1. THE REPORT ABOUT TISAI ISLAND
TISAI ISLAND
Tisai Island is an island located on the Eastern part of Uganda. This island is
part of Kumidistrict and under ongino sub-county.
The Island is surrounded by water bodies of Lake Kyoga. The land is about
8sq/kms fromNorth to South and 20sq/kms fromEastto West.
The land is occupied with a population of about 6000 people including children
with a possibility of high growth of population (increase in the number of children
and new settlements).
The people living in the island, the highest population are Iteso whileother tribes
coming fromevery part of Uganda are occupying small areas due to different
interests; The Island has also got people fromRwanda and Kenya settling within
the island because of business.
Furthermore, the island is under low standards of living, this is becauseTisai
Island is one of the areas in Teso which were affected by war especially by the
cattle raiders who came fromKaramoja. For a long time, the island also acted as a
place of refuge for the law breakers and the criminals that is why the government
was less concerned about the status of people living on the Island.
However, the Island is currently under Transformation dueto new settlements by
good people and also some interests of the governmentto offer security and

2. schoolconstruction, business and moreimportantly the setting up of Churches in
the Island which is the great channel of transformation.
Also some NGOs havegot interest to set up firms which would help the people
living on the Island butthe people in Tisai seem to havegiven up on the promses
of many organizations becausethe promises which aregiven to them are not
fulfilled.
On the other hand, the people on the Island of Tisai are social and welcoming,
they are also ready for any development though nothing yet is on ground but they
wish that the Island will one day become one of the best places to settle
internationally.
SOCIAL SERVICES IN TISAI
Tisai is having a small center near the landing site at the lake shores constructed
poorly using grass thatched houses. In thesegrass thatched houses, wefind
restaurants, saloons for shaving hair, stores houses and someareshelters for
taking local beer.
BELOW IS THE TRADING CENTRE OF TISAI
Some people play gambling games (youth and old men) from morning to up to
evening including some of the women.

3. Another population stays athome working in their farmfields and rearing
livestock, and another population is busy at the river fishing and also offering
transportservices to the public travellers through the local boats into the Island.
TRANSPORT IN TISAI
The only way to Tisai Island is through water transport, this is provided by the
business men who haverowing boats which are largely used and also two engine
boats which havebeen introduced recently.
WATER TRANSPORTTO TISAI
While inside the island, there are no good roads but some roads which can be
accessed by foot, bicycle, and motorcycles arethere.
The roads are not good, thus sometimes it is not easy to ride using a motorcycle
because of too much sand on the road and bushy roads.

4. THE ROAD WHICH CANBE ACCESSED BY FOOT.
The people in the Island expressed need for tools like; slashes, hoes, rakes for
clearing the roads. Also if there are other modern possible ways of constructing
good roads in the Island it would be morehelpful.
They wish to have good boats of engine which could make navigation into the
island easy, in addition, if good rowing boats are provided it would be more
helpful for transport into the island.
RELIGIOUS STATUS IN TISAI
There are so far, four major denominations in Tisai under Christianity and also the
Muslim religion is up-coming.
The denominations of Christians in Tisai Island are:
 Church of Uganda
 Roman Catholic Church
 Pentecostal Assemblies of God
 Reformed Churches.
All these Churches areconstructed with grass on the roof, there is no worship
place constructed on iron sheets or brick walls.
All the worship places are built by mud, the rest are without walls but they are
raised with pillars of logs with grass thatched roofs.
THE PHOTOS BELOW ARE THE WORSHIP PLACES OF THETWO BIGGESTCHURCHES
INTISAI

5. BELOW IS THE WORSHIP PLACEOF CHURCH OF UGANDA INTISAI
BELOW IS THE WORSHIP PLACEOF PENTECOSTAL ASSEMBLIES OF GOD IN TISAI

7. Pastors arenot trained except only one who is attending T4T training in Kumi
Nyero (Moruikara)

8. Christians don’thave Bibles, and there is no church furniturelike: chairs or desks,
tables and the pulpits.
The Churches therefore need; Training the pastors.
They wish to have Ateso and English translated Bibles.
Need for permanent worship places and church furniture. They also requestsome
missionaries to volunteer and visit the Island then teach their Church leaders and
members.
On the other hand, the population of Muslims is quite small but with an
opportunity to rise in the coming years, this calls for an immediate action to
create the ground of mature Christians in Tisai island before Islamruins them.
EDUCATION STATUS IN TISAI
At the currentmoment, Tisai Island has one private schoolwhich is to be changed
to a government schoolin Tisai.
The Children study under the trees and under one shadeconstructed with a grass
thatched roof without wall but supported by the pillars of logs.
BELOW IS THE BIGGESTSCHOOL INTISAI

9. The school is bushy and has no toilets,
bathrooms or urinal shelters except the ones they are expecting to construct
soon.
There are no trained teachers in the school, the schoolis being run by volunteers
in the local area. Some of them gave up to teach because of poor standards of
work and life.
There are no schoolmaterials like curriculumand books, desks and other
materials which are needed for a school to run its activities efficiently.
The numbers of children who study in this schoolare 150 pupils, the restof the
children and students cross through the water to find better schools outsidethe
island. While the rest of the children remain seated at home but they wish to go
to school.
The number of children who wish to go to school is not clear but its
approximately 1500 children.

10. The leaders and the people in the Island requested the following:
They wish to have,
 3 primary schools
 Trained teachers
 1 secondary school
 A vocational institute and teachers
THE HEALTH STATUS IN TISAI
The people living in Tisai Island arecurrently experience bad health conditions
due to many diseases, poor sanitation and lack of health service providers.
The people in Tisai are depending on local herbs for cure and treatment for
women in labor and other disease attacks on the people.
Women are at a risk of losing their lives or the lives of their babies because there
are no Antenatal hospitals in Tisai, so they end producing babies under the trees
and under the care of local doctors who are not trained.
At times the situation of sickness is too hard thus they are forced to cross through
the water to find the good hospital on the other side of the lake at Ongino
hospital.
There is no hospital or good clinic in Tisai Island, peopleare attacked by all kinds
of diseases like: Malaria, HIV/AIDs, Cough etc. but by the grace of God, people are
able to live on the Island.

11. There is no clean water for drinking and domestic use, people depend on the
water in the river for domestic use. They have no boreholes or taps for clean
water.
There are no constructed toilets, people depend on the bush to help themselves
and somepeople have dug small latrines for home use.
There is lack of machines which help in processing the food eg: grinding mills or
milling machines. So they haveto cross over through the water to access milling
machines in Ongino to process their food (floor and rice).
Also, there is lack of electricity in the Island.
The people of Tisai requested through their leaders that they wish to have:
 Two hospitals and clinics in the Island
 Constructed toilets
 Mosquito nets
 Grinding mills or milling machines
 Solar electricity
 Improved roads in the Island
 Trained medical doctors and nurses

12. AGRICULTURAL STATUS IN TISAI
The land of Tisai is fertile and near the large water body which supports crop
production and livestock.
The major agricultural activities available in Tisai are:
 Crop production
 Rearing of livestock (cattle, goats, sheep etc)
 Rearing of Birds (Chicken and other)
 Fishing
The people in Tisai however request for the following to supporttheir agricultural
activities:
 Training farmers, land management and modern farming
 Need for farminputs
 Need for farming tools eg: ox-ploughs, pangas, hoes, slashes etc
 Need for improved farmseeds, breeds of livestock and chicken

13.  Need for vetenary services eg: providing treatment for livestock, birds and
pesticides or insecticides for the crops.
 Training for modern fish farming projects
 Construction of good food stores and access to food supply co-operative
All the above information, I witnessed the situation of the Island after
visiting the Island and some data was also contributed by the Kumi local
governmentoffice, local leaders of Tisai, religious leaders of Tisai and some
people of Tisai.
TISAI ISLAND
By ODAUK LAWRENCE