By Mike Sebalu
President Museveni is today embarking on his three-day tour of the West Nile Sub-region aimed at popularising government wealth creation programmes. Among the programmes the President is popularising are Emyooga and the Parish Development Model (PDM).
In his tour, the President is slated to be in Arua City today and tomorrow, and in Obongi District where he will address the people of Madi Sub-region.The President’s visit in the West Nile today coincides with the day Uganda commemorates 44 years since former president Idi Amin was overthrown.
The son of Koboko, currently part of West Nile, served as the third president of Uganda from 1971 to 1979.
According to the NRM director of communications, Mr Emmanuel Dombo, the President’s tour comes as a coincidence.
“When the planning committee sat, the overthrow of Idi Amin was not an issue that was considered or debated. Actually, even for me I was not aware that was the date but this was just a coincidence where the President of Uganda is going to a region to supervise the people he works with, to find out whether the resources he sends to the ground work,” Mr Dombo said.
“Secondly, the President made promises to the people of West Nile in the manifesto, including doing good roads, doing the Parish Development Model, and also extending the main grid electricity. These are some of the things that the President will be discussing with the people of West Nile and announcing to them how far he has gone in the implementation of those things in the manifesto,” he added.
The chairperson of West Nile Parliamentary Caucus, Mr Biyik Lawrence Songa, said people of West Nile want the government to connect their region to the national grid for cheap, reliable power to contribute to the development of the economy.
“For many years now, the people of West Nile have been putting their concerns, especially on priority sectors that should be addressed in the region. Right now we need the energy mix. The moment people have industrial and reliable power, they will be able to power the economy of Uganda,” he said.
Mr Songa, who is the Ora County Member of Parliament in Zombo District, added that even though there are some two obstacles to the project, the government has all the possibility to sort that mess out.
“We know there are two cases where some land owners are refusing the power lines to pass in Nwoya, lets us clear that, let’s talk to them, lets pay them and let the people get power,” he said.
On the Nyagak III mini hydro power plant, Mr Biyika said the government should provide the remaining Shs25 billion for the station to be completed.
He also called for the fulfilment of pledges in infrastructure development, with some roads not tarmacked as pledged during the 1996 election campaigns. “Take the example of the Nebbi -Gori .Paidha-Zombo- zeu Wara- Vvula road, which is along the Uganda-Congo border passing through very productive food basket districts,” he said.
This is the second presidential tour since Covid-19 lockdown. In February, the President toured parts of the north.
