President Museveni and his Kenyan counterpart, Uhuru Kenyatta, yesterday launched the cross border programme for sustainable peace and development between the Karamoja, Turkana and West Pokot communities, at Naitakwe Grounds in Moroto District.
They also witnessed signing of an MOU between our two countries to concretise this exercise.
Museveni said when NRM came to power, they identified two major issues that affected the Karamoja sub-region; insecurity and water shortage.
"About water, valley dams have been sunk in a greater part of the region to provide water for livestock. The government has also constructed boreholes in most parishes. The plan now is to have a borehole per village," he said.
He said they formed the Karamoja Development Authority, to deal with the issue of insecurity.
He said the disarmament programme which was successfully done, led to the peace Karamoja is experiencing now.
"We can all see the results. Among others, our youth no longer die in rustling exercises because they handed over guns," he said.
Museveni said besides these two key issues, the government has also offered health services, built schools and is now moving to set up industrial parks in Karamoja, which is blessed with minerals.
Uhuru Kenyatta welcomed the memorandum of understanding saying it is good that both countries are working for the betterment of their border communities.
"Therefore, our coming here today is to demonstrate, first our unity as Kenyans with our Ugandan counterparts and our counterparts in the East African Community," he continued.
Kenyatta who was accompanied by Cabinet Secretaries Eugene Wamalwa (Devolution), Simon Chelugui (Water) and John Munyes (Mining), said Kenya will develop amenities including schools, dams and health centres on its side of the common border that will be accessible to all communities in the cluster.