Leaders block RDC’s letter permitting operation of illegal Disco.

Leaders block RDC’s letter permitting operation of illegal Disco.

By Robert Ariaka Yiti.

Arua. October 20, 2012.

Arua RDC Ibrahim Abiriga

RDC's letter permitting operation ofdisco.

The district leaders of Arua and Vurra Sub County together with the elders of Vurra have blocked the decision taken by the Resident District Commissioner Arua Ibrahim Abiriga in a letter dated October 17, 2012 granting permission for operation of disco hall at Odia-Nyadri trading centre called Simba disco sounds.

Abiriga wrote a letter which he addressed to the LC3 boss of Vurra Sub County Nackson Adaku notifying him that, the office of the RDC Arua has permitted Simba hall disco sounds to operate freely without any interference on Fridays and Saturdays claiming the premises of Simba hall is like Matonge, Kasablanca and Paradise disco places within town which are sound prove but no like the RDC claims for Simba which is not sound prove.

The letter also directs that, the OC Vurra police post should make sure that there must be no interference because in other places, they have been granted permission to operate disco.

 “According to our investigations of Ali Kasims’ issue, it is on tribal basis that he is stooped from operating a disco and anybody who will interfere must be arrested immediately” reads part of the RDC’s letter.

The letter further warned the LC3 boss of Vurra Sub County not to play with the office of the RDC and that is why the letters written by the RDCs’ office is taken useless by you (LC3). The letter also directs the OC of Vurra police post to visit the disco place every Friday and Saturdays to ensure that there is law and order and no disturbance emerges from there like in other disco places.

This letter of the RDC forced the leaders of Vurra Sub County and the district together with the police and elders of the area to storm the office of the RDC for a crisis meeting on Friday morning blocking the decision of Abiriga which they said is contrary to the court ruling which bared the owner of Simba hall Ali Kasim not to operate a disco for a period of three years.

In the chief magistrates court of Arua with a criminal case number 0216 of 2012 R/Uganda Prosecutor Vs Onzima Ali Kassim which case was before his warship Angualia Gabriel Moses the chief magistrate Arua ruled on June 19, 2012 that:

I have listed attentively to the prosecutor and accused’ lawyer for the reasons outlined by both sides, I find that as a first offender and having shown remorse accused/convict deserves the grace of justice. I therefore fine him 40,000 and he is also given a suspended sentence of three months.

Court further ruled that, the accused is to be monitored for three years starting from the date of the ruling and should he go ahead and stage a disco without license, the jurisdictions of this court, he will automatically be arrested and sentenced to serve three months suspended sentence.

The LC5 boss of Arua Wadri Sam Nyakua openly told the RDC that, the district had passed an education ordinance in 2008 which clearly stipulates that, a disco hall must have a sound prove, all sanitary facilities, be inspected by health officers and issued a license, short of that, no disco operation in such a place.

For this reason, we are not allowing any disco in Simba hall until concerted resolution is reached.

One of the elders who preferred anonymity said the RDC is ignorant of the law and he is fit to be removed from his office since he aids criminal issues that affect development in the district.

The leaders agreed to meet come Wednesday 24, 2012 to further discuss the matter. The leaders of Vurra Sub County had earlier on granted permission from the district police commander Dan Biaruhanga to stage a demonstration against Abirigas letter which he endorsed contrary to the court ruling but the demo was stopped on agreeing that the matter will be resolved in a meeting yet to come on Wednesday 24, 2012.

End.