On The Road To Omuntele

A DEVELOPMENT delayed is a people betrayed, or it is a 15-year-old empty promise? Allow me a space to air my views on the proposed development project of the tarred road from Onyaanya to Omuntele.

This proposal was made and launched by the founding councillor of Omuntele Constituency, Paulus Angula, in 1994. The project was agreed upon and the plan was implemented by de-bushing a stretch of about 13 km from the Okatope Clinic and Police station to Omuntele.Volunteers from the whole constituency welcomed the project.What is surprising is just after the new councillor was appointed to office; the said project came to a halt.Money was said to be available but nothing happened and we were told to wait for a new budget to be passed.At one time there was a march against the former governor of Oshikoto, Vilho Kamanya, who was accused of applying delaying tactics to divert the proposed road.The said march bore no fruit to date.We are now in our 16th year of Independence without having benefited from our priority number one, the tarred road.The reason for the urgent need for this road is: It has to be a link between the main road (B1) to towns and cities, and Omuntele, a rural constituency.All the services required from the hospitals, Government offices, big companies, main post offices and banking institutions are obtainable from bigger towns, which are more than 100 km away.Travelling to towns on the non-tarred road is a disaster: The sand of that area is loose and becomes slippery during the rainy season.When it rains, vehicles get stuck in the mud and in the dry season the vehicles get stuck in the deep sand.Omuntele Constituency, some 100 km south-east of Ondangwa, is in the Oshikoto Region and has a population of more than 20 000.When we talk of decentralisation and development in this country, I think it should happen in every region and constituency without favour, distinction or discrimination of any kind.If every region receives its development budget annually, where is Omuntele’s annual budget being diverted to for 15 years of Independence? It is a cause for concern that even the investors, the businessmen and women who have been coming to Omuntele, are now being scared away and vacating the area.We have seen how other areas are getting the tarred roads, e.g.Onayena, Olukonda, Oshigambo and the recent Okahao road.I am now tempted to agree with one fellow resident who argued that ‘forget about the road to Omuntele as long as there is no Minister or any other VIPs from this area!’ Steven Mvula Omuntele Constituency Oshikoto Region Note: This letter has been shortened – EdOn The Road To Omuntele A DEVELOPMENT delayed is a people betrayed, or it is a 15-year-old empty promise? Allow me a space to air my views on the proposed development project of the tarred road from Onyaanya to Omuntele.This proposal was made and launched by the founding councillor of Omuntele Constituency, Paulus Angula, in 1994.The project was agreed upon and the plan was implemented by de-bushing a stretch of about 13 km from the Okatope Clinic and Police station to Omuntele.Volunteers from the whole constituency welcomed the project.What is surprising is just after the new councillor was appointed to office; the said project came to a halt.Money was said to be available but nothing happened and we were told to wait for a new budget to be passed.At one time there was a march against the former governor of Oshikoto, Vilho Kamanya, who was accused of applying delaying tactics to divert the proposed road.The said march bore no fruit to date.We are now in our 16th year of Independence without having benefited from our priority number one, the tarred road.The reason for the urgent need for this road is: It has to be a link between the main road (B1) to towns and cities, and Omuntele, a rural constituency.All the services required from the hospitals, Government offices, big companies, main post offices and banking institutions are obtainable from bigger towns, which are more than 100 km away.Travelling to towns on the non-tarred road is a disaster: The sand of that area is loose and becomes slippery during the rainy season.When it rains, vehicles get stuck in the mud and in the dry season the vehicles get stuck in the deep sand.Omuntele Constituency, some 100 km south-east of Ondangwa, is in the Oshikoto Region and has a population of more than 20 000.When we talk of decentralisation and development in this country, I think it should happen in every region and constituency without favour, distinction or discrimination of any kind.If every region receives its development budget annually, where is Omuntele’s annual budget being diverted to for 15 years of Independence? It is a cause for concern that even the investors, the businessmen and women who have been coming to Omuntele, are now being scared away and vacating the area.We have seen how other areas are getting the tarred roads, e.g.Onayena, Olukonda, Oshigambo and the recent Okahao road.I am now tempted to agree with one fellow resident who argued that ‘forget about the road to Omuntele as long as there is no Minister or any other VIPs from this area!’ Steven Mvula Omuntele Constituency Oshikoto Region Note: This letter has been shortened – EdThe project was agreed upon and the plan was implemented by de-bushing a stretch of about 13 km from the Okatope Clinic and Police station to Omuntele.Volunteers from the whole constituency welcomed the project.What is surprising is just after the new councillor was appointed to office; the said project came to a halt.Money was said to be available but nothing happened and we were told to wait for a new budget to be passed.At one time there was a march against the former governor of Oshikoto, Vilho Kamanya, who was accused of applying delaying tactics to divert the proposed road.The said march bore no fruit to date.We are now in our 16th year of Independence without having benefited from our priority number one, the tarred road.The reason for the urgent need for this road is: It has to be a link between the main road (B1) to towns and cities, and Omuntele, a rural constituency.All the services required from the hospitals, Government offices, big companies, main post offices and banking institutions are obtainable from bigger towns, which are more than 100 km away.Travelling to towns on the non-tarred road is a disaster: The sand of that area is loose and becomes slippery during the rainy season.When it rains, vehicles get stuck in the mud and in the dry season the vehicles get stuck in the deep sand.Omuntele Constituency, some 100 km south-east of Ondangwa, is in the Oshikoto Region and has a population of more than 20 000.When we talk of decentralisation and development in this country, I think it should happen in every region and constituency without favour, distinction or discrimination of any kind.If every region receives its development budget annually, where is Omuntele’s annual budget being diverted to for 15 years of Independence? It is a cause for concern that even the investors, the businessmen and women who have been coming to Omuntele, are now being scared away and vacating the area.We have seen how other areas are getting the tarred roads, e.g.Onayena, Olukonda, Oshigambo and the recent Okahao road.I am now tempted to agree with one fellow resident who argued that ‘forget about the road to Omuntele as long as there is no Minister or any other VIPs from this area!’ Steven Mvula Omuntele Constituency Oshikoto Region Note: This letter has been shortened – EdOn The Road To Omuntele A DEVELOPMENT delayed is a people betrayed, or it is a 15-year-old empty promise? Allow me a space to air my views on the proposed development project of the tarred road from Onyaanya to Omuntele.This proposal was made and launched by the founding councillor of Omuntele Constituency, Paulus Angula, in 1994.The project was agreed upon and the plan was implemented by de-bushing a stretch of about 13 km from the Okatope Clinic and Police station to Omuntele.Volunteers from the whole constituency welcomed the project.What is surprising is just after the
new councillor was appointed to office; the said project came to a halt.Money was said to be available but nothing happened and we were told to wait for a new budget to be passed.At one time there was a march against the former governor of Oshikoto, Vilho Kamanya, who was accused of applying delaying tactics to divert the proposed road.The said march bore no fruit to date.We are now in our 16th year of Independence without having benefited from our priority number one, the tarred road.The reason for the urgent need for this road is: It has to be a link between the main road (B1) to towns and cities, and Omuntele, a rural constituency.All the services required from the hospitals, Government offices, big companies, main post offices and banking institutions are obtainable from bigger towns, which are more than 100 km away.Travelling to towns on the non-tarred road is a disaster: The sand of that area is loose and becomes slippery during the rainy season.When it rains, vehicles get stuck in the mud and in the dry season the vehicles get stuck in the deep sand.Omuntele Constituency, some 100 km south-east of Ondangwa, is in the Oshikoto Region and has a population of more than 20 000.When we talk of decentralisation and development in this country, I think it should happen in every region and constituency without favour, distinction or discrimination of any kind.If every region receives its development budget annually, where is Omuntele’s annual budget being diverted to for 15 years of Independence? It is a cause for concern that even the investors, the businessmen and women who have been coming to Omuntele, are now being scared away and vacating the area.We have seen how other areas are getting the tarred roads, e.g.Onayena, Olukonda, Oshigambo and the recent Okahao road.I am now tempted to agree with one fellow resident who argued that ‘forget about the road to Omuntele as long as there is no Minister or any other VIPs from this area!’ Steven Mvula Omuntele Constituency Oshikoto Region Note: This letter has been shortened – Ed