By Sabir Musa

Arua

Suspected former members of a youth group that participated in crime within Arua City are seeking for audience with religious and city leaders in their quest for positive change.

They formed a group that operated between the areas of Arua Primary School and Orphanage Cell in Tanganyika Ward within Arua Central Division, suspected of pick-pocketing and other criminal activities.

According to the seemingly reformed youths, meeting with their religious, political and other city leaders will give them platform to confidently express themselves on reasons that drove them to such act, declare their intentions to embrace transformation and seek for their support to start new life with livelihood activities which will keep them busy.

The group Chairperson, Sabir Andama, disclosed that most of their members are ready for transformation but lack support to start-up projects. “We have come out because of what we are going through. We have understood that it is not easy for us to be in the dark. So we have come in our sense and realize that what we have been doing is not good and we sat together as team to agree that we need to leave what we have been doing,” he confidently disclosed.

The group started in 2018 as a bodaboda stage established along Rhinocamp Road which was later registered as a Community Based Organization in names of Creative Youth Bodaboda Association in the former Arua Municipality, and their certificate of registration was recently renewed at Arua Central Division.

More than 30 of their members were arrested and detained, some of them fled to South Sudan and DR Congo while others have since gone in hiding within the country for fears of arrest, but their leaders are confident that most times they attend meetings aimed at transformation.

The group Secretary, Bashir Ijosiga, said, meeting with the leaders will be prove for their commitment to change. “As we take this decision to move out of darkness, we really need help because we have struggled. We are really struggling to have meeting with the leaders. We are organized in a way that we really need to meet them (leaders), but it is not easy” he said, stating that their efforts have not registered any success.

The area L.C 1 Vice Chairperson of Orphanage Cell, Juma Ayub, revealed that, he has been recommending the group to different offices in the city since they show interest to change behavior. “It is true that I have recommended them to various offices of leaders including Mayor, Community Development Officer (CDO) and religious leaders. So my appeal to the leaders is that they should help the group since they need support and I know if supported, their attitude of stealing and criminal activities will change” the Vice LC 1 Chairperson stated.

In a separate engagement within Arua City days after interview with the youths, the Assistant Resident City Commissioner, in-charge of Arua Central Division, Judith Bako, tipped youths to take advantage of livelihood programs designed for transformation. “Government has different programs that are going on, like Youth Livelihood Program and Parish Development Model, these are going to be opportunities that we are going to tap as ghetto people (refereeing to youths) to transform ourselves” she informed.

However, the group members express challenges in meeting leaders, stating that most of them have not given time. They are also making request for inclusion in skills development program and chance to receive startup kits, stating that most of their members are ready for transformation.