Farmer Samuel Kiwanuka thanking Museveni for the pick-up truck he donated to him and his wife (left)

By Herbert Ssempogo 
and Frederick Kiwanuka

PRESIDENT Yoweri Museveni has pledged sh200m to the building of a tomato processing plant in Nakaseke district.

The President made the pledge at a public rally in Kiwoko town on Wednesday. Earlier, Syda Bbumba, the area MP, said the residents had provided land for the project in Nakaseke town.

The President was in the area to sensitise people on how to improve household incomes.

Bbumba said the establishment of the factory was a joint effort between General Salim Saleh and the district leaders. Equipment, she noted, would be secured from an idle plant in Mbale.
Bbumba also requested the President to help the residents market their maize.

Addressing a rally in Kiwoko town, the President said: “I have always wanted to construct a tomato factory here, but I lacked the money. You have made my work easier. The sh200m for its installation will be got.”

Museveni addressed two rallies at Ngoma in Ngoma sub-county and at Kiwoko in Kikamulo sub-county. He called for “thirst for development”, which he said would drive them to work and boost their household incomes.

Museveni also urged the residents to learn from the NAADS model programme, and join SACCOs, which he said would be re-capitalised by the Government.

The President repeated his warning to the health workers against stealing drugs, and UPE head teachers who charge extra fees.

“If they are not ashamed of stealing drugs meant for patients, we shall also not be ashamed to lock them up,” Museveni said.

According to Museveni, health workers steal the drugs and blame the Government for shortages. “If the Government does not send drugs, how come we find them in private clinics? If I find government drugs in private clinics, I know it is the health workers who sell it there,” he said.

He said the technocrats have for long been undermining government service delivery, but the Movement had trained its own cadres to fight the malpractices.
In Ngoma, he advised agriculturalists to diversify their activities, arguing that it would easily boost household income. 

Museveni likened specialisation in a single activity to using one leg to walk, which would not enable one cover a long distance. He said rearing cattle and goats should be done alongside bee-keeping. A person with a good source of income, he stressed, would not wait for the Government to provide necessities like water and power.

“Even in the absence of tap water, a person with a stable income can purchase a tank to harvest rainwater in addition to buying panels for solar power.” 

He inspected a farm in Kasambya belonging to John Kavuma, who earns sh52m per year from cattle and an orange orchard. The President also toured a pineapple plantation in Magoma parish, Kikamulo sub-county belonging to Sam Kiwanuka.

He pledged to talk to the education minister over the absence of boarding schools, which residents argued would be beneficial given the nomadic lifestyle there.

Bbumba said a sh7b polytechnic would be built in Ngoma area.  Bridges will also be constructed over River Kafu and Mayanja. Accordingly, the construction of the Kafu bridge begins in August while that of Mayanja is expected at the end of the year.

District leaders, such as LC5 boss Ignatius Koomu and the deputy speaker, Joan Nakibinge, called for the re-introduction of the School Facilitation Grant, which has been scrapped in the central region.

Nakibinge said infant districts like Nakaseke needed the grant to construct more classrooms for the many UPE pupils.

Koomu urged the Government to revisit the UPE teacher-pupil ratio of 1:60, saying it disfavoured districts with low pupil enrolment.