Modern agro-processing machines worth millions of shillings installed in Loliya parish, Orom Sub County in Kitgum district are lying idle. The rice huller and maize milling machines were installed in 2011 under the Community Agricultural Infrastructural Improvement Programme –project 2 (CAIIP-II) coordinated through the Local Government Ministry.

  The project funded by the African Development Bank is aimed at improving household income among farming communities in Central, Eastern and Northern Uganda.  Our reporter visited the facility but was under lock and key. 

The Orom sub-county LCIII Chairperson Quirino Olum says that machines haven’t been operational for last five years. He notes that a number of reasons that included seasonal availability of maize and rice, lack of grid extension and substantive individuals to manage the facility made it impossible to keep it functional. Olum says they anticipate the facility to be fully operational before the end of the year until April next year.

He, however, says the sub-county leadership recently hired out the machines to a local businessman at 200, 000 shillings monthly to operate the machines.