Dokolo waits for Museveni’s 27,000 hoes one year later

Prime Minister Ruhakana Rugunda (left) hands over hoes to residents of Arua District in 2016. Farmers in Dokolo District are yet to receive 27,000 hand hoes which President Museveni promised them last year. FILE PHOTO

Farmers in Dokolo District are yet to receive 27,000 hand hoes which President Museveni promised them last year.

On March 10, 2018, the President promised to donate the farm tools as government’s support to the farmers. He made the pledge while addressing hundreds of people at a thanksgiving ceremony organised by Dokolo North MP Paul Amoru Omiat at Adwoki Technical Institute.

To this day, the government is yet to fulfill the promise. The government would spend about Shs116m to procure the 27,000 hand hoes from Dokolo Town where each currently costs Shs8,000.

Mr Frederick Odongo, the district chairperson, said when they made a follow up on the pledge with the President’s office recently, they were told to be patient.

“We were told that they are in the procurement stages and that very soon, the hoes will be delivered,” Mr Odongo said on Wednesday.
Farmers said the hand hoes would boost production.
“It would help a lot in increasing agricultural production because most people engage in agriculture,” Mr Caxtion Pule, a resident of Dokolo Town Council, said. “Because of the recent prolonged dry spell that affected Dokolo, many people cannot afford a hand hoe,” another resident, Mr Samuel Omara, said.

Mr Lawrence Egole, the resident district commissioner, said the President has already fulfilled a number of pledges he made to the people of Dokolo on March 10 last year.

While in the district, Mr Museveni also visited a farmer, Mr Fred Ogwal Oyie, and promised to purchase for him a solar-powered pump. At Our Lady of Fatima, Agwata Catholic Parish, the President pledged to donate 200 pieces of corrugated metal sheets for roofing the church. “The President has already given the church Shs75m and the building is already at completion level. He also gave Shs20m to the youth to support their activities,” Mr Egole explained yesterday.