NRM’s grip on Sebei region under threat over unfulfilled pledges

When President Museveni visited Sebei Sub-region last month, the Minister of Water and Environment, Mr Sam Cheptoris, who is also Kapchorwa Municipality MP, said the area would vote National Resistance Movement (NRM) party with 101 per cent in the forthcoming general election.

  However, Mr Cheptoris did not know that his remarks would cause a storm in the sub-region regarded as one of the NRM strongholds.

 During a meeting at Sebei Cultural Centre at the weekend, a section of NRM leaders, elders and youth said Mr Cheptoris and other party leaders were too excited with the President’s visit that they failed to get a clear position from Mr Museveni on the several unfulfilled pledges.

 “They never tasked the President to give answers on pertinent issues such as opening of the boundary between Sebei and Bugisu, which has remained a thorn in our lives for many years,” Mr Vicent Bariteka, the chairperson of Older Persons, Kapchorwa District, said.

 In their memorandum presented by Mr Chemutai Kalifani, the proprietor of Sebei Cultural Centre, the group also faulted their leaders for failure to get commitment from Mr Museveni on compensation for the loss of lives and property during the insurgency and cattle rustling, resettlement of displaced landless people, upgrading of Kapchorwa hospital to referral hospital, among others.

Mr Chemutai, who is also a parliamentary candidate for Tingey County said the NRM’s popularity in the sub-region could be under threat if the government doesn’t address their frustrations.

 “There are rampant killings of our people especially in the areas near Mt Elgon National Park but there are no answers from the government. This was the time to ask for answers but it was instead  misused,” he said.

 Mr Samuel Ggiryo, an elder and resident of Saptet Village in Bukwo District said: “The leaders didn’t perform to our expectation. Before the President’s visit, we expected them to meet and analyse   what issues to present to the President. There was no initial planning and this will cost the party.”  

 In 2016, Sebei overwhelmingly voted for the NRM party with President Museveni winning with a landslide. Of the seven parliamentary seats including the woman race, NRM took six. It’s the only Kween Woman MP seat that was won by Ms Lydia Barteka, an Independent.

 Mr Chesakit Henry Kapkwamba, the Bukwo District elders’ councillor on NRM ticket and also a member of the Sebei Cultural Committee, echoed the same saying a number of issues were left out. 

 “We know a memorandum was presented, but many things including the issue of Soi land that was fraudulently sold and the resettlement for people were left out,” he said.

Mr Ambrose Kiprotich, a youth leader, said the government should encourage investors to set up industries in the sub-region to solve the problem of unemployment.

 “The government should encourage investors to set up cement factories in the lower belt instead of ferrying our minerals to other districts,” he said.

Mr Kiprotich said Sebei is a tourism hub but nothing has been  done to develop tourism sites  especially in Kwoti in Kapchorwa and Amanang in Bukwo.

We were unable to speak to Mr Christopher  Songhor Chepkurui, the  Kapchwora NRM chairperson, as his known mobile phone number was unavailable.

 Sebei is known for popular features such as the Sipi falls, exploration centre in Kapwai, Kapchorwa District, mountain trekking in Mt Elgon National Park.

 The region also boasts of a mineral-rich potential in Soi County. Phosphates are stone material, which  are also transported to Tororo and Kampala, where the cement factories are established.

 While addressing NRM leaders in the Sebei region during a campaign meeting in Kapchorwa municipality at Tuban Technical Institute in Chelabei Cell on November 27, Mr Museveni instead  urged the people of Sebei sub region to adopt commercial agriculture to fight household poverty.

 He said due to peace and stability created by the NRM government, the country has been able to undertake a lot of development projects with high economic returns for the past 35 years.

“We have enough investors in the country because of prevailing peace.  These investors have established industries, where our youth  have jobs opportunities  and they are also paying taxes,” he said

 When contacted recently  on the pending pledges, Mr Don Wanyama, the senior Presidential Press Secretary, said  any  pledge, however long it takes, will be fulfilled. 

“It is always dependent on availability of resources. Whereas some of these promises might be pending, it would also be fair to note that many others have been fulfilled,” Mr Wanyama, said.