Nabilatuk District leaders want households to construct latrines before benefiting from government economic transformation programmes such as the Parish Development Model (PDM) and Emyooga, as they seek to address the district’s poor sanitation record.
Nabilatuk is among the districts with the lowest sanitation coverage in Uganda, with only about 32 percent of households having access to latrines. According to data from the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) 2024 National Population and Housing Census, 19,224 out of 28,266 households in Nabilatuk practice open defecation, representing 68 percent of households.
The town council, which has the highest latrine coverage in the district, has only about 32 percent coverage, according to district leaders. For decades, local authorities have struggled to enforce latrine construction and use, largely because of cultural attitudes and fears surrounding pit latrines.
In many manyattas with more than 20 households, residents say there is not a single pit latrine, forcing people to use bushes and riverbanks, locally known as “Nangolol”. Latrines are mostly found in institutions such as churches, schools, and military installations. The situation worsened in 2023 when an elder became trapped and died in a pit latrine in Lolachat Sub-county.
Following the incident, communities reportedly destroyed pit latrines that had been constructed with support from development partners, arguing that they were death traps. Since then, leaders have struggled to convince residents to embrace latrine construction and use, prompting calls for tougher measures. During a Police Baraza organised by the International Justice Mission in Nabilatuk, Community Health Extension Worker (CHEW) Lina Angesa raised concern over the high rate of open defecation and called for sanctions against households that refuse to construct latrines.
Angesa suggested that food relief should only be distributed to households with pit latrines, except for vulnerable groups. The proposal, however, drew criticism from residents, who accused her of threatening their access to food. Mike Loduk, a resident of Arengesiep Village, said poor soil conditions were among the factors discouraging households from constructing pit latrines because the pits often collapse during the rainy season.“ The wood, grass and soil used for constructing pit latrines are not good at all. Government should support us with construction materials,” Loduk said. Loduk also questioned whether forcing households to construct latrines would solve the problem, arguing that people could still choose not to use them after construction.
Isaac Lemu, another resident, said that although the community had not experienced major outbreaks of sanitation-related diseases, it was time to abandon open defecation. “Open defecation in Karamoja is a big problem, and it’s known countrywide. We are known for it, but I think it’s the right time for us to abandon such bad traditional practices,” Lemu said.
Benedict Lokiru, the Nabilatuk District LC5 Chairperson, admitted that low latrine coverage remains one of the district’s biggest challenges. He said all previous measures had failed to significantly improve sanitation and that the district was now considering linking latrine ownership to food distribution, with exceptions for the most vulnerable elderly people.
Lokiru also proposed a cash-for-work approach in which households would be required to construct latrines before receiving cash assistance. He said communities needed support with construction materials, particularly slabs and iron sheets, noting that two people had died after pit latrines collapsed, contributing to fears about their safety. “Communities need slabs to cover the pits instead of using soil and wood. We appeal to the Office of the Prime Minister to support us,” Lokiru said.
Alfred Ngonemoe, Mayor of Nabilatuk Town Council, said enforcement was also difficult because some local leaders themselves do not have latrines at their homes. Ngonemoe attributed the low coverage to cultural beliefs that pit latrines are death traps, but said leaders were continuing to sensitise communities about the importance of household sanitation.
He said the government could improve latrine coverage by linking sanitation requirements to existing economic empowerment programmes. Ngonemoe proposed that latrine construction be integrated into programmes such as the Parish Development Model and Emyooga so that households are encouraged to improve sanitation while benefiting from government support.
Peter Lokwang, the Nabilatuk District Health Officer, urged residents to embrace latrine construction and use, saying improved sanitation would reduce the burden of preventable diseases at household level. Development partners have invested resources in improving sanitation in the district, but local leaders say some beneficiaries abandon or destroy the facilities after receiving them for free.
The leaders are now calling for a combination of community sensitisation, improved construction materials and incentives or conditions attached to government programmes to increase latrine coverage and reduce open defecation in Nabilatuk-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
