The security in Moroto district has warned chairpersons, threatening to arrest them if they fail to curb the trade of illicit waragi in the villages.
The committee blames the Villages chairs (LC1s) for allowing the business to thrive, despite measures put in place to stop it.
The trade of illicit waragi, transported from Jinja, has persisted in the region for a long time. Despite setting up roadblocks and checkpoints along highways to Karamoja, dealers continue to find ways to smuggle the liquor into the region.
Justine Samuel Tuko, acting Resident District Commissioner, expressed disappointment with the LC1s, stating that they have failed to work jointly with security forces to end the business.
Tuko warns that those who fail to comply will face consequences.
He blamed the common deaths reported in the district on high rates of alcohol consumption, especially waragi. It has been widely believed that the deaths are due to hunger, but Tuko disputes the claim.
He explained that people take the liquor on an empty stomach and end ou dying of alcohol.
Tuko also claimed that the warriors who take waragi feel energized to go on raid missions without fear due to the influence of alcohol.
Tuko revealed that families were selling their harvests in exchange for waragi, yet local leaders do not bother to intervene.
Tuko offered the free government airtime on radio stations to the village chairpersons to always talk to people about the dangers of waragi gin.
He also warned the politicians against using alcohol as their incentive for the campaign, stating that it would frustrate the efforts to eliminate illicit crude.
Faustine Oyese, the deputy ASTU Commandant, said that the forces on the ground have tried their best to regulate the entry of illicit gin, and this has helped to contain the situation. He noted that the waragi business would be booming a lot in town if they had relaxed their operations, but because of the tight restrictions, the dealers struggle to penetrate the area.
Oyese revealed that the crackdown is part of efforts to address social and health issues associated with excessive alcohol consumption in the region.
Oyese linked the consumption of crude waragi to the major criminal activities registered in the region, including cattle thefts, road ambushes, and attacks on the military installations. He observed that the warriors are always brave to confront the security forces during cordon and search operations because they are influenced by alcohol.
Oyese said that they have come up with serious operational arrangements to ensure that the vice is contained before it escalates.
He challenged the local leaders and the community to join the fight against the dangerous substance destroying people’s lives, and not to leave the responsibility only to the police.
The village chairpersons, however, say that they can’t be held responsible for the trade of illicit gin. They, however, pledged to collaborate with the security to tackle the issue, but urged the security to do their part in restricting its transportation.
Moses Lomilo, the LC1 chairperson of Katanga village, says he has been involved in the operations against waragi, but sometimes their efforts are frustrated by the security forces. He wondered why the security allowed the crude through the checkpoints.
Lomilo emphasized the need for collaborative efforts by both local leaders and the security forces. He said the waragi dealers move at night when the security personnel are asleep.Lomilo said that they are ready to collaborate if the police and the army do not collude with the dealers.
On Thursday, over 300 jerrycans of illicit gin valued at UGX 66.6 million were confiscated after securing a court order. The security was yet to destroy more than 400 jerrycans.
Waragi consumption has always been attributed to the increased cases of murder by shooting, rape, defilement, and cattle theft, where warriors are found with exhibits of waragi bottles in their pockets.
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