Africa-Press – Uganda. President Museveni has told people in Kaberamaido that infrastructure development is good but not enough if basic welfare is neglected.
Addressing a rally at Kaburepoli primary school in cohere sub county, Kaberamaido district on Friday, Museveni said whereas development is crucial, it must improve one’s actual living conditions.
“Tarmac road has not arrived here yet but you have got relatives or friends in Katine (sub county in Soroti district. You also have friends or relatives in Ochuloi, Soroti and Dokolo and those areas have had tarmac roads for a long time. I want you to ring them and ask whether they sleep on the tarmac road at night,” Museveni said.
“They will tell you they don’t sleep on tarmac. Even if you have tarmac but you are poor, you will go back to find the poverty you left at home waiting for you. There will be no sugar, children having no clothes and no paraffin. In fact, if you move on the tarmac road with bare feet, it will burn you because it is hot.”
Museveni said it is high time Ugandans focused on creating wealth for themselves to ensure households get out of poverty, other than keep demanding for infrastructure development.
The president said since 1960, he has preached this gospel of wealth creation but noted whereas some people have listened to it, others have ignored it.
“As NRM in the 1960, we saw that and warned people who were confused singing about development. We told them not to be diverted by just development but add another word, called wealth creation. Development belongs to all of us. The road is ours; electricity is ours. Schools and health centres are ours but wealth is mine. Your poverty is not mine and mine is not yours. As NRM, we say, seek homestead income first, then development can be added onto you.”
He mentioned that government sends shs100 million to every parish in the country under the Parish Development Model that he asked people to use to create wealth.
Kaberamaido’s 29 parishes have received shs8.9 billion in PDM cash , with shs8.8 billion already disbursed to 8,864 households, out of 28,348 households in the district.
In terms of Emyooga, Kaberamaido has33 saccos with 7,176 members that have so far received shs1.3 billion.
Museveni insisted that every person must participate in creating wealth for themselves.
“In football we can have players and spectators but not in wealth creation. Everybody must be involved.”
Roads, Schools, Hospitals
Museveni however reaffirmed government’s commitment to ensure all roads are tarmacked, schools are constructed and health centres upgraded.
“You can see how much has been done on the Kaberamaido-Karachi- Teso road.Tarmac road used to end at Soroti but we repaired all roads from Soroti but also extended it to Dokolo, Lira then to Kamdini. We have brought tarmac road nearer you. We are to bring tarmac from Katine to here in Ochero. It is just 73.5km. We already have the money and government is now looking for contractor to do the work. Later alone I want to extend it from here in Ochero to Amolatar to Namasale then to Dokolo.”
On electricity, Museveni noted the concerns of the locals as raised by the NRM district chairperson, who complained of frequent blackouts.
“For electricity you have it, but now you say it is on and off. I will find out what the problem is.We have got enough electricity in the country now and the problem could be in old wires which need to be replaced.”
Museveni also mentioned that in terms of clean water, Kaberamaido has 217 villages with safe water sources, representing 91% coverage, with only 17 villages without access to safe water.
He said two solar-powered mini piped water schemes have been completed in Obur and Adudul, featuring five public stand posts and five yard connections, serving approximately 1,650 people with a sustainable water supply whereas a new water supply project in Awelu Village has brought clean water to the local population.
Museveni assed that the Ocero Town Council Piped Water Supply and Sanitation Project is fully operational, serving 1,645 people but noted that government plans extension and further development of the Ocero Town Council Piped Water Supply and Sanitation System as well as new development and construction of the Apapai Piped Water Supply and Sanitation System.
He added that government commenced construction of two small scale irrigation projects at Obajaj Site in Kobulubulu Sub-county and Ochero SSI Project in Swagere Parish, adding there are plans to extend water to 17 villages in Kaberamaido district without a water source each.
On education he said Kaberamaido has 45 government primary schools with each of the 26 out of the 29 parishes that make up the district having at least a government primary school and only three are still lacking.
For secondary education, Museveni said Kaberamaido has nine sub counties, with six of these having at least a government secondary schools and only three not having any at all.
He reaffirmed government’s commitment to ensure each parish has a primary school and each sub county, a government secondary school.
According to Museveni, plans are underway to construct two new secondary schools through the Uganda Intergovernmental Fiscal Transfers (UgIFT) program and the Uganda Secondary Education Expansion Project (USEEP) in Kaberamaido district.
“When these two secondary schools are completed, only one sub-county will remain,” he said.
On health he said out of the nine sub-counties in the district, one has a hospital and four others have health centre IIIs.
Museveni not that the sub counties without a health centre III and above are four but said government plans to upgrade Murem health centre II in Okile S/C, Kaburepoli health centre II in Ochero sub county as well as construction of new health centre IIIs in Oriamo and Kaberamaido sub-counties.
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