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Know Your Hood: Pakwach, the home of the leopards
A man selling African crafts on a street in Pakwach town. File Photo.
What you need to know:
The world recently gathered in this northern Uganda town to get the best possible view of the hybrid eclipse.
One cannot miss the area as its billboard stands tall at the point where Lake Albert join the River Nile, at the modern day bridge it reads, “Welcome to Pakwach town’.
Visitors are welcomed by women selling different types of fish as well as local crafts and only two three languages can be heard at the point, English, Swahili and Alur.
According to Patrick Okaba, a resident of the area, its naming was as a result of the animal that was mainly found there.
“Long before the Luo settled here from Bah-el-gazel, it used to be the home of the leopards, a fact that led to naming the area Pakwach, a word in Alur language meaning “Where the leopards stay,” Mr Okaba said.
Pakwach’s diverse history can be found in most primary school social studies text books.
Located in Nebbi Distcit, West Nile sub-region in Northern Uganda it is situated approximately 110 kilometres, by road, southeast of Arua, the largest town in West Nile.
It is surrounded by Nwoya District to the south, Panyinmur sub-county to the West, Panyango sub-county to the East and Parombo to the North.
The 2002 national census estimated the population of the town at 17,625. While the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) in 2011 estimated the mid-year population of Pakwach at 22,300
Land and housing
Pakwach acts as the second biggest town in Nebbi District after Nebbi Town Council hence the high population compared to other areas in the District.
With the tourism industry that has been growing at its location, at the main road to Congo and South Sudan, buildings have been constructed making it a mini commercial center.
This however has not changed much in the housing structures in the area, where the rich and the poor all have huts in the compounds.
Since its both a a commercial and residential area, the houses are mainly simple structures copied from the colonial type of construction.
Unlike Kampala and other areas where rent can go beyond Shs700,000, the best rental houses in Pakwach are below Shs300,000 with a two room hoses going for Shs50,000 to Shs60,000
The low prices do not end with rental residential houses as even the land is sold cheaply though not easily.
Residents of Pakwach treasure their land as much as they treasure their animals. Formally nomadic pastrolists, they have over the decades settled down and thus making it possible to buy land in this area.
According to James Okwonga, a resident of Pakwach town, one can buy land for even Shs5m in the commercial area and Shs3m in the outskirts.
“People do not like to sell their land and when it is not an Alur buying, it becomes even more complicated but it is generally cheap here,” Mr Okwonga said.
Economic activities
In Pakwach most people are fisher men due to the more than 10 landing sites sorrounding the area and at least 46 types of edible fish species found in the Lake Albert waters.
However, there also farmers though not on large scale growing cassava and millet mainly.
Though herdsmen can be seen in the area, most of them come from surrounding sub counties.
About 11 restaurants both big and small can be found in Pakwach as well as whole sale and retail shops.
Areas of interest within the town iclude; the offices of Pakwach Town Council, Pakwach Central Market, a branch of Stanbic Bank, the Albert Nile - The river exits Lake Albert just south of the town, and winds its way towards Uganda’s border with South Sudan at Nimule, and the Gulu- Arua Road which passes through the town.
Security
For a town where all types of traders pass to go to Arua, South Sudan and Congo the security in Pakwach is among the best.
Though a number of accidents are recorded on a weekly basis due to the positioning of the Pakwach Arua highway in the middle of the town, it is rare to find criminal complaints like conmen, theft or even robbery.
The most recent case recorded in the area was the breaking in to a MTN Mobile shop where a number of phones and unknown amounts onf money was stolen in August.
Crimes in the area include arsonism arising from land disputes and allegations of witch craft as well as cattle theft.
Entertainment
There are also a number of entertainment places found in the town with most youth especially students of Ugand Christian University Pakwach mostly found there.
The places include; Matonga clubs, Nobas Clus, Club Caliente mainly playing local and Lingala music.
At the entrance of the town one can also see Wang lei, the separation point of Gipir and Labong the forefathers of the Luo, as well as Emin Paha station is found in the towns outskirts of Wadelai.
