MP Mpuuga is a mad man, says Museveni

Masaka

President Museveni has shot back at Masaka Municipality MP Mathias Mpuuga, who recently criticised the government Operation Wealth Creation (OWC) programme, describing the outspoken MP as “ a mad man” who cannot appreciate government’s efforts to get Ugandans out of poverty.

“….. oluseke olwa Namayanja olwo omwenge teguyitamu, olwa oh.. oh. Mpuuga oyo ddala oyo ..oyo mulalu,” Museveni said in local language literaly meaning that Namayanja’s (Mp Bukoto East) conduit is blocked and the local brew cannot pass through it, and then Mpuuga, that one is really mad.”
The President said the programme, which Mr Mpuuga disapproves of was introduced by the government after conducting thorough research.

He explained that all the items distributed under the programme are dispatched to villages after conducting a needs assessment survey and the beneficiaries are assured of ready market for their produce.

“We have secured ready markets for the crops given out to our people and I wonder why ‘that boy’ (Mpuuga) came up with false talk saying that government was giving out tangerines. Under OWC, we give out oranges not tangerines and there is market for them,” President Museveni said.

The president made the remarks while speaking at a thanksgiving organised by residents of Kyanamukaka Sub-county to congratulate Vice President Edward Ssekandi upon being re-elected as Bukoto Central MP and being chosen as Vice President.

The President was reacting to the MP’s remarks made during the commissioning of Nyendo Market recently. The latter said OWC, which is run by soldiers, does not conform to citizens’ needs.

Addressing the residents, however, President Museveni, who kept referring to Mr Mpuuga as “this boy” said he did not know Mr Mpuuga until he started talking about Masaka Cooperative Union while speaking to the lay public.

“….I didn’t even know him (Mpuuga). The first time I saw him was in Masaka when he brought the issue of Masaka Union…,” the President said before he called Mpuuga ‘mad ’.

When contacted yesterday, Mr Mpuuga accused the President of being far from reality.

“Mr Museveni has out-lived his usefulness and can no longer understand the needs of the people. Masaka is known for growing Matooke and coffee, which have been destroyed by both coffee and banana wilt diseases,” he said.

“Government’s focus should have been on how to fight this problem rather than distributing orange seedlings,” Mr Mpuuga said.

Mr Mpuuga added that he does not need to be known by Mr Museveni and wondered what Mr Ssekandi, who he said meets the President daily, has done for his people in Kyesiiga and Kyanamukaka sub-counties.

Many residents in districts such as Bukomansimbi and Kole refused to take seedlings which government supplied during the last planting season. The seedlings as a result, dried up at sub-county headquarters. The residents said they had requested for other seedlings, other than tangerine.

They demanded that government replaces the seedlings with maize, beans and soya beans, which are more relevant to the residents’ needs.

During the 54th Independence celebrations in Luuka District in October, President Museveni said nearly half of the 122 million coffee seedlings government distributed to farmers countrywide had dried up due to unfavourable weather conditions.

He, however, applauded the electorate in Bukoto Central constituency for re-electing Mr Ssekandi, who he described as “a humble and hardworking man”.

The vice president asked President Museveni to ensure that the depleted Lake Victoria is restocked with fish since many in the area depend on it for a living.

The operation

Government has since 2013 given households 11 million fruit seedlings, 15 millions tea seedlings as well as banana suckers, heifers, cassava stalks, piglets and chicken as select enterprises under the wealth creation scheme.