Africa-Press – Uganda. Leaders of the ruling NRM party in Pallisa District have accused President Museveni of ignoring them in his latest ministerial appointments.
The leaders say although the President named two people from Bugwere in the Cabinet, the appointments sidestepped Pallisa, the mother district from which Kibuku, Butebo and Budaka were carved out.
“We have observed that since the NRM government came into power in 1986, Pallisa has had only one minister – Stephen Malinga.We, therefore, call upon President Museveni to consider our people from Pallisa in government appointments,” Mr George Oule Omoding, the NRM district chairperson, said.
The leaders, who addressed the media at Heritage Courts Hotel last Thursday, said the district massively voted for NRM during the 2021 General Election.
“Pallisa being the mother district of Budaka, Butebo and Kibuku has been abandoned in terms of government appointments. We are orphans who are only remembered at the time of elections. This is quite unfortunate and regrettable,” Mr Omoding said.
He said Pallisa voted 68.9 per cent for President Museveni, making him win in all the 277 polling stations across the district.
“Your Excellency, in 2021 while in Gogonyo, you told us that you are Malwa (local drink) in the pot and that we should send you good tubes who will be able to suck the malwa very well, now we massively voted for you and sent those good tubes. What has gone wrong with them now?” Mr Omoding asked.
Ms Mariam Judith Amoiti, the former Pallisa District Woman Member of Parliament, said since Pallisa is a cosmopolitan area, it needs a minister to address the issue of rising poverty.
“The President should re-consider Pallisa for a ministerial post so that we can lobby for services at the national level and eradicate poverty in the district,” she said.
Mr Edirisa Dumbulu, the former NRM chairperson [2001-2016], said: “It’s unfortunate that our efforts have not been recognised as the mother district.”
Ms Slivia Ariokot, the district youth NRM representative, said during the 2021 presidential campaigns, the former Pallisa RDC, Mr Kyeyune Ssenyonjo, convinced the locals to vote for President Museveni, who in turn would reward them with a ministerial position, which turned out to be a “good lie”.
Empty promise
Mr John Okanya, a resident of Obutete Trading Centre in Obutete Sub-county, said during the thanksgiving ceremony of Mr Derrick Orone, the Gogonyo MP, at Gogonyo Primary School, Ms Kasule Lumumba, the new Minister in charge of General Duties (Office of the Prime Minister), told them that the President was a good listener and would consider their quest for a ministerial position.
“I wonder how President Museveni, who has been with five MPs of Pallisa, Richard Oseku (Kibale), Derrick Orone (Gogonyo), Sam Otukol (Pallisa), Polycarp Ogwai (Agule), and Kevin Kaala Ojinga (Woman MP) in Kyakwanzi for four weeks couldn’t pick any of them,’’ Mr Okanya said.
The chairperson of Iteso Cultural Union, Mr Nicholas Osako, who defected from FDC to NRM in 2011, said: “Having better infrastructure and service is what we want as indicated in the NRM manifesto, but people see a ministerial post as a true recognition and love from the President.”
