<<Print>>

The District Chief Executive for Bole Bamboi in the Northern Region, Veronica Alele Herming, was prevented from opening a market facility for residents of Bamboi by local executive of the ruling New Patriotic Party, over accusation that she came to perform an official task in the area without their knowledge and permission.

The DCE was in Bamboi on Wednesday to inaugurate some new stores for market women to provide enough space for traders in the town but was stopped before she could even get to the durbar ground, where chiefs and opinion leaders had waited for several hours.

The project comprised 12 lockable stores and 12 open structures to be occupied by the traders, including petty hawkers.

The Assembly member for the area, Mr Emmanuel Kyirankwa, said the party executive quickly confronted and distracted the DCE as soon as she arrived in the town and was making her way to the project site for the official duty.

He said the DCE was later invited to the party office for a meeting and after vigorous scrutiny, the executive members unanimously decided not to allow the DCE to carry out the function for failing to inform them about it before her trip to the area.

The party executive members were infuriated that Madam Alele was undermining their authority and asked her to return to follow due process by serving them a notice before she could come and inaugurate the project.

The chiefs present at the ceremony ground tried to intervene but the executive turned down their pleas and all other respected voices were disregarded, forcing the DCE to quietly walk back into her car and leave.

“They (executive) called her and said she did not inform them officially before coming so because of that they are very aggrieved and said she should go back and set a date before coming back,” the assembly member said, criticizing the decision by the party members.

According to Mr Kyirankwa, Madam Alele raised no protest when she was told she could not be allowed to inaugurate the project except that she attempted to explain to the executive the need to delink her official duties from party activities.

The Assembly member said the entire community was not happy with the attitude of the local party leaders and wants the constituency executives to intervene.

He said currently most traders were selling at overcrowded and chaotic joints and under hostile weather conditions.

“The women, because of the rainy season and the current situation, have to get stores and start operation, so in fact, they are not happy and the entire community is not either.”

Bamboi is an important revenue earner for the district because of its strategic location and ongoing mining activities around Banda Nkwanta.

A longstanding land dispute between the Gonjas in Bole and the Mos in Bamboi has affected relationship between the two towns.

The DCE was not immediately available for her reaction.