By KT Reporter
President Yoweri Museveni has concluded his performance assessment tour on the Parish Development Model (PDM) with a call on the people to embrace the wealth creation program.
The President commenced his tours on Tuesday with a visit to model farmers in Nakapiripirit, Amudat, and Abim respectively.
On Wednesday he addressed leaders from across the Karamoja sub-region in the Moroto district and concluded on Thursday with a public rally in Kotido.
While addressing the leaders, Museveni commended the Karamojong for accepting to surrender their guns and embrace peace that is now attracting more development and social-economic transformation.
Museveni stressed the need for substantial production of products such as poultry, beef, and pork to cater to the beef and other industries he plans to put in the region. He also reiterated that other factories such as cement should also be able to consume the products from the surrounding community.
Museveni urged the people of Karamoja to shift from traditional agriculture to commercial agriculture to boost food security and economic gains through crop production and livestock farming.
Museveni said that a message of wealth creation has been widely spread to the public and only those who listened are now reaping big from their enterprises.
Museveni applauded the Karamojong people for embracing peace which will now pave the way for the development and economic transformation. He said that the government will never allow the insecurity to return.
Responding to the calls for tarmacing roads, Museveni urged the public to put more focus on things that create wealth at the household level than eying at the roads.
The President said that after the peace, they are looking forward to addressing the aspect of mindset change, health, education, infrastructure, and water for production to consolidate agriculture.
Museveni proposed that the Karamoja strategic plan put more emphasis on establishing two dams per Sub County across the sub-region. He also urged to improve the electricity connectivity to boost the night economy in the urban areas.
The local leaders presented a memorandum asking for strategic plans to tackle poverty among the households.
Remegio Achia, the Chairperson of the Karamoja Parliamentary Group stated in the memo that the region would need four interventions to end the problem of poverty and increase household income and food security.
Achia explained that they need at least two tractors per sub-county to be able to shift to commercial agriculture and boost production. He said that they also want the existing dams to be de-silted to increase the volume of water for production.
Achia noted that out of the 40 dams, the UPDF was able to de-silt some at a very affordable price of about UGX200 million per dam compared to the budget that the Ministry of Water had put forward.
He also appealed to the President to consider compensating the households that lost their livestock in the military detaches during the disarmament. He urged that the compensation be channeled through the Ministry of Karamoja affairs and not other law firms to avoid mismanagement.
Achia further requests that the reformed warriors who did not get goats and iron sheets be supported in the next coming budget as well because of the prevailing peace, livestock, especially goats, sheep, and heifers have a quick way of pulling people out of poverty-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
