Lira City, Uganda – Rafael Ocen Achonga, the son of the late former Lira City West Division Mayor Michael Ogwal Achonga, has officially taken office as the new Local Council I (LC1) Chairperson of Jinja Camp ‘A’ in Lira City, immediately outlining a security-first agenda and a commitment to transparently manage local government programs .
In his first address to the community, Ocen Achonga emphasized that restoring peace and security would be his top priority. He issued a stern warning to criminal gangs, vowing not to allow any disruptions to the area's tranquility.
"My people need to sleep peacefully," Ocen Achonga stated. "I will not allow gangs to disrupt the peace we have fought for. We are going to flush out all criminal elements from this community."
The new LC1 chairperson also announced plans to conduct a comprehensive mapping of Jinja Camp 'A' to establish a clear record of all landlords and tenants. He argued that this register is essential to prevent non-residents from fraudulently benefiting from government programs, specifically citing the Parish Development Model (PDM) and the restocking initiative.
"Many programs fail because the intended beneficiaries are left out," Ocen Achonga said. "I will ensure that every resident is registered and that it is our people who get the PDM funds and restocking support, not outsiders pretending to be from this area."
Ocen Achonga's election follows a keenly contested race in which he was noted as one of the prominent candidates investing resources in his campaign . He succeeds his late father, Michael Ogwal Achonga, a revered figure in Lira politics who passed away in 2023 and was remembered for his legacy of development and care for the vulnerable . The late Ogwal Achonga also had a residence at the Jinja Camp A cell,cementing the family's ties to the area .
His pledge to monitor PDM closely comes at a time when the program has faced scrutiny in Lira City over fraud allegations. Earlier this year, police arrested three PDM officials in Lira City West Division for allegedly using National Identification Cards belonging to other individuals to embezzle funds .
