Leave alcohol and grow coffee, bishop advises Kanungu residents

Kabale Diocese Bishop Callist Rubaramira confirms faithful during mass at Karambi Parish in Kanungu District on Sunday. PHOTO BY ALFRED TUMUSHABE

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Cleric urges residents to utilise free coffee and tea seedlings which are being donated to start farming.

Kanungu. Kabale Diocese Bishop Callist Rubaramira has advised residents of Kanungu District to refrain from drinking alcohol all the time but shift to tea and coffee growing to fight poverty.
“Why do you head to the bar in the morning when others are going to open up land for planting tea? You have got this opportunity of getting free tea and coffee seedlings and you can’t use it? Use this chance to get yourself out of poverty,” Bishop Rubaramira said.
He was speaking at the opening of St Ambrose Karambi Parish in Mpungu Sub-county in Kinkizi West on Sunday where he also confirmed the faithful.
The parish, which borders Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, was carved out of Butogota Parish.
According to local leaders, many residents are drunkards and keep children at home to guard gardens against wild animals from the park.
Fr Paulino Fokushabe, the pioneer parish priest, said the area is targeted by dealers of locally brewed alcohol commonly known as waragi as far as Bushenyi. “One time, I came on a motorcycles carrying waragi. When I asked where the rider was coming from and heading, he told me he deals in waragi, buying it from Bushenyi and selling it here (Mpungu),” Fr Fokushaba said.
He said the parish leadership will focus on changing the people’s attitude so that they are able to work and educate their children.
Kinkizi East MP Chris Baryomunsi asked local leaders to promote anti-poverty programmes such as tea and coffee growing to get peasants out of poverty.
Kinkizi West MP Amama Mbabazi, who was expected to be chief guest, missed the function as he was reported to be meeting the President.
“Hon Amama was ready to come here. He called me last night at around 11pm and told me he was going to have another meeting with the President,” Ms Josephine Kasya, the LC5 chairperson, said.