KIGEZI- President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has made it categorically clear that his efforts to encourage Ugandans to maximumly use the little land they have without fragmentation will increase household incomes and alleviate poverty.
President Museveni who is on a 3 day tour of Kigezi Sub-region to assess the implementation of the Parish Development Model made the remarks February 12th after visiting a farmer in Chahi in Kisoro District and another one in Bubaare Sub-county in Rubanda District.
In Kisoro President Museveni visited the family of Habumugisha who used his Parish Development Model money to rear 2 Zero grazing cows which are producing milk to earn income for the family while in Rubanda a farmer Akampurira Evas has used her Ugx 1 million Parish Development Model funds to start a poultry farm which has accumulated to over Ugx 20 million in 2 years.
President Museveni said, after visiting the two farmers that he was impressed that the Parish Development Model program in Kigezi has positively taken shape and the two farmers are evidence that the rest can also copy and change their lives and stop producing for consumption but produce with calculations to improve on their wellbeing.
After visiting farmer Ms Akampurira and her husband Habasa Obed in Bubaare, President Museveni gifted them with Ugx 15 million to procure a hatchery for chicken and Ugx 8 million for a Brooder to improve on their poultry business.
The President reminded Ugandans that he started the poverty alleviation campaign in 1966 in his Nyabushozi area and by 1971 when Amin Dada took obmver some people had taken up the wealth creation campaigns but the bad regime disrupted his plans and it took him 16 years to fight and restore the rule of law but since 1996, he has been encouraging Ugandans to participate in poverty alleviation campaigns like the Entandiikwa, Program for Modernisation of Agriculture (PMA), Naads, Operation Wealth Creation (OWC), Emyooga and now Parish Development Model (PDM) all aimed at empowering Ugandans.
He said that he was happy that Parish Development Model has been embraced by the majority Ugandans and called upon the leaders in the government to do more sensitisation about the program and encourage the people to get out of poverty.
“I’m happy people are beginning to wake up and see the light and this mass production of chicken, eggs, goats, pigs, and fish will necessitate more Development like extension of water to households, and value addition to items like eggs and sausages to attract international markets.
The President however noted that nutrition is very important and government will look into how it can be incorporated into the Parish Development Model programs across the country.
He gave an example of increased production of milk in his home area which necessitated value addition of milk powder and ghee which has attracted foreign markets in Algeria amongst other countries.
President Museveni however directed farmers in the Kigezi sub-region to stop cultivating in wetlands, noting that they should instead preserve them and their surrounding ecosystems to benefit the future generations.
He noted that farmers living near wetlands can only fish on the banks of swamps, leaving the main wetland and swamp areas untouched to allow water to flow freely and advised the residents that maintaining a smooth flow of water in wetland catchment areas will aid irrigation and ultimately benefit farmers.
Museveni also revealed plans to meet with tea growers nationwide to discuss their concerns about tea prices since tea growing had become a major cash come generating crop in Kigezi Sub Region and emphasised the importance of conserving wetlands, saying they act as reservoirs for water that is always used in generating hydropower electricity.
The President who met Rubanda District Leaders at Bubaare Secondary school playgrounds thanked the over 600 students who have already reported for the first term and offered 5 cows worth Ugx 10 million to feast on them. He also offered a new motorcycle to the LC 1 chairman of the area worth Ugx 6 million.
Earlier in the day President Museveni commissioned the Mirama-Kabale high voltage power-line and its substation at Hamuko village in Rubanda district as part of the Presidential performance assessment tour on the Parish Development Model (PDM) and wealth creation in Kigezi Sub-region.
“The commissioned high voltage power substation is aimed at boosting industrialization and job creation in this area. People must be reminded that while they celebrate the commissioning of this electricity, they have a role to play in conserving the wetlands because the water used in generating this electricity at Jinja originates from the wetlands where small rivers get the water they pour to River Nile through other rivers like Kagera,” President Museveni said.
The Hamuko, Kabale Substation, Rubanda District electricity project, which traverses through Ntungamo, Rukiga, Kabale and Rubanda districts, was financed by the Islamic Development Bank with a loan of US 83.7 million dollars, under the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development and so far the Ministry of Energy has compensated most of the Project-affected Persons (PAPs).
At the Commissioning ceremony,the Minister for Energy and Mineral Development Hon Dr Ruth Nankabirwa Ssentamu, expressed gratitude for the unwavering support from the local leadership and communities of the Kigezi region and highlighted that the project’s significance in enhancing power stability, supporting rural electrification and driving socio-economic and industrial development.
“Today, we are witnessing the commissioning of a transformative project that will significantly enhance power stability in Southwestern Uganda, particularly in the Kigezi sub-region. This project will in addition to delivering electricity; create opportunities for industrial growth, improve livelihoods, and contribute to the nation’s overall economic development,” said Hon Nankabirwa.
According to the Chief Executive Officer O of Uganda Electricity Transmission Company Limited (UETCL) Joshua Karamagi, the successful completion of the project to ensure energy security for the Kigezi region has been made possible as a result of a collaboration with various stakeholders including; the Government of Uganda, the Islamic Development Bank, the local community and leadership and Colenco Consulting Ltd. (Nigeria), CCC-GTSCC Consortium (Nigeria), and Ceylex Engineering PVT Ltd. (Sri Lanka).
The meetings the President was accompanied by the Vice President Major Jessica Alupo Epel, the Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa, Minister of State for Finance in Charge of General Duties Hon Henry Aliganyila Musasizi who is also the Rubanda East Member of Parliament who asked the President to ensure that Gravity Water schemes are extended to hilly areas in Rubanda to facilitate the implementation of Parish Development Model and also extend electricity to the area where an investor is to establish an Iron Ore Smelting Industry which will create many jobs in the district.
Others included the Minister of Agriculture Animal Industry and Fisheries Hon Frank Tumwebaze, Hon Dr Chris Baryomunsi, Hon David Bahati, Hon Victoria Rusoke and Hon Evelyn Anite the Minister of State for Privatisation and Investment.
The Rubanda District Woman Member of Parliament Hon Mbabazi Akampurira, Kisoro District Woman Member of Parliament Hon Akifeza Grace Ngabirano, Ndorwa East Member of Parliament Hon Wilfred Niwagaba, Chief Whip Hon Hamson Obua, Rubanda West Member of Parliament Kamuntu, Rubanda District Chairperson Stephen Kasyaba, the RDC Ssewandigi, the Chief Administrative Officer Alex Kwizera and the Diocese of Kigezi Bishop Gaddie Akanjuna among many others attended the events.
According to the statistics obtained, Rubanda District has received over Ugx 14 billion to facilitate the implementation of Parish Development Model and all the 70 parishes have benefited and people with little land are being targeted as beneficiaries.
The Minister for Agriculture Animal Industry and Fisheries Frank Tumwebaze who spoke on the sidelines of the event at Bubaare Secondary School said that every piece of land is useful if it’s optimally used as advised by extension officials from his Ministry.
