Leaders ask Museveni to honour old pledges

National Resistance Movement (NRM) party leaders in Bukedi Sub-region have asked President Museveni to fulfill previous pledges he made to them, including those made in the 1990s.
Among the pledges is the tarmacking of Lwangoli-Butaleja-Busolwe-Namutumba Road, Tororo-Nagongera Busolwe Road, Naboa-Nabiganda Road, establish a dairy factory in Kibuku District, and starch factory in Pallisa District.

The leaders made the remarks during President Museveni’s meeting with NRM party leaders at Busitema University, Pallisa Campus, yesterday.
Mr Higenyi Kemba, a leader in  Butaleja District, said during the 1996 presidential elections, Mr Museveni promised to tarmac the Tororo-Nagongera Busolwe Road and that it was even launched but 24 years later, it has never been tarmacked.

“In 1996 presidential campaigns, the former Vice President Dr Specioza Naigaga Kazibwe launched the tarmacking of that roads at Busolwe roundabout and some bulldozers were brought around. Immediately after elections the bulldozers were taken away and since then nothing has been done,”Mr Kemba said.
The sub-region comprises the districts of Butebo, Kibuku, Busia, Palisa, Butaleja and Tororo and it is one of the regions with high levels of poverty and low literacy levels.

Mr Herbert Kinobero, the MP Kibuku County, said President Museveni should also fulfil the pledge of having a hospital in each district to ease access to healthcare.
“Our mothers in Kibuku move very long distances to access healthcare because we do not have district hospitals as the government policies dictate,” he said.
The leaders, in their joint memo read by Mr George Omondigi, the NRM chairperson for Pallisa District, asked President Museveni to upgrade Pallisa Hospital to a regional hospital.

“Budaka, Butebo, Kibuku health centre IVs should also be upgraded to district referral hospitals because Mbale hospital is overwhelmed,” Mr Omondigi, told President Museveni who was meeting NRM leaders at Busitema University, Pallisa Campus yesterday.
Ms Jenipher Namuyangu, the Kibuku District Woman MP, asked Museveni to intervene, saying locals are being threatened with eviction from wetlands.
“More than 70 per cent of our people depend majorly on wetlands and three months ago, unknown people came and started evicting them,” she said.

In response to this, President Museveni said government will compensate people to leave the wetlands.
“I don’t want to chase away people from wetlands without a plan. They should be first compensated, “Mr Museveni said.
President Museveni also urged the NRM leaders to mobilise voters to vote for the party, saying his government has brought peace, stability and economic development.