MP Magyezi’s voters turn guns on him, protest impassable roads

Igara West voters tear MP Magyezi's poster into pieces in protest of the poor state of the Nyabubaare road that connects Bushenyi and Mitooma districts on Friday. PHOTOS BY ZADOCK AMANYISA

What you need to know:

  • Mr Magyezi recently tabled in Parliament the controversial motion to amend the constitution and lift the presidential age limit so as to allow President Museveni contest for another term of office in 2021.
  • Other roads in the constituency that are in sorrow state include Kakanju, Nkanga, and Akajani among others.

BUSHENYI- The Igara West constituents have turned guns on their MP Raphael Magyezi and the Bushenyi District local government administration protesting the state of the road infrastructure in the constituency.

The angry residents of Nyabubaare Sub-county on Friday protested and closed the 15km road connecting Ishaka town through Kizinda trading center to areas of Bitereko in Mitooma District saying the road is impassable, making it hard for them to transact business and find safe way to their destinations.

The rowdy residents planted banana trees in the middle of the road bringing business to a standstill.

They were later calmed by their LC3 Chairperson, Mr Karoli Rwamuganga and Bushenyi District Chairperson Mr Jaffari Basajjabalaba who promised to work on the road connecting the two districts of Bushenyi and Mitooma.

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Mr Apollo Lee Kakonge, a resident of Nkuuna Nyabubaare Sub County said that their legislator, Mr Raphael Magyezi who should be lobbying for his people to have services like good roads is “busy dragging the country into confusion” and that they cannot sit and wait to perish in accidents caused by the poor state of the roads.

“Our MP, Raphael Magyezi who should be lobbying for us to get good roads and have poor ones worked on is busy doing things that are putting the country in total confusion. So we have decided to block this road to show how lousy our leaders have become,” said Mr Kakonge said.

Igara West constituents protest over bad roads.

He added “Mr Magyezi should rather focus on issues that matter to us his voters than spending our valuable time playing with constitution.”
Mr Magyezi recently tabled in Parliament the controversial motion to amend the constitution and lift the presidential age limit so as to allow President Museveni contest for another term of office in 2021.
In his motion which seeks leave to table a Constitutional amendment Bill, Mr Magyezi wants article 102 (b), which bars anyone below 35 and above 75 years of age from standing for presidency, scrapped.

Mr Paul Rwambangye, a resident of Ruharo Nyabubaare said that their leaders including Mr Magyezi are engaged in unproductive political gymnastics instead of developing their area and the service delivery in the entire district has gone to the dogs.

The Nyabubaare Sub County chairperson, Mr Karoli Rwamuganga told Daily Monitor that the road has hiked the cost of living in the area and people cannot freely travel with their goods to the markets. He said the road has taken long to be worked on despite his repeated requests to the local leadership and his people needed their voice to be heard.

“I have many times reported this issue at the district so that they can see how it can be taken over by the central government or be improved but nothing has been done. The people are right to protest if that’s the only way their voice can be heard,” Mr Rwamuganga said.

When contacted, the Bushenyi District chairperson, Mr Jaffari Bsajjabalaba who intervened and calmed the situation said the road has become expensive for the district to handle and they are only waiting on the central government to do something.

“The cost of upgrading that road is expensive for us to handle as districts because we are given little funds. We get about Shs500 million to work on the roads in the district per financial year and we cannot use that money to work on just one road,” he said.

The Chief Administrative officer, Mr Elias Byamungu told Daily Monitor that the district executive has agreed on sending the machinery to work on the road.
Other roads in the constituency that are in sorrow state include Kakanju, Nkanga, and Akajani among others.