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Leaders to Museveni: Fulfil pledges before next elections
President Museveni. FILE PHOTO
What you need to know:
- Mr Richard Ssebandeke, the Rakai District chief administrative officer, said he was posted to Rakai last year, but he found many unfulfilled presidential pledges.
- In 2013, the Committee on Government Assurances released a report that indicated that the President has not delivered on 817 pledges to Ugandans, since coming into power in 1986.
Rakai District leaders have asked President Museveni to fulfil the pledges he made during the previous campaigns before the country enters another election cycle in 2021.
The leaders said they would use the unfulfilled pledges against President Museveni.
Mr Robert Benon Mugabi, the district chairperson, said some unfulfilled pledges include; tarmacking of Lumbugu-Lwamagwa-Lyantonde road, a pledge Mr Museveni allegedly made during the 1996 general election campaigns.
Mr Mugabi said the road is in a sorry state and delay to tarmack it has affected the economic growth of the area.
“Our district has only six kilometres of tarmac despite promises to have the Lumbugu-Lwamagwa -Lyantonde road tarmacked. We are not satisfied with what we get in return for our votes,” he said during an interview on Wednesday .
During his visit to Kalibbala Kamya SS in Lwamaggwa Sub-county in 2015, Mr Mugabi said the President also promised to construct seed secondary schools in Lwanga, Ddyango, Kamuli and Kyabigondo parishes to save students from moving long distances to school.
Other pledges
Other unfulfilled pledges include; extension of piped water for production in Kooki County, provision of an excavator to dig valley tanks for farmers and extending electricity to different villages in Rakai.
The councillors representing people with disabilities also claim the President promised to avail them tricycles to ease their mobility.
Mr Isaac Byamugisha, the Rakai District NRM chairperson, said they are facing a challenge in mobilising for support of the party when what was promised has not been fulfilled .
“When it comes to supporting NRM, Rakai District contributes around 90 per cent, but to our dismay, we have a lot of pending pledges made by our President,” he said.
When legislators on the Parliamentary Committee on Government Assurances and Implementation visited the district this week, they asked leaders to compile all presidential pledges for review.
“Our work is to scrutinise the assurance, promises and undertakings given by government from time to time and report on the extent to which they have been implemented,” Mr Hassan Kaps Fungaroo, the committee chairperson, said while meeting district councillors and technical staff.
Mr Richard Ssebandeke, the Rakai District chief administrative officer, said he was posted to Rakai last year, but he found many unfulfilled presidential pledges.
Poor state. A section of Lumbugu- Lwamagwa-Lyantonde road in Rakai District which local leaders say President Museveni had promised to tarmac. PHOTO BY WILSON KUTAMBA
Before Rakai was split to create Kyotera in 2017, Mr Museveni had also pledged to assist residents who were affected by an earthquake in September 2016. The earthquake destroyed more than 500 houses in Kakuuto and Kyebe sub-counties in Kyotera District and another 3,186 houses developed cracks.
President Museveni visited the affected villages and promised that government would give iron sheets, cement and iron bars to the victims to reconstruct their houses.
He said each household was to receive at least 30 iron sheets, cement and iron bars. However, he didn’t set a time frame when to deliver the items.
Government responds
Mr Don Wanyama, the senior Presidential press secretary, said whenever the President makes a pledge, he has to fulfil it no matter how long it takes.
“Take the example of tarmacking a road. It is a process, which requires bidding and getting genuine engineers, but not just fulfilling the pledge for the sake,” he said.
During celebrations to mark 33 years of the NRM Liberation Day, which took place at Nabuyoga play grounds in Nabuyoga Sub-county in Tororo District in January, President Museveni cautioned Ugandans against reminding him of his unfulfilled pledges.
“You should not waste your time reminding me of what I have not done. I know my obligation. I know most of the things I have not done for this country,” he said.
Mr Museveni said Ugandans should instead focus on working hard to improve their household.
Report
Number of pledges. In 2013, the Committee on Government Assurances released a report that indicated that the President has not delivered on 817 pledges to Ugandans, since coming into power in 1986.
The presidential pledges, according to the report, could cost more than Shs12.9 trillion in key areas of infrastructure such as roads, hospitals, schools, airport, bridges, electricity and machinery.
