Three Months On, Arua District Yet to Relocate to New Shs1bn Headquarters

Three months after the new Arua District headquarters at Odumi in Vurra Town Council was commissioned and declared ready to accommodate key district offices, the district leadership is yet to relocate from Arua City.

The delay has raised questions among local leaders and residents, with concerns that a government facility constructed at a cost of about Shs1 billion could remain underutilised despite being completed and officially commissioned.

The building was commissioned on May 9 and declared fit to accommodate most district offices.

Former Arua District LC5 chairperson Alfred Okuonzi has criticised the continued occupation of offices in the city, arguing that keeping the newly constructed facility unused amounts to wasting taxpayers' money.

Okuonzi said the new headquarters could accommodate most district departments, with the exception of the offices of the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), Human Resource Officer and Chief Finance Officer.

“It was very important that our people relocated, and they could use the resources they spend in the city for something else,” Okuonzi said.

He also recalled the enthusiasm surrounding the construction project, saying former Local Government minister Raphael Magezi was keen to see the Arua District headquarters relocated from the city to Odumi.

According to Okuonzi, the investment was intended to provide the district with a permanent administrative centre and reduce reliance on facilities within Arua City.

However, the current LC5 chairperson, Cosmas Ayikubua, has defended the district's position, saying the relocation will be undertaken gradually and at an appropriate time.

Ayikubua said the district intends to move its offices in phases rather than relocating all departments at once.

“So that we do not face any challenges because, as of now, all our equipment is here in the city,” Ayikubua said.

The disagreement over the timing and location of the district headquarters is not new.

Since 2021, tensions have persisted within Arua's leadership over where the district headquarters should be located, with a section of leaders and residents arguing that the offices should instead have been established in Arivu Sub-county.

The controversy has continued despite the completion and commissioning of the Odumi facility.

The issue is among those that residents of Arua expected Local Government minister Balaam Barugahara, who has been conducting an anti-corruption campaign across the West Nile region, to address during his visit to the area.

Local leaders and residents are calling on the minister to provide clarity on the government's position regarding the district headquarters and the future of the Shs1 billion facility.

The central question is no longer whether Arua District has a headquarters building, but when the investment will finally be put to full use.

As the facility remains largely quiet at Odumi, taxpayers are left waiting for answers about why a building constructed with public funds is yet to fully serve the purpose for which it was built.