SOROTI – President Museveni has told the people of Teso sub-region and Soroti City East Constituency in particular that politics is not about providing services to the people but about the party that can ably solve problems faced by the people.
Mr Museveni who doubles as the NRM national chairman told the NRM party delegates gathered 25 July at St. Kizito Technical School playgrounds in Madera Ward, that politics is about a party that can and will always be with the people solving their problems.
He named some of the problems as Security Poverty, adding that NRM is the only tested party that can implement that task.
“Politics is not about leaders but it is about us and the party that can ably solve the problems of the people. You need a good tube ‘epii’ in Ateso’ to be able to suck properly Ajon (local millet brew) from the pot and that epii is Ariko,” Museveni said.
Museveni was yesterday on a campaign trail in Soroti City East Constituency to drum up support for the NRM flag bearer, Mr. Herbert Edmund Ariko, in the forthcoming by-election slated for Thursday, July 28, 2022.
The Soroti City East Constituency seat fell vacant after court annulled the victory of FDC’s Attan urging that the election of Attan was conducted in non-existent wards of Aloet and Opiyai in Soroti City
The President in his address further said even if a candidate is good but is in a bad party that person is of no value and cannot do much to help the people.
He urged the electorate in Soroti City East Constituency to support the NRM flag bearer, Mr Ariko, as he is standing for NRM that is doing much for the country in various sectors like infrastructure.
Mr Museveni told the people of Teso how NRM managed to overcome numerous challenges that included among others floods, locusts and recently the COVID-19 pandemic that ravaged the world but because of the correct policies and measures taken by NRM, the number of deaths was significantly reduced compared to the developed countries.
He urged the people of Teso sub-region and the country at large to reject the move by some retrogressive elements to bring back charges in schools pointing out that his main plan was to help the children of the poor attain free education.
“You need to force those who don’t accept my plans to stop their schemes. The completion rate of primary education is 38 %, 62% don’t go beyond P7,” he said.
He asked the people of Teso and Uganda in general to support the plan of the NRM government to implement Universal Education in Uganda before the end of the Government’s term.
On wealth creation at the home stead level, President Museveni reminded the people of Teso to embrace modern and calculated farming, advising families with small land holding to concentrate on intensive agriculture and leave extensive farming to people with huge chunks of land.
He asked those with a few acres to practice poultry and piggery in the back yards of their homes. Those near the swamps can use the edges of the water bodies for fish farming.
He cited the project being run at Limoto in Pallisa and that of Anyara in Kaberemaido as some of the successful projects in fish farming.
The President also urged Ugandans to take advantage of the Parish Development Model (PDM) now being rolled out, describing the program as a rescue formula.
The President said another intervention is the Emyooga for those with no land as it mainly involves hand skills.
President Museveni told the gathering of the wooing of investors to Uganda to build factories that will create employment and widen the tax base.
He said the people of Teso sub-region are witnesses to the work already done like the construction of the good road network in the region and plans to build the road from Kumi to Ngora to Serere and beyond, the road from Soroti to Amuria, Obalanga to Acan Pii among others, and the ferry from Bukungu, Muntu, Kagwara to Bugondo.
FUEL CRISIS
The president said government will spend the available resources for the new safer energy sources in a modern way like the making of electric vehicles and motorcycles, railways, as well as solar and wind energy instead of agitating for fuel subsidies before handing over the NRM flag bearer Mr Ariko.
The Vice president Ms Jessica Alupo who has been put in charge of the campaigns in Soroti East for the NRM candidate, strongly urged the electorate in Soroti City East Constituency to rally behind the NRM flag bearer, Mr Ariko.
The Secretary General of NRM, Richard Todwong, thanked the people of Teso for voting NRM in the last elections. He assured the people of areas that were annexed to the newly created City that NRM will deliver all the services that they are lacking like electricity and clean water.
The Vice Chairperson of NRM Eastern region, Capt. Mike Mukula, assured President Museveni of a land slide victory by the NRM flag bearer.
He raised the issue of cattle compensation adding that it is still a thorn in the flesh of the people of Teso sub-region but expressed confidence that it will be sorted out soon.
The NRM chairman in Soroti City, Mr Willy Bisanga, thanked President Museveni for the university as well as the Parish Development Model program.
The Soroti City East Bye-election is scheduled for 28th July, 2022 with the race that many have described as likely to be a two horse race between FDC’s Moses Okia Attan and NRM’s Ariko.
