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Infighting among Busoga leaders has failed tourism sector – stakeholders
Local and international tourists take photos with the monument of the Namutukula, the founder of Busoga. PHOTO | DENIS EDEMA
What you need to know:
- Potential tourism sites in Busoga sub-region include; the Source of the Nile, which is currently undergoing refurbishment, Itanda Falls, Busowoku Falls, and Igenge Palace, all in Jinja.
Stakeholders have cited internal strife amongst leaders in Busoga as one of the reasons the sub-region can’t realise its full tourism potential.
Potential tourism sites in Busoga sub-region include; the Source of the Nile, which is currently undergoing refurbishment, Itanda Falls, Busowoku Falls, and Igenge Palace, all in Jinja.
Others are Kagulu rock and Iyingo cultural sites in Buyende District; Bishop Hannington Shrine and Bukaleba Slave Port, both in Mayuge District.
It has previously been stated that these tourism sites lack infrastructural developments, and scanty or lack of information about their existence, among others.
However, the assistant commissioner of quality assurance and project coordinator of tourism in the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities, Mr Vivian Lyazi, says: “Institution fighting among Busoga leaders has hindered development of the tourism sector.”
According to Mr Lyazi, if such infighting is resolved, Busoga has the potential to promote and develop the various existing tourism sites to attract more tourists into the sub-region.
Mr Lyazi was speaking Friday at the climax of the four-day Explore Busoga conference, which was organised in partnership with his ministry.
Mr Daudi Migereko, the former Uganda Tourism Board chairperson, noted that Busoga’s leadership, among other individuals, have always fought projects or programmes that the government puts in place to promote and empower people in the sub-region.
“The world is changing from ancient to modern; people need to change their mindset if they are to compete with the rest of the world and to benefit in the tourism sector,” he said.
The Buyende District tourism officer, Ms Judith Batali, said the biggest challenge affecting Busoga’s tourism sector is the lack of collaboration amongst stakeholders, whom she said are working in isolation.
The Minister of State for Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities, Mr Martin Mugarra Bahinduka, said Busoga sub-region is rich with potential tourism attraction sites.
He added that his ministry will undertake a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with stakeholders including Busoga Kingdom and religious leaders to share information about the historical sites that are not captured in the government system for proper product documentation.
According to Mr Mugarra, the tourism sector contributes about 8 per cent to Uganda’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), adding that about 86 per cent of tourists visiting the sites and national parks are Ugandans.
He said: “We have visited these sites and seen that some are not accessible and there is vandalism of some of the signage. The ministry is going to work closely with Busoga Kingdom and religious sectors to promote faith-based tourism in Busoga.”
Mr Mugarra said the government is ready to train local tour guides where the tourism sites are found such that they give the right information to the tourists because most sites lack information.
The Busoga Kingdom Minister of Tourism and Heritage, Ms Hellen Namutamba, acknowledged some of the challenges affecting the tourism sector in Busoga sub-region.
She, however, said the sub-region has benefited from the Shs2.2 trillion that was injected by the government, through the Ministry of Tourism, for developing tourism sites across the country, including Kagulu Hill, the Source of the Nile and Bishop Hannington sites.
