World celebrates world habitat day, while jiggers plague Ugandans

 Moses Amone

Uganda on Monday October 1, 2010 will join the rest of the world in celebrations to mark, World Habitat Day. According to the official United Nations website, the idea is to reflect on our towns and cities and the basic right of all, to adequate shelter. So it is against the back drop of these ideals that it chose the theme for this years celebrations as Better City, Better Life to highlight our collective vision of a sustainable urban world that harnesses the potential and possibilities, mitigates inequalities and disparities, and provides a home for people of all cultures and ages, both rich and poor. 

In Uganda, the celebrations are set to take place in Wakiso district, but if it were my place to decide, I would have shifted these celebration to Mufumi Village in Nabijingo Sub-county, Bugiri District or if not any where, but around Busoga region. Why some may ask? The people in this area have for a longtime been in dire need, for proper housing facilities, since they are cruelly plagued by jiggers. 

These celebrations come at a time when major media houses have been running a number of sad and mind boggling news articles clearly portraying how jiggers have gravely ravaged, tortured, maimed, stigmatized, and contributed to illiteracy and to a sad extent led to death of humans, both children and the elderly around Busoga region in this twenty first Century.  And truth be told this infestation is mainly caused as a result of poor hygiene which to a larger extent can only be traced to people living in deplorable dwelling conditions, poor housing and accommodation facilities like houses that are dusty, with cracked floors and walls which in part is a result of sharing of accommodation facilities with animals and poultry which carry the jiggers. 

Historically speaking, the jiggers’ problem in Busoga region may be tracked as far back as the colonial days when colonial masters found it difficult to spread their activities within the region as a result jiggers. And the worst scenario was witnessed in 2008 when Honorable Members of Parliament seating on the committee for Food Security and Population Forum, employed under hand methods by demanding the immediate arrest of all Ugandans living with jiggers. At this rate one was bound to imagine that soon or later they would demand the arrest of all Ugandans that suffered any ill health. But at a time when world leaders are stressing the need for Developing countries, especially in Africa to meet their desired Millennium Development Goals (MDG’s), one wonders why people in Uganda should still be dying as a result of jiggers and if the government is truly interested in achieving her MDG’s? Because I don’t believe arrest alone would provide a solution to this menace. 

Reading the statement by the Honorable Minister of Health to Parliament on, The Problem of Jiggers in Busoga Region, the minister clearly pointed out that Jiggers infect people who leave in houses with dusty, cracked floors and walls. Now that the ministers know this and the media houses have clearly portrayed these to be some of the conditions in which these jiggers affected Ugandans leave in, what plans has the line ministry that is; Lands, Housing and Urban Development, done to help save Ugandans from this plague? Speaking cheek in tongue, it is sufficed to say that the Ministry has no clearly laid out housing policy for this nation, and without a clearly laid out housing policy, all government policies aimed at abetting the number of deaths in the region which have occurred as a result of jiggers will only come to naught.  

Against this background therefore, it is important to note that before the Ministry of Health can call upon the local leaders to sensitize and mobilize the public on need of prevention and control of these jiggers or the call for arrests of all Ugandans living with jiggers by MP’S, the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development has to first secure and guarantee proper housing facilities for such people as those living in Mufumi village and other affected and surrounding villages in Busoga and the country as a whole. For instance they may either choose to borrow a leaf or partner with Habitat for Humanity which has been able to provide low cost housing to a number of people living within poor communities in Uganda. 

Once this is achieved, the work to be done by the other line Ministries like Health, Education and the community leaders will have been simplified. For as long as people have proper housing and better standards and conditions of living, it is bound to minimize the spread and carriers of jiggers, avoid stigmatization which has led to a total drop and reduction in the number of school going children enrolled for UPE. This will also improve health and lifestyle which will encourage a sense of belonging and patriotism. And in the long run is bound to culminate into a productive community living a Better Life for the betterment of this country.