Museveni promises pupils free books, pads

President Museveni addresses a rally at Lira Golf Course in Lira Town yesterday. PHOTO BY faiswal kasirye

ALEBTONG- Pupils and students could from next financial year get free sanitary towels, exercise books and computers should President Museveni live up to his promise to provide them.

But first, the eligible voters among them must turn up for February 2016 polls and overwhelmingly vote Mr Museveni.

Speaking at a campaign rally at Alira Primary School in Akura Sub–county, Alebtong District, yesterday, Mr Museveni said he would provide the computers so that “children learn modern knowledge”.

“In the schools, we are going to provide more scholastic materials such as textbooks and mathematical sets. We are also proposing to provide exercise books so that parents just buy school uniforms and packed lunch,” Mr Museveni said.

“I want all our daughters to attend school and remain there until they complete their studies. One of the reasons that force our daughters out of school is that when their periods start, they do not have sanitary pads. When they are in class, they soil their dresses. So they run away from school.”

A 1999 study by the Forum for African Women’s Educationists said one in every three schools girls in Uganda misses a whole or part of their school day when their menses start.

Mr Museveni arrived at Alebtong from Lira at 12.30pm.
Before he arrived, the crowd, which had been waiting for him for two hours, ran up and down the school field, looking for free NRM T-shirts and soft drinks.

The Tubonga Naawe song blared from the large speakers.
Capt Mike Mukula, the National Resistance Movement National vice chairperson for eastern Uganda, arrived from Soroti in a helicopter. As his helicopter hovered over the rally ground for 60 seconds, a section of the crowd ran towards the spot where it would land.

When his chopper finally landed on the school soccer field, the crowd drew closer, hoping to see Mr Museveni, at close range. Instead, Capt Mukula walked off the helicopter, grinning.

CaptMukula, dressed in a yellow long-sleeved shirt, a black baseball cap and a matching pair of trousers and shoes and dark sunglasses, held out his right thump.

The people kept their hands by their sides. They only raised them when Mr Museveni turned up in his convoy of Toyota Land Cruisers.