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Muntu promises to withdraw soldiers from lakes
Alliance for National Transformation presidential candidate Mugisha Muntu, and the party deputy national coordinator in charge of finance and administration, Ms Alice Alaso, at Kamod Trading Centre in Serere District yesterday. PHOTO / SIMON PETER EMWAMU
What you need to know:
Maj Gen Muntu also appealed to residents of Serere to vote an honest man like him, saying with the alleged mineral exploitation in the district, a dishonest president spells doom to the sector
The Alliance for National Transformation (ANT) presidential candidate, Maj Gen (Rtd) Mugisha Muntu, has said the presence of the army on lakes has caused untold suffering to fishermen.
Government deployed the Uganda People’s Defence Forces’ Fisheries Protection Unit to crack down on illegal fishing activities on the water bodies in the country. However, fishermen accuse the soldiers of harassment.
While campaigning at Kamod Trading Centre in Kamod Sub-county, Serere District, yesterday, Maj Gen Muntu said it does not make sense deploying soldiers on the lake because they are trained for war.
He said fishing communities in Kwania, Amolatar and Serere districts, among others on Lake Kyoga have witnessed a number of atrocities such as torture and corruption.
“This regime uses force for any situation, you can see the difference in approach in the countries that share Lake Victoria like Kenya and Tanzania. Fishermen are not treated like it is the case in Uganda. They use civil means to protect where the fish lays eggs,” Maj Gen Muntu said.
“Once Museveni is retired on January 14, consider that problem solved,” he added.
Agricultural pledges
The retired army general also decried the low prices of farmers’produce, saying they are being exploited.
Maj Gen Muntu said it was foolhardy for the government to establish a fruit factory which does not consume oranges produced from Teso Sub-region.
“I was talking to one of our parliamentary candidates for Amuria County; he said oranges take between three to four years to mature. How sad after those years, you are told that the factory cannot buy your fruits?” the ANT presidential candidate said.
Maj Gen Muntu claimed the country is being run by cartels, who control business, adding that in all government departments, this seems to be the norm.
He said ANT will offer agricultural loans and competitive gate prices for produce through establishing safeguards against middlemen.
Maj Gen Muntu also appealed to residents of Serere to vote an honest man like him, saying with the alleged mineral exploitation in the district, a dishonest president spells doom to the sector.
“Do you people pray? If you do, please pray hard that by the time the minerals are extracted, this regime should not be in power,” Maj Gen Muntu said.
He also praised his work relations with Ms Alice Alaso, the former Serere Woman MP, saying it was built around honesty and integrity.
“This country cannot be fixed by people without honesty, I know you need water, good roads, improved standard of education, and equal distribution of wealth of this country, that I trust, I will offer,” he said. Ms Alaso said Maj Gen Muntu is an accomplished politician who can bring sanity in the security circle.
She said he is respected and will ride on that to cause change among the security personnel.
Earlier, the village chairperson, Mr Simon Okot, attempted to block Gen Muntu from addressing the rally.
“Please take your rally away, how do you undermine me in my area of control, I need to have been respected, I need to have been given the opportunity to address and usher you in my area,” he said. Gen Muntu’s security detail calmed Mr Okot as locals threatened to throw him away for disrupting a national exercise.
