President Museveni has assured the people of Bududa that government has secured funds to tarmac the Bubulo-Bududa Circular Road soon.
“You can now check to see one the side of economic infrastructure, what has been done by the NRM. Tarmac has come from Mbale up to Bubulo and went all the way to Bumbo and Lwakhakha. We have been trying to bring it to here(Bududa) from Bubulo to Namisindwa and Bududa using the circular road. It has taken time but now we have got money and we are to do it now,” Museveni said.
He was on Saturday addressing a rally at Bukigai Primary School in Bumatanda Parish, Bukigai Subcounty, Bududa District as he campaigned for another term.
Museveni’s reassurance was evoked by a request from the Bududa district NRM chairman, Mukwana Wekhola Kuloto who said the road is currently pothole riddled, dusty during the dry season and becomes a muddy mess during the rainy season.
“The road is not political but rather economical,” he told Museveni.
In response, the president acknowledged the delay in tarmacking the road but said it was down to lack of funds but said they have now been secured.
He however insisted that some of the issues are not always readily worked upon as they come because government priotises those that need quick intervention, asking voters not to always put pressure on their MPs .
“I want you to guide the Members of Parliament you elect and they should listen to what I say. Sometimes they don’t listen to what I tell them and that’s when we get all these delays. We as fighters passed through problems. We are not those who eat what is ready. Our method of work is one thing at a time. We don’t make many things at a time or else we would not finish anything,” Museveni said.
“Recently we had a problem of teachers on strike because they want higher salaries now. But we have many issues we are dealing with. The Baduda don’t have a road but why not deal with their road and then we come back to you. Then they(teachers) said no, we want(salary increment) now . Thats how they divert us. Please, all NRM members should stop handling many things at a time. Let us handle crucial things first and others come later.”
Museveni reminisced a 2005 decision he took and directed parliament to ensure it prioritises funds for electricity and roads that he said has paid off.
“I was going to have a showdown with parliament and I said electricity and roads must be a priority. Fortunately, they agreed. Because of that we have got more electricity now. We were able to do more roads. Because of more electricity, you can now see the Industrial Park of Mbale.”
“That is a new town of factories in Mbale. Each of those factories is very important. If I had not insisted on prioritising electricity those factories wouldn’t have come. They are now employing so many people.”
He therefore assured the people of Bududa that tarmacking of their circular road is on the way.
“Electricity is here and the road is coming since we now have the money. We could have done it earlier if our people learn the fighters’ way of one thing at a time. You have seen our soldiers staying in grass thatched houses. It is not that we don’t want good barracks but if you don’t have enough money to do both what do you do! Stay in goloofa(good houses) , then the enemy comes and catches you like grasshoppers or buy weapons and stay in grass thatched houses. We the bush fighters say weapons first. Somebody from a grass thatched house can shoot you and die. That’s how we have been able to defend Uganda. The culture of scattering is not good.”
Museveni also reaffirmed government’s commitment to ensure every parish and sub county has one government primary school and secondary school respectively.
Bududa’s 160 parishes have 89 government primary schools, with 71 parishes hosting at least one school while 89 parishes are still lacking.
This means there are parishes with more than one government primary school.
For secondary, the district’s 28 sub counties have a total of 8 government secondary schools with eight sub counties hosting at least one Government secondary school, while 20 sub-counties are still lacking.
He assured the people that there is no need to worry as government is to work on the issue.
“In 1961 I was at Ntare High School and there were many boys from Bugisu like Wamakuyu, Zesabuli and others from other parts of Uganda. They were coming to Ntare because at that time, there were only six A-level schools in Uganda. Kisubi,Buddo and Ntare were for boys and for girls there was Nabbingo, Namagunga and Gayaza. Schools like Nabumali, Teso College and Mwiri were ending at O-level. When I now see that Bududa alone has something like 10 or so schools and we are continuing, I feel very happy.”
He however said despite the development, it is high time the people got involved in wealth creation, to ensure they get out of poverty.
Museveni said development makes no sense when people are still poor.
“A tarmac road is for all of us to use. A thief can use tarmac to move quickly and one who wants to do business can use it but wealth or poverty is personal. Since the 1990s, we have introduced programs like Entandikwa, Bonna Baggaggawale, Operation Wealth Creation and now PDM. We are trying to get you out of poverty,” he said.
According to Museveni, Bududa’s 160 parishes have received shs48.8 billion in PDM funds, with shs47.6 billion disbursed to 47,647 beneficiary households.
In terms of Emyooga, the district has 53 saccos with 12,340 members and government has so far disbursed shs2.1 billion.
Museveni appealed to the population to use these funds to get out of poverty .
“I appeal to you that you all work to chase poverty from your homes. The PDM money will continue coming and if necessary, we can expand it. The purpose is to ensure there is no poverty in any homestead.”
Leaders react
Bududa Woman MP, Agnes Nandutu hailed the president for coming clear on the Bubulo-Bududa Circular Road.
“When you look at these hills in Bududa, all you see are food crops. The people of Bududa are farmers who also have zero grazing livestock. People come all the way from Kenya to Bududa to pick food here. In Kenya, there is a market called Kampala which is the only one that sells organic food and it comes from Bududa. Therefore, this road is very important for the people of Bududato transport their produce to the market. We need it yesterday,”Nandutu said.
She however asked that government considers giving priority to Bududa as a hard-to-reach area in terms of health facilities.
“We ask that we are given health centres in all sub counties such that people are not brought from the hills to the main hospital. Many die on the way to the main hospital.”
Nandutu said a similar approach should be done to schools, noting that teachers and student walk long distances.
“We want priority for Bududa as a hard to reach area,” she said.