Attan: Investors Must Develop Soroti Industrial Park Land or Lose It

By Peterson Hiirya.

Soroti City East Member of Parliament Moses Attan Okia has revealed that the Teso Parliamentary Group, together with the Vice President, recently met the Minister of Investment and resolved that investors allocated land in the Soroti Industrial Park must either develop it or have it repossessed by the government.

Attan made the remarks on Thursday while chairing a question-and-answer session during a Soroti City stakeholders’ meeting held at the Soroti City Council Hall.

He was responding to concerns raised by Soroti City Deputy Mayor Hellen Amongin, who questioned why the industrial park remains largely idle despite land having been allocated to investors for development.

“The position agreed upon is clear: investors who have failed to develop their allocated land should either commence development or surrender the land back to government for reallocation,” Attan said.

The legislator also emphasized the need for strict adherence to procedures in the management of city affairs and called for improved local revenue collection, noting that increased revenue would directly translate into better service delivery.

“The more revenue the city collects, the better the services that can be delivered to residents,” Attan said.

He further urged division and city council speakers to champion council resolutions that would prohibit the award of contracts to contractors with outstanding arrears.

He advocated for a “zero-balance” policy requiring contractors to clear all obligations before being considered for new contracts.

Attan stressed the importance of sealing revenue leakages, arguing that stronger local revenue performance would not only improve service delivery but also attract higher budget allocations from the central government and better remuneration for councillors.

“All services are hinged on revenue collection. We must ensure that every shilling due to the city is accounted for,” he said.

During the meeting, several leaders raised concerns over corruption, mismanagement of resources, and weak accountability systems, calling for greater transparency in the administration of public resources.

Soroti City Resident City Commissioner (RCC) John Michael Okurut highlighted  security concerns involving youth gangs commonly known as “Owokwok,” which he said have been terrorizing residents and creating insecurity in the city.

The Mayor of Soroti City East Division, Abdul Latif, revealed that members of the gangs have reportedly acquired uniforms, a development he described as worrying.

Meanwhile, Soroti City Deputy Speaker Patricia Ayo Elubu called for stronger interventions to address youth unemployment, arguing that many young people are turning to criminal activities as a means of survival.

She also raised concerns about the high prevalence of HIV/AIDS among young people in Soroti, calling for enhanced prevention and mitigation programs targeting the youth.

Responding to the concerns, RCC Okurut assured leaders that the city’s security situation remains relatively calm and that security agencies are closely monitoring and responding to emerging threats.

leaders pledged to work together to address key challenges affecting the city, including trade order, local revenue collection, accountability, youth unemployment, and security