VP Alupo sets eyes on poverty fight in maiden tour of Teso

Vice President Jessica Alupo hands over a box of Covidex, a supplementary drug used in treatment of Covid-19, to Katakwi District officials last week. PHOTO/SIMON PETER EMWAMU

The Vice President, Ms Jessica Alupo, has committed to work with other government organs to promote economic development in Teso  Sub-region, which mainly  relies on subsistence farming.
Ms Alupo, who was in the sub-region last Friday on a poverty eradication drive during her maiden tour as Vice President, met various stakeholders at Soroti University to discuss ideas on how programmes intended to uplift masses from poverty can be best implemented and monitored.
Ms Alupo, also woman MP for Katakwi District, promised to upgrade Soroti fruit factory, saying it was operating below capacity.
“The output from farmers is much bigger than the crushing capacity of the fruit factory,” she said.
Ms Alupo, who is also a citrus farmer in Katakwi, said she would inform President Museveni about the plight of orange farmers for a quicker solution.
The Vice President also urged Ugandans to embrace the parish development model, which the government is currently rolling out.
Ms Alupo said the model will focus on income generating projects at parish level, and rallied all leaders to be good messengers for the model.
“The President is committed to uplift communities from poverty. That is the reason various programmes are geared towards that. I am on a country tour to seek opinions,” she added.
Cattle rustling
While in her constituency at the weekend,  Ms Alupo said government had deployed soldiers on the belts of Magoro, Palam, Okore, and Ngariam to fight cattle rustling.
She said her office is in touch with the army leadership to fight cattle theft and killings inflicted on the people by Karimojong thieves.
Ms Alupo confirmed that she had lobbied for a special offer of Shs2b from government to work on key roads connecting areas such as Okulonyo Sub-county where accessibility to markets remains hard.
Donations
Ms Jessica Alupo also delivered pledges totalling to Shs100m from the President to Akwamor Catholic Church in Aketa, Obulengorok NRM supporters, Obulengorok women, Obulengorok youth and Obulengorok boda boda riders. Ms Alupo also donated 21,600 pieces of facemasks, 1,060 litres of hand sanitisers ,10,000 kilogrammes of maize flour, 1,000 kilogrammes of sugar, 1,000 bottles of Covidex, 49 beds for health centres and 50 pairs of mattresses to the district Covid-19 taskforce. She also gave 87 pupils and students mattresses and 35 scholarships.