A section of councilors in Busia district is bitter with the district education officer (DEO) over the reported shortage of latrines in some of the primary schools. They said that the shortage has forced teachers to share latrines with the learners.
The concerns were raised by the councilors on Thursday during the budget conference held at Busia district headquarters.
The affected primary schools are: Sikuda, Budandu, Bukalikha, Bwereero, Nagabita, Bukwekwe, Majanji, and Hadadira, among others.
Anthony Wanyama, the Busia district education officer, says the challenge of the latrine shortage is now overwhelming. He said the district receives around UGX 65 million annually for sanitation, an amount too little to manage 117 primary schools in the area.
He attributes the challenge to the increasing population of learners in the schools and appeals to development partners and well-wishers in the area to give their support to address the challenge.
John Malaba, the acting Sikuda subcounty chief, says that the latrine that was at Sikuda primary school was demolished last year during the construction of Sikuda Seed School. He revealed that the school now operates without a latrine.
Peter Geero, the district councilor representing Majanji subcounty, appeals to the relevant authorities to intervene.
Peter Nakeri Onyango, the councilor for Lumino town council, says that the 5-stance pit latrines at Nagabita primary school sank.
David Lubuuka, the Busia chief administrative officer, says that the challenge of infrastructure deficiency in schools has hit them hard due to financial constraints.
***URN***