Thank you Mr President, but Rukungiri donations may solve the wrong problems

A week after I wrote in this column about an almost total collapse in service delivery and grinding poverty in Rukungiri District, President Museveni paid ‘us’ a courtesy visit on Sunday, April 15, that has since been aptly dubbed a Presidential cash bonanza. During this visit, more than 260 groups benefited from more than Shs5b donations in cash and other items.

Although questions were raised around the authenticity of some Saccos, there are many bonafide Saccos that were supported. For example the Rwenshaka Sacco in Ruhinda Sub-county that received Shs100m, has previously supported many individuals and groups in accessing affordable credit.

There are many others that will put the donations to prudent use for the benefit of their membership and communities. However, this will be down to the self-regulatory mechanisms built within such Saccos. My worry is that in the absence of such internal regulations, there may be abuse and misappropriation, which will in turn breed unintended negative spillovers like fomenting conflict in communities and perpetuating a begging culture.

I also read the opinion of Don Wanyama, the Senior Press Secretary to the President in the New Vision ofApril 24. Wanyama attempted to justify the Rukungiri donations on the overwhelming demands from the people of Rukungiri while the President visited the district sometime back. Whereas, just like Wanyama, I refuse to believe that the upcoming by-election pitying FDC’s Betty Muzanira against NRM’s duo of Winnie Matsiko and now Sezi Mbaguta is that too important, in spite of the high political stakes, to warrant such a sizeable Presidential donation, I find his argument wanting.

Firstly, the President has himself pointed out several times that people ambush him with all manner of demands every time he travels. Yet, rarely has he unleashed such massive donations. Two, the Presidential donations may be well intentioned and actually come from monies appropriated by Parliament. However, the problem is where the quantum of donation does not follow the principles of inclusiveness and equity, but is based on the level of magnanimity or moods of the day of the President to donate, or even on the level of begging from the desperate wanainchi as Wanyama seems to allude.

Away from the above, how are such donations tailored to different government development programmes in such localities so that such donations supplement other efforts aimed at lifting people out of poverty? For example, should a coffee farming group that received free coffee seedlings from Operation wealth creation get a lorry or receive a coffee processing plant that guarantees value addition and better prices?How about a group of youth who got funding under the Youth Livelihood Programme to start a juice making business that adds value to farming under the four- acre model, but have now received a Presidential donation of boda bodas to do petty transport business?

Besides, why not tag these donations to certain development conditions so that where there is misappropriation and abuse, the recipients can be held personally liable. In such a case, the office of state House Comptroller or RDCs could conduct follow-ups to ensure compliance with such conditions for which a donation was made to such Saccos. T

he road linking Rukungiri to Bushenyi through Ruhinda Sub-county is so riddled with crater-like potholes that public transport is almost non-existent. The road through Bikurungu, Bwambara Sub-county to Rwenshama landing site on Lake Albert that can be developed into one of the best tourist hubs in the country, is not passable.

My own people under Kicwamba Farmers Development Association received a truck. This support may be welcome, but it will not be long before this truck breaks down because of poor roads. A great coffee farmer like Christopher Katwiremu in Kicwamba, Ruhinda may not need a truck.

What he needs is electricity, a descent road network and if a donation must come, then a subsidy in form of a coffee processor so that he adds value to his coffee to guarantee better prices for his clean coffee and create jobs for hundreds of youths in Ruhinda Sub-county. Not far away from this area is Bwambara Sub-county renown for tobacco and rice farming. These hard working people use improvised technologies of processing their rice using poor post harvest methods. The only support such people need is machinery and reliable energy besides good roads.

In areas like Buhunga, Kajwamushana and others, coffee farming is picking again. So besides good infrastructure, programmes like the President’s fledgling Four- Acre Model aimed at eradicating household poverty through planting of high value crops in each acre, if properly executed, is better suited to address the socio-economic challenges of people in such areas than an unexpected manna from heaven.

Mr Oramire comes from Ruhinda, Rukungiri.
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