Africa-Press – Uganda. Otuke District Woman Member of Parliament Susan Abeja and the District Chairman, Mr Francis Abola, are battling over who should take responsibility for allocating handheld tractors to farmers.
At least 14 tractors were last year given to the district by the government through the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries to increase farmers’ productivity.
Ms Abeja, however, reportedly stopped Mr Abola and the Chief Administrative Officer, Mr Simon Peter Akileng, from handing over the 14 tractors to the leaders of the 14 sub-counties and town councils last Wednesday.
During the handover ceremony, Ms Abeja reportedly stormed the district council hall and ordered the officials to stop the function. Ms Abeja said she lobbied the tractors from President Museveni and therefore should be the one to take the responsibility of allocating them to beneficiary farmer groups.
But Mr Abola said Ms Abeja was trying to take credit she didn’t deserve because this was a presidential initiative of wealth creation through agricultural mechanisation.
“These tractors were given to all districts in the country and the MP is not even ashamed to claim ownership over the 14 tractors allocated to our district,” Mr Abola told residents last week.
He said the district council on March 28, resolved that the sub-county councils should sit and identify beneficiary farmer groups which should receive the tractors.
“Our sub-county leaders braved the downpour on Wednesday to come and receive the tractors, but they went back so disappointed after the MP stopped the function,” Mr Abola said.
Ms Abeja said: “When I heard that Mr Abola and Mr Akileng had invited the sub-county leaders to go and collect the tractors, I drove from my home in Okwang Sub-county to the district headquarters to stop the exercise,” Ms Abeja said on Saturday.
“In fact, I called the Minister of Local Government to inform him about what was happening, and he is the one who called Mr Abola and ordered him to stop the programme,” she added.
The Resident District Commissioner (RDC), Mr Robert Adyama, said: “When I demanded for the list of the beneficiary groups she had, the Woman MP refused to give it to us. But there are rumours that she wants to reward her campaign agents with the government property.”
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