Related Articles
BY RICHARD DRASIMAKU
ARUA: MONDAY, MAY 26, 2025
At the time Charles Asiki became the Mayor in 2006, the then Arua Municipality was a cholera endemic and filthy urban center.
Mountains of garbage became permanent features of the town’s landscape, wooden kiosks littered the urban center without corresponding latrines that the people littered it with excrement thrown in polythene bags under the cover of the darkness of the night.
It was a low point by health standards but Asiki moved on to steer the municipality for ten years. He introduced several programs such as the October annual beautification week, and routine testing of water quality in the taps, boreholes, and ablution containers for Ecoli that introduced a semblance of hygiene leaving it primed for renaming as a regional city.
In fact the April 2015 recognition of Arua as the second best small city in Africa by the United Cities and local governments’ alliance was the icing on the cake for a decade of distinguished as well as transformative leadership.
This was during the inaugural African Mayors Awards hosted by the Angolan president Jose Eduardo Dos Santos which celebrated achievements and excellence in urban development in Africa.
Other top cities in the small cities (those with population of 200,000 or under) league were Bangangte in Cameroon and Praia in Cape Verde.
Asiki says he is irritated by the deterioration of the garbage management and abandonment of many of his initiatives that he has seen it prudent to plot a comeback.
“What is known as the city is basically the former municipality and I had a plan developed to guide the development to be orderly,” he said.
He also emphasized the need for a reliable leadership to spearhead the sensitization of the people on non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, hypertension among others in order to reduce the burden of such life style diseases
Asiki added that youth empowerment in skills through proper utilization of the one-stop youth center will be another priority to transform the young people and prevent them from drifting into criminal activities such as theft.
Last year about 29 young people were killed as suspected pickpockets and phone thieves in Arua City by gangs that claimed to be enforcing sanity.
Asiki said this is because the youths are without direction, only going to the one-stop center to learn and practice kick boxing.
He has envisioned what he call Youth Empowerment for success (YES) program to uplift them by equipping it with computers and restocking with material for crafts, leather works, soap making etcetera.
Meanwhile he emphasized protection of local businesses through progressive and coordination with corporate bodies and convincing people to utilize the market.
Such programs need trusted, tested and experienced Mayor who can provide mature leadership.
Asiki who holds two Masters Degrees (Masters in Education from Brunel University Uk, and Masters in Business Administration, Leicester, UK)was a former lecturer at Muni National Teachers College for ten years before venturing into politics.
