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BY RICHARD DRASIMAKU
ARUA: TUESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2025
Consul Samuel Ondoma of Alaka and Company advocates has been elevated to the chairperson of Arua City Land board following the resignation of Bernard Atiku who opted to unsuccessfully pursue active politics.
Ondoma was a member of the land board but his elevation to chairperson created a vacancy which has now been filled by Bosco Okua Adukule, a retired head teacher.
Sam Wadri Nyakua, the Arua City Mayor announced the changes in nominations that he presented in an extra-ordinary council sitting on Tuesday.
The duo was unanimously approved by the council that urged a fats-tracked process to ensure that land transactions that had stalled due that gap in the board are addressed.
They will assume office after formal approval by the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development.
Arua city has grappled with the problem of backlog of file for land tittle processing which has been mainly attributed to ignorance among the populace about the procedures and the failure to meet the costs of processing the titles.
“People don’t follow their files. Arua district handed over all the files to the city, so, you cannot sit at home expecting the title to follow you, how?” Nyakua quipped.
He said some people fixed marlstones during a mass campaign to encourage the people to register their land ahead of the elevation of Arua municipality to a regional city to comprise Arua Central Division and Ayivu division.
He was responding to allegations that some members of the public were complaining of city agents masquerading as staff of the land office and fleecing the people while falsely promising to follow the files on behalf of the applicants.
“Arua city is a very small place. If somebody is stealing money from people y false pretence they should be apprehended. I don’t accept that rumor because nobody has come to complain to me,” Nyakua emphatically stated.
Most of the confusion and lack of knowledge about land registration is noted to be in Ayivu division.
Cyril Eriku, the councilor representing older persons, however noted that land conflicts were a serious matter and especially pointed the gruesome killing of the former Arua district health officer in land related matter in neighboring Vurra County and other incidence of violence within Ayivu.
He called on the officers in the land office and the members of the land board to tirelessly work to help the community.
Nyakua advised the council members to use their interface with the people to undertake vigorous sensitization of the communities on the procedures and costa involved in land registration for titling.
He thanked the outgoing chairman Hon Bernard Atiku for a job well done saying that had he opted to stay in office, there would be no nomination of anyone into that office.
“There were moments he and the committee sacrificed their allowances in order to sit for meetings to approve files and they have done tremendous work in that regard,” Nyakua commended.
