Former Presidential Candidate Joseph Kabuleta Kizza has said Bunyoro remains one of the poorest sub regions in Uganda despite the discovery of oil in the area over 20 years ago.

Kabuleta made the revelation on Tuesday while delivering his financial liberation message to the leaders and locals of Bunyoro.

 The vocal government critic said ever since oil was discovered in the sub region, the indigenous people have gone from being poor to poorest due to the government’s less interest in developing the area both socially and economically.

“Oil was first discovered in Bunyoro 20 years ago and the government started selling it in crude form at the backs of Ugandans but no single person here has a small piece of land that contains oil. They came and took all your lucrative land and everything. Those people in power even refused to build for you even a single primary school, or a small health facility out of the oil money they make,” Kabuleta noted.

He added: “They only say, they have built roads but the roads are not built for you, they are built for them to transport and sell your stolen oil. So there’s a lot of poverty amidst a great deal of wealth in this area.”

The former 2021 presidential election candidate further accused the government of exploitation. He said the people in power have made it a tendency to exploit Ugandans through imposing high taxes on them and stealing their natural wealth.

“The only thing this government knows is exploitation. It exploits you of your hard- earned money through imposing high taxes on commodities. Look at the current skyrocketing oil prices; every litre has been increased by Shs 2,000, the high charges on electricity, corruption in every sector of the economy like health, education among others. No more free services in hospitals. It means you cannot escape exploitation when you’re in Uganda,” the former journalist turned politician asserted.

“You will never become rich because the current system in Uganda is there to exploit you economically. Your livelihood cannot be improved because there’s always something that sucks your pockets dry. That’s why we are here. We tell you that unless we fight and change that exploitative system, the hardworking people will remain poor because even if they work their lives out, they cannot have money in their pockets.”

Gloria Kabasinguzi, one of the residents who attended the symposium, said the people of Bunyoro are yet to benefit from the oil discovery and they are languishing in poverty due to the government’s reluctance to develop the oil rich sub region.

“For example we have oil but our children don’t even have jobs. They bring foreigners and people from other parts of the country to enjoy the jobs. We have poor government health facilities, poor education services. Generally, we have not benefited from the oil,” Kabasinguzi cried out.

Asiimwe Akiiki also stated, “We feel envious of this government for under-developing Bunyoro. First, the level of education services in the area are wanting. Government doesn’t want Bunyoro people to be Educated. It even failed to provide for us a single University yet we have taken so many years pleading for that one thing. We have knelt before them to help us develop our area using our oil but they have refused. They say that what we could get is 1 percent from our oil and what annoys most is that the beneficiary of the 1 percent is not seen or known.”

NEED under the stewardship of  Kabuleta is currently on a nationwide campaign premised on protecting Uganda’s natural deposits that could be used by citizens to alleviate themselves from poverty. The political movement has so far managed to spread the economic empowerment message to Busoga, Buganda, Bugisu, Bukedi, Teso, Sebei, Lango, Acholi, West Nile,Tooro, Rwenzori, Kigezi , Ankole and Bunyoro sub regions.

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The Minister for Local Government, Hon. Raphael Magyezi has revealed that the ministry is no longer in charge of the contested Naguru-Nakawa Housing project.

While appearing before the Adhoc Committee of Parliament instituted to investigate the Naguru-Nakawa land row, Magyezi said that the Ministry of Local Government ceased to be in control of the project in 2014 after it was taken over by the Office of the Presidency under the Ministry of Kampala Capital City and Metropolitan Affairs.

“We ceased to be in charge of the project from the time Kampala City Council became Kampala Capital City Authority managed under its own law, minister and departments under the Office of the President. So it’s the city council which is responsible, but we retained membership of the technical committee,” Magyezi said.

According to Chris Niwandinda, the Principal Inspector at the Ministry of Local Government, the technical committee is still functional and is responsible for providing technical support and reports to the political leadership on the progress of the project. He added that it  also acts as a channel linking the tenants to the developer.

In 2007, Government signed a Public Private Partnership Agreement with an investor, Opec Prime Properties to redevelop the Naguru-Nakawa housing estates into two ultra modern sustainable satellite towns.

According to the Memorandum of Understanding, the developer was supposed to construct 1,971 low cost residential units in the first four years and other commercial developments in the remaining six years.

However, this obligation was not met, prompting cabinet in 2018 to terminate the contract and land repossessed by Uganda Land Commission (ULC) awaiting reallocation to new developers. Part of the land was later in 2016 handed over to Aga Khan for the construction of a hospital complex.

Magyezi said that by the time the ministry handed over the project to the Office of the President in 2014, the developer had submitted a work programme that delineated the activities that would lead into the commencement of the construction of the first 1,971 housing units, conducted groundbreaking for phase one of the construction of 900 apartments and submitted detailed structural plans and project master plan.

Hon. Dicksons Kateshumbwa (NRM, Sheema Municipality) tasked the minister to explain the fate of the sitting tenants who have been inconvenienced by the project which they are yet to benefit them.

Magyezi added that there is a standing commitment of over Shs34 billion  from government to pay the sitting tenants who were supposed to benefit from this housing project after cabinet in 2018 resolved that each sitting tenant gets Shs17.7 million as a ‘token’ for the inconveniences caused.

However, the Ministry of Finance has not released the funds up to date.

Hon. Asuman Basalirwa (Jeema, Bugiri Municipality) wondered whether it was right for government to reallocate part of the contested land to Aga Khan even before the matter is properly disposed of with the previous developer.

The adhoc committee chairperson, Hon. Dan Kimosho asked the ministry to furnish the committee with a copy of the public private partnership agreement that government signed with Opec Prime Properties and other vital documents including the addendums of the agreement.

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Former Rubaga South MP Kato Lubwama has been operated over unrevealed complications. Lubwama was last week admitted to Medicana hospital, Konya in Turkey.

According to a source close to his family, the performing artist was operated yesterday and is currently in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

“Kato Lubwama has successfully undergone an operation in Turkey. He is out of the theatre and doing well,” the source said.

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