Besigye blames poverty in Busoga on bad choices

Mayuge. Forum for Democratic Change presidential candidate Kizza Besigye yesterday said by consistently voting President Museveni, the people of Busoga have kept themselves in abject poverty.
Dr Besigye has repeatedly singled out Busoga as a neglected sub-region, dubbing it the “capital city of poverty” during the campaigns for the 2011 general election.

“You have significantly contributed to increasing poverty in Busoga,” Dr Besigye told a crowd at Bukatube in Mayuge District. “This government works for those who put it under pressure. Do you scratch where it does not itch?” he asked.
Dr Besigye said the government commits money to areas where it faces opposition, claiming that as a result, more money is committed to areas like Teso and not Busoga. For what he called more than average poverty in Busoga compared to other sub-regions, Dr Besigye announced a “special plan” to fight poverty in Busoga.

Speaking at different rallies in Namayingo and Bugiri districts at the weekend and in Mayuge District yesterday, he reiterated a pledge he made last November of providing 10 iron sheets per family that lives in a grass-thatched house.
He also promised to invest more money in roads and agriculture, promising to set up tractor hire services at every sub-county, start a farmers’ bank and enable irrigation in the entire country.

The four-time presidential candidate also repeated his pledge to “build more and better schools and equip them” and to increase salaries for teachers and other civil servants. The Opposition has in the past elections, especially the 2011 election, threatened to overrun Busoga, but Mr Museveni has always won in each of the districts in the sub-region and has pledged a special fund for Busoga.

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