Africa-Press – Uganda. President Museveni has told the people of Kalungu District that voting for the opposition was a mistake, likening it to becoming orphans.
Speaking at a rally held at Bbulakati Playground in Lukya Town Council on Saturday, Museveni said that although government has contributed to the development of Kalungu, some key aspects have delayed due to the Members of Parliament elected from the area.
“When we came to power, the road from Kampala to Masaka and Kabale was in a poor state. By the time we fought at Katonga, it was impassable. We reconstructed it. We also worked on the Mpigi–Butambala–Kanoni–Ssembabule–Masaka road. As a result, Kalungu is now an island surrounded by tarmac. What remains is tarmacking the Kabulasoke–Kifampa–Bugomola–Kyamulibwa–Villa Maria road, and we are going to do it,” Museveni said.
He added that although government plans its projects carefully, some works delay because the leaders sent to Parliament do not understand how the ruling movement operates.
“We do one thing at a time, but your MPs don’t listen to our advice. They want to do many things at once and focus on increasing salaries, which prevents us from addressing the most crucial needs,” he said.
Museveni said the people of Kalungu had been “orphans” for over 10 years because they voted for opposition MPs.
“You were orphans for 10 or 15 years. You sent people like Ssewungu (Kalungu West) to Parliament. As a result, there was no one to follow up on your issues. For us to work on these matters, we must know about them, but if you don’t have an MP who communicates your problems, I won’t know,” Museveni said.
However, he assured residents that plans to tarmac the long-awaited Mitala Maria–Kabulasoke–Gomba road have been completed.
In the 2021 elections, of the three MPs representing Kalungu District, only Aisha Ssekindi, the District Woman MP, is from the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM). The other MPs—Francis Katabaazi Katongole (Kalungu East) and Joseph Ssewungu (Kalungu West)—are from the opposition National Unity Platform (NUP).
In the same elections, Museveni garnered 16,377 votes (29.6%), while NUP swept the district with 69.3%.
Earlier, the Speaker of Parliament, Anita Among, told residents that service delivery in Kalungu had stagnated because they voted for opposition MPs.
“The only person who could speak for this district was Hajjat Aisha Ssekindi. The rest were opposition whose main job was to oppose government programmes. The people of Kalungu should stop bringing comedians to Parliament. Parliament is not a theatre. Many government plans for this area were aborted because of these comedians. They are the same people telling you to go to the streets after elections. Bring leaders who will work with President Museveni for this district,” Among said.
Health and Water Sectors
Museveni said that out of the seven sub-counties in Kalungu District, one has a Health Centre IV while all seven have Health Centre IIIs. He added that government plans to upgrade Nabutongwa Health Centre II to Health Centre III in Kalungu Sub-county.
On water coverage, Museveni said that out of 268 rural villages in the district, 251 have access to safe water, representing a 93% coverage. He noted that several piped water supply and sanitation systems have been completed, serving more than 58,000 people.
Wealth Creation
Museveni reminded residents that wealth creation is key, even where development has been achieved.
“Even if you have schools, health centres, and tarmacked roads, they don’t automatically create wealth. There is a man in Karamoja benefitting from mango farming where there is no tarmac. Development may be limited, but wealth is there. As long as there is peace, wealth can be created anywhere,” he said.
He added that when he bought his land in Kisozi, there was little development, but he foresaw wealth.
“I realized long ago that cows don’t eat tarmac. By the time tarmac came, I was already wealthy. Don’t focus too much on infrastructure alone—use the available peace to create wealth,” Museveni said.
He said government will continue disbursing Shs100 million per parish under the Parish Development Model and distributing coffee seedlings to encourage participation in coffee farming.
“When we talk about wealth as another contribution of the NRM to Uganda’s development , it is not just a story but the truth. Many individuals have benefited from coffee farming, and their individual wealth has contributed to national wealth,” Museveni said.
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