Biraaro dismisses federal talk

Farmers Party presidential candidate Benon Biraaro addresses supporters in Soroti District yesterday.Photo by Simon Peter Emwamu

Soroti- Presidential candidate Benon Biraaro, has attacked his opponents in FDC for their promise of granting regions a federal system of government.

Campaigning in Soroti Distict yesterday, the retired army general told the people of Soroti Municipality that a federal system of government will cause a lot of problems in a country where tribalism is still a sensitive issue.

Maj Gen Biraaro said Uganda is one nation, reasoning that federalism is a deliberate attempt to divide the nation into different parts.

He added that if Ugandans are upbeat about federalism, they should do that at the East African level not as being proposed by some presidential candidates.

Maj Gen Biraaro, who addressed rallies at the main market and Gateway Park, rallied the people of Teso to embrace a unitary system of government, saying this is what Kenyans did after years of turmoil.

He made reference to the unitary system of government enshrined in the South African Constitution where people campaign for the party and not for themselves. He said Ugandans have made politics a business, which has promoted corruption and bribing of the electorate.

Explaining his party manifesto, Gen Biraaro said once elected to power, each district will receiving Shs30 billion annually to revitalise the agriculture sector, adding that this will be spent on tractors and other farm incentives.

He added that in his government, each district will have agricultural institutes which are well funded to help the farmers, especially in this testing time of climatic change.

“Long ago, it would rain for three months to allow the crops to grow; now it rains for two weeks, so when I came up with the Farmers Party, I was focusing on survival of the nation during times of adverse climatic change,” Mr Biraaro hinted.