Africa-Press – Uganda. President Museveni is expected to start his tour in Buganda Sub-region today, with area residents waiting for him for offer practical solutions to a number of challenges they are currently grappling with.
The four-day presidential tour, which starts in Greater Masaka, is part of Mr Museveni’s campaign to popularise the government wealth creation agenda through poverty alleviation programmes such as Emyooga and the Parish Development Model (PDM).
“We will be happy if the President gives our people hope that the challenges they face today such as land grabbing, poverty and blatant destruction of the environment are going to be addressed,” Mr Peter Ssenkungu , the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) chairperson for Masaka District, said yesterday.
The President’s visit to Greater Masaka comes at a time when River Katonga Bridge, which connects the area to the rest of the country, was washed away by floods, paralysing movement.
Environmentalists have since blamed the scenario on continued destruction of the ecosystem in the area, especially in Lwera swamp, which was turned into a hub of sand mining and rice growing.
Area leaders say they expect the President to address the issue on environmental degradation and also give them assurance that some of the pledges he has made to the region will be fulfilled.
“If we get an opportunity of course we shall raise our issues, I was part of the team that documented victims of 2016 earthquake in our district, but up to now no response from him [President], we have also done everything to catch the attention of government over the Mutukula – Masaka road, which is in a sorry state, but no positive response,” Ms Agnes Namusiitwa, the Kyotera District vice chairperson, said.
During a thanksgiving ceremony for former vice President Edward Kiwanuka Ssekandi in Kyanamukkaka, Masaka District, in 2016, Mr Museveni promised a juice processing plant, glass factory and also to tarmac the road connecting the landing sites of Namirembe and Ddimo to Bukunda on the Masaka –Mutukula highway. Another 1.5 square mile site Mazigo in Bukakkata Sub County, which was gazetted as an industrial park six years ago, has since remained idle and is used as a cattle grazing ground.
Earlier pledges Mr Museveni made to the region include; tarmacking Lumbugu -Buyamba-Kagamba-Lwamaggwa -Lyantonde Road, extension of piped water in Kooki County in Rakai District, extension of electricity to different villages in Rakai District and providing 30 iron sheets, cement and iron bars to residents of Kakuuto and Kyebe sub-counties in Kyotera District who were affected by the September 2016 devastating earthquake.
“The President also promised us a ferry connecting to Kasensero to Nangoma Island; since he is visiting us, we hope he will put to task the relevant offices to explain why they haven’t acted to date,” Ms Namusiitwa said.
In the Greater Luweero area, where Mr Museveni based his five-year guerilla war that brought him to power in 1986, a section of the bush war veterans are yet to be compensated. The President had also pledged that government would upgrade the Zirobwe- Wobulenzi-Katikamu-Kapeeka road. The roads are yet to be upgraded to tarmac and are in poor shape.
Hajj Abdul Nadduli, a former minister without portfolio, said helpless residents are chased away from their land by powerful individuals in government and they don’t get redress even when they report to authorities.
“President Museveni should quickly address this or risk the NRM government crumble,” he explained.
Buvuma District chairperson Adrian Ndungu Wasswa, says one of the things islanders demand from Mr Museveni is connecting the district to the national power grid.
“We are also still waiting to see two primary Universal Primary Education boarding schools and two Universal Secondary Education boarding schools, which our President promised,” he says.
According to Mr Godfrey Kiwanda Ssuubi, the NRM vice chairperson for Buganda, the presidential tour, unlike others, will be so interactive and urges local leaders to speak out their minds.
“I am aware of various issues in the region which need the attention of the President, local leaders will get an opportunity to interact freely with him, there is no way you can talk about politics without pledges and service delivery,” he said.
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