Govt completes rehabilitation of Leye Dam in Kole
RDC Akullo commissioning the dam as Denis Angor (second right) vice chairperson, LC5 Awany and Eng Kato help her in the process on Wednessday.
By Patrick Okino
The Ministry of Water and Environment (MWE), through the Water for Production Department, has completed the rehabilitation of Leye Dam in Leye Village, Ayer Sub-county, Kole District. The dam had become heavily infested with aquatic weeds, resulting in the death of fish and rendering it unusable for years.
The sh720m restoration project was executed by M/S African Egyptian Engineering Services & Constructions Ltd and was commissioned on Wednesday 26th November by the resident district commissioner, Gilian Akullo.
Constructed between 2007 and 2009 at a cost of sh4.7b, Leye Dam was originally designed to provide water for livestock and aquaculture, serving six villages: Leye, Adit, Abolo Nyero, Apala, Atwol and Okar.
Engineer Ronald Kato, the assistant commissioner for Water for Production, said the dam is among the many government investments that later became dysfunctional after invasive weeds took over around 2016.
“We suspect the weeds were introduced by people who brought infested plants from other water bodies using small boats,” he said.
Kato noted that because the facility is one of the most expensive dams constructed by government, an intervention was necessary.
“So we had to do our best to rehabilitate it and restore it. The ministry is also going to ensure that small irrigation projects are undertaken by the communities around the water body,” he added.
He said the ministry will also encourage communities to engage in apiary and other enterprises such as duck rearing, since ducks feed on the weeds as a form of biological control.
Kato further revealed that the ministry, community members and the district leadership have agreed to develop a management plan that includes watershed protection through tree planting.
Collapse of fish farming
In 2015, investor Ogweng Eddy Morris introduced cage-fish farming at Leye Dam, turning it into one of the major fish-production sites in Northern Uganda. He was later recognised by New Vision among the best farmers, after the dam produced at least five tonnes of fish annually, much of it exported to Kenya.
However, in 2016, the water body was overtaken by invasive species—Salvinia molesta and Glyceria fluitans. The weeds depleted oxygen levels, caused massive fish deaths and led to the collapse of aquaculture activities.
In 2021, MWE procured African Egyptian Engineering Services & Constructions Ltd to remove the weeds and restore the dam.
Leaders call for better utilisation
Kole District LC5 chairperson, Andrew Moses Awany, urged the ministry to fully utilise the rehabilitated dam as a centre for farmers to learn modern agricultural practices.
“As a country we have long relied on rain-fed agriculture. We keep crying about unemployment and low revenue, yet we fail to plan properly. If we tapped into opportunities like this dam, the country would grow faster,” he said.
Awany, drawing from training he received in Malaysia, noted that many developing nations fail because they attempt to invest everywhere instead of concentrating resources where they can yield immediate impact.
“Just this dam alone can generate income to support a population of more than 20,000 people, create jobs and improve livelihoods,” he added.
He also said that five dams in the Lango sub-region are currently redundant and urged government to allocate funds to support irrigation systems.
Community concerns
Jimmy Okello, chairperson of Leye Village, said the community has not benefited from the dam since its construction.
“Government promised irrigation, but up to now, nothing has been done,” he said.
Okello also expressed concern over rising cases of suicide at the dam.
“Five people have so far died. When a husband or wife gets annoyed, they come and jump into the water. Government must not leave this water unattended— it should be put to proper use,” he said.
Okello Ayer Joe, chairperson of the water user committee, recalled that before the weed infestation, the community enjoyed abundant fish stocks. However, after the weeds covered the water surface for three years, all fish died.
