LUUKA- The National Treasurer of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) Hon Ambassador Barbara Nekesa Oundo has cautioned people in Busoga to use their land for commercialized agriculture rather than sticking to sugarcane growing where she said it has led to famine in a number of families.
Hon Nekesa, who once served as Uganda’s ambassador and state minister for Karamoja affairs said that only people with bigger chunks of land should engage in sugarcane growing. She also tasked people in Busoga to avoid land fragmentation but instead process land titles to cement their land ownership.
Nekesa was on Saturday speaking at Bwamba village, Waibuga Sub County in Luuka district where the clan members of “Abaise Matende” were commemorating the third coronation anniversary of their clan head, Mr. Bakibisemu Stephen Matende.
“I encourage you to leave sugarcane growing to only those with bigger chunks of land. I also implore you to shift from subsistence farming to commercialized agriculture and also avoid land fragmentation but instead process land titles for your land as a way of cementing ownership,” Hon Nekesa said.
She commended Mr Bakibisemu for supporting the government by mobilizing people for development, citing that communities develop when they have people who bring them together. She also commended people in Luuka for electing President Museveni in the 2021 elections, saying their votes counted.
“I want to thank you for voting for President Museveni in 2021. The votes you gave us indeed counted because however few they were, that number added on what we got in other districts and we cannot take that for granted,” Hon Nekesa said, before asking them to embrace government programmes.
Mr. Bakibisemu Stephen in his remarks said they are mobilizing their people on a number of pillars among which are related to the government calls. He says they encourage people to have food in homes, ensure good health, love their culture as well as loving the Kyabazinga of Busoga.
He said clan heads do tremendous work in supporting the government through a number of mobilization strategies within the clan members but they are bared by some challenges like transport. He asked the president to support him with transport means to ease his work and Hon Nekesa pledged to forward the request for action.
The head protocol at the NRM secretariat and Luuka South MP hopeful Mr Don Vincent Bwana asked the president to fulfill the promise of further modernizing and renovating seed schools in the district to ensure good academic excellence.
He also commended the NRM government in stewardship of President Museveni for approving to tarmac the Walugogo-Luuka-Kamuli road and this publication has learnt from Waibuga Sub County chairperson Mr. Kayong Salim that compensating people has started from Kamuli to Nakabugu.
The function was attended by the woman Member of Parliament for Luuka district Hon Esther Mbayo who commended the clan for unity and said the government has improved services in Luuka district like roads and power distribution which is estimated at about 70