President Yoweri Museveni, who is also the National Resistance Movement (NRM) Presidential flag bearer, has warned local government leaders against corruption saying it frustrates service delivery.
Speaking at a campaign rally held at Boma Grounds in Hoima Municipality in Hoima district, Museveni called upon district leaders to be vigilant and fight corruption so as to ensure that services are delivered to the people.
“When a farmer stores his millet and rats keep stealing it does not mean the farmers should give up farming. You must continue farming and look for methods to kill the rats. You must put a cat to catch the rats. During the colonial times, there was a sub county chief but this was replaced by LC III. We also have the LCV chairman at the district. These are the people to catch the rats that steal money meant for service delivery,” he said.
He asked the district leaders to always explain to the people the different projects they do with the funds sent to the district from the central government.
The President noted that in the last five years alone, government increased the length of paved national roads from 3,264km in 2010/11 to 4000km in 2015.
Overall, the national road network increased from 10,500km in 2011 to 21,000km in 2013/14 representing a 5 percent increase.
“In the 2016-2021 NRM manifesto, we are saying we are going to add 2000km to make it 6000km of tarmac. Of the 4000km, some of the roads are found in Bunyoro for example the Busunju-Kiboga-Kafu-Hoima road,” he said.
He also promised to tarmack the Kigumba-Masindi-Hoima-Kagadi road, Hoima-Kigorobya-Biso-Butiyaba-Wanseko road, Biso-Masindi road and Rwentunyu-Masindi-Apac-Lira road.
He also said Hoima district would be given a road unit. “The municipality roads are being done with money from the World Bank but we shall bring road units for each district to do the village and municipality roads,” he said.
Candidate Museveni promised to boost the electricity supply in Hoima. “We are building a huge dam of 600 megawatts at Karuma. That is three times more than the electricity produced at Jinja. Government is also building a 183 megawatt dam at Isimba and 84 megawatt dam at Ayago. All these dams are in Bunyoro-Acholi region,” he said.
On unity, candidate Museveni advised the people of Hoima against sectarianism if they are to develop.
“When the Bachwezi disappeared 500 years ago, Uganda went into war between kingdoms. When the colonialists came, they also failed to stabilize Uganda for 70 years. Obote and Amin in came and wars continued. Now Uganda has peace because the NRM has taught against religious and tribal sectarianism. Electricity is for all. It does not have a religion neither does it have a tribe,” he said.
President Museveni also called upon the people to work hard and chase poverty from their homes. “Development is the work of government. Your role as a person is to fear God, bring wealth into your homes, live responsibly so that you do not catch HIV/AIDS and leave your children to suffer and lastly to support the NRM government,” he said. He promised to continue to support the wealth creation funds by increasing their funding.
At the rally, the Masindi Go Forward Chairperson Jonathan Akweteireho crossed over to the NRM.
“We have been telling people that if government does not build the Kigumba-Kyenjojo road we shall not vote but government has built the road; there is nothing more we want. We are now convincing other people to come back to the NRM,” he said.
President Museveni also received over 100 people who had crossed to the NRM from Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) and Go Forward.
