifying reality for pregnant women who must navigate the rough terrain to reach a clinic.

The community’s cry for help is directed squarely at the incoming district leadership. Residents specifically called on the district chairperson (LC5), Morish Ogwal Omara, to take up the matter as a matter of urgency.

Joel Ongeng, a resident of Agikdak village, implored the new leader to act. “We call upon the LC5 chairperson elect to take up this matter and work on these roads,” Ongeng said, voicing the community’s hope that a new administration will bring a new commitment.

That hope, however, is tempered by bitter experience. Residents accused the former LC5 chairperson, Geoffrey Ocen Kirring, of acknowledging the problem and promising action, only to leave office without a single grader passing through the area.

“The former LC5 chairperson acknowledged the challenges and pledged to act, but nothing was done,” said Sharon Akello, a local resident, expressing the deep-seated skepticism many now feel toward political pledges.

Standing with their constituents, the area’s political representative has now formally appealed to the district headquarters to treat the road as a top priority.

Bonny Ocen, the sub-county councillor representing Agikdak parish, called on the administration to consider the matter a serious concern.

“The district needs to take up these matters as a serious concern and consider them immediately,” councillor Ocen stated, reinforcing the residents’ demands with an official request.

Despite the despair, Wednesday’s event showcased a remarkable spirit of self-reliance. The manual labor effort was organized by the LC1 chairperson, Sam Obura, who mobilised his neighbors to pick up hoes and pangas to temporarily fix the worst sections of the road.

Obura commended the community for their teamwork but warned that their efforts alone cannot solve a problem that requires heavy machinery.

“I commend the community of Agikdak for coming together and working on the roads as a team,” Obura said. He then pivoted to a direct appeal to the entire leadership structure.

“I appeal to all leadership to take up the move and help the community of Agikdak by working on the roads, since this bad road is hindering all development in our area.”

By Ronald Alele