Nakaseke to be turned into industrial town- Museveni

NAKASEKE

Labelling Kampala as a city of barbers and fabric vendors, President Museveni has pledged to build an industrial town in Nakaseke District.

Speaking at his fourth campaign rally in Kiwoko, Nakaseke district on Tuesday, Mr Museveni said this would create jobs for many unemployed youth.

“Bakinyozi bali Kampala, a batunda engoye bali Kampala (loosely translated as barbers and second hand clothes vendors are in Kampala),” he said, adding, “Kapeeka is going to become a new town because we are going to build a town of factories only.”

He added, “Those asking where will the jobs for the youth come from, electricity will attract factories. Factories will provide jobs for the youth.”

A 2012 study says six in every 10 Ugandans are unemployed because the economy is not creating as many opportunities for the students leaving Uganda’s tertiary institutions.

In 2013 during a mining conference in Kampala, Mr Museveni said should the government fail to create jobs for the youth, it risked being toppled.

His pledge to build an industrial town drew no cheer from the crowd as did his pledge to tarmac the Luweero to Ngoma road, which is between 50 and 60 kilometres.

Some of the people the Daily Monitor spoke to over the NRM presidential candidate’s promises said their collective wish is to have their roads tarmacked and construction of more safe water sources.

“The president has ensured some roads are worked on. But more needs to be done on the road from Luweero to Ngoma, which is about 50 kilometres,” said Mr Vincent Ndema, a farmer in Kiwoko in Nakaseke District.

On the other hand, Mr Emmanuel Mambayo, also a farmer, said he hopes the government would work on the rural water sources.

“We do not have boreholes. So we drink water we fetch from ponds, which are not clean. Consequently, we often fall ill; we are always in the health centres seeking for treatment,” Mambayo said.

Ms Hadija Jjingo, the vice chairperson of Wajato Sub–county, said should the road be tarmacked, it would reduce the time spent travelling between the two towns on the currently potholed dirt road.

Mr Museveni said that besides building more factories to create jobs, his government is assisting directly the youth to get jobs – by setting aside Shs33 billion for the youth fund.

General Caleb Akandwanaho, Mr Museveni’s brother, who some locals said rarely attends political rallies, attended yesterday’s in Nakaseke.

Some said it is because the president has pledged to allocate Shs1 trillion to the National Agricultural Advisory Services (Naads), which Museveni restructured and functionally put the UPDF to distribute farm inputs like seeds, seedlings and hoes, among others.