With President Museveni said to canvass votes in Nebbi, local leaders have voiced priorities they want addressed .
Speaking to Nile Post on Saturday morning, State Minister for Mineral Development, Phiona Nyamutoro, who is also the NRM flag bearer for Nebbi Municipality said they seek to have the area general hospital upgraded to a national referral hospital serving the entire West Nile Region.
According to Padyere County MP, Isaac Otimgiw, the hospital serves at least 400,000 people plus others from neighbouring neighbouring areas.
“Our general hospital here covers districts like Madiokolo, Pakwach,Zombo and even Bulisa. They all bring their people here. Already, the district is overwhelmed because we have 16 sub-counties in this area. The population is very big, over 400,000 people already,”Otimgiw said.
“We are already getting these numbers coming from other districts. I think it will be very viable that the president gives a directive that our general hospital is uplifted to a referral status .”
War Claimants
The Padyere County legislator mentioned the issue of war claimants should be top on the agenda.
“We have raised this matter already.The process has gone through the courts, but it has reached a stagnant point. The only suggestion the Attorney General has said is that the president needs to make a proclamation upon this matter. He said that the president has to direct West Nile sub-region to be included in the compensation programme.”
The MP said currently, Nebbi has over 350 war claimants who he said have been going through the court processes to ensure justice .
“Most of them lost their goods during the Kony War. Most of them also lost their animals, poultry or livestock and they have been trying to see that they get justice.”
According to the NRM flag bearer for Nebbi Woman MP seat, Phiona Nyamutoro said they need financial empowerment for the population, building on the achievements of the Parish Development Model.
“We also want to focus so much on financial empowerment of our people and through that we shall be able to put up many other agro-processing facilities. We already have a business entrepreneur who is putting up a starch factory. We are joining hands with many other capacity building people in Nebbi to see that we change the face of our district,” she said.
“Nebbi is not just an ordinary highway that you will be passing through in the next years. It will be totally a different drive-through of empowerment in this West Nile region and that is our vision that we are focused on starting with financial empowerment.”