Terego residents reject Museveni hoes

A tobacco farmer in Owaffa Sub-county in Terego County works on his field. PHOTO BY FELIX WAROM OKELLO

What you need to know:

The cause. Residents expected more hoes than the number delivered.

ARUA.

Residents of Terego County in Arua District have rejected hoes which were promised by President Museveni during campaigns, saying they were less than those they expected.
The distributing officials had 36,000 hoes that is, 100 hoes per village, benefitting about 4,029 households. However, the residents argued that theirs was a special consideration from the president after he acknowledged they had lagged behind for long.

Mr Luigi Candini, the secretary for production at the district and the Resident District Commissioner, Mr Peter Debele, laboured to convince residents at Aivu Sub-county headquarters to accept the offer but they were adamant.
Mr Lonjino Etrima, the LC3 chairman, Uriama Sub-county instead said Terego people had been undermined for a long time and will not allow to be taken for granted.

The promise

“President Museveni had told the people of Uriama Sub-county during campaigns that each household would get three hoes after listening to the demands of the people,” he said.

Residents accused Arua District officials of trying to embark on the distribution against the presidential directives.
Lt Col Nelson Obiale, the regional coordinator of Operation Wealth Creation, appealed to residents to accept the hoes as they wait for more but his plea fell on deaf ears.

Mr Candini said the district officials would write letters to respective central government offices for the remaining balance.

The president’s directive of giving three hoes per household was further re-enforced by the Prime Minister, Dr Ruhakana Rugunda, about two weeks to the February 18 elections when he came to launch the distribution.
RDC Debele said: “This is a government programme, this is not NRM, and the president said we did not put hoes on the manifesto but we are going to include it.”

He directed that the hoes be taken to various delivery points at sub-counties.