President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, also the NRM Presidential flag bearer, has commended the people of Teso Sub-region for standing firmly with the government during the struggle to restore peace and stability in Uganda.
Speaking at a campaign rally held at Wiggins Secondary School playground in Kumi Town today, the President recalled his early interactions with the people of Teso, noting their vital role in ending insurgency and bringing peace to the region.
“I salute the people of Teso because they worked with the army to bring peace in this part of the world,” President Museveni said.
“When I camped at Nyero Rocks, I told the people to build a full primary school there. That’s how, working together with the people, we were able to bring peace. Of course, NRM brought peace because of our correct politics and ideology.”
The President said that peace laid the foundation for development, highlighting the subsequent growth of infrastructure such as electricity, roads, railways, and clean water systems.
“After peace, came development; the electricity, the telephones, the railway, and the water systems. That is all part of economic infrastructure,” he emphasized.
President Museveni outlined major road works accomplished in Teso and assured the people of Kumi that the government had already secured funds for new projects.
“We repaired the road from Tororo all the way to Soroti about three times. We also tarmacked the road from Soroti through Katakwi to Moroto, and from Tirinyi–Pallisa–Kamonkoli to Kumi,” he said.
“Now we have secured funds for the road from Kumi- Ngora- Serere– Kagwara– Bugondo. The money is there; we are just looking for a company to execute the work.”
On electricity, the President said that Kumi District was already benefiting from rural electrification, though a few sub-counties still lacked power.
“Electricity has reached most sub-counties , South and North Divisions, Nyero, Atutur, and Oboma. The plan is to extend it to all the ten sub-counties that are not yet connected,” he explained.
While commending the water coverage progress, the President noted that access in Kumi District remains below that of neighboring Ngora and called for follow-up from local leaders.
“Out of 325 rural villages in Kumi, 153 have access to safe water through boreholes representing 47%. This means 53% still lack access. Leaders need to find out why the coverage here is lower than in Ngora, where it’s up to 90%,” he said.
He revealed that the government plans to construct the Lake Kyoga Multipurpose Gravity Flow Scheme, which will serve the districts of Serere, Ngora, Kumi and Bukedea.
“This project is easy to implement because Teso is flat. We have pumped water from River Kagera up to Mbarara about 35 miles through hilly terrain, so this will be even easier,” he noted.
The President emphasized the government’s commitment to improving social infrastructure in Kumi through education and health investments.
Kumi District currently has 75 government primary schools, but out of 140 parishes, only 48 have at least one government school.
“Our plan is to have one primary school per parish and one secondary school per sub-county. Parishes and sub-counties without government schools will get them,” the President assured.
On the health sector, he revealed that out of 18 sub-counties in Kumi, only one has a hospital, one has a Health Centre IV, and six have Health Centre IIIs.
To close this gap, the government plans to upgrade several HC IIs to HC IIIs and construct new facilities in underserved sub-counties such as Kanapa, Mukongoro, and Kanyum.
Among other notable achievements, Kumi now benefits from; Kumi Municipality Piped Water Supply serving over 39,000 people, Nyero Town Council Water System serving 14,400 residents, Ongino Water System reaching 9,000 people and Mukongoro Water Project serving 11,600 residents.
He mentioned that future plans include expanding the Nyero Town Council project, constructing water systems in Kanyum and Atutur, and developing small-scale irrigation projects such as the Totolim Irrigation Scheme (10 acres).
President Museveni also appreciated testimonies from local beneficiaries like Ms. Bena Apolot, a graduate of the Soroti Presidential Skilling Hub, who started a hairdressing business with UGX 300,000 and has since expanded it.
The President commended such initiatives, emphasizing that government programs like the Parish Development Model (PDM) and skilling hubs are designed to empower citizens to create wealth and transform their livelihoods.
“Development and peace must translate into wealth for every household. That’s why we introduced programs like the Parish Development Model to ensure no Ugandan is left behind,” he concluded.
The President also handed over the NRM flags to aspiring Members of Parliament, LC V chairperson, councillors, and other party candidates in Kumi District, formally endorsing their participation in the upcoming elections.
Ms. Christine Apolot, the NRM spokesperson for Kumi District, thanked the President for his continued leadership and commitment to peace and development.
“We warmly welcome you to Kumi, which is one of your homes. We appreciate your excellent leadership and your role in restoring peace after the difficult times of insurgencies, cattle rustling, and insecurity that once defined this region,” she said.
She, however, appealed for government support in specific areas including health, and education.
“We request for the construction of primary schools in the 70 parishes, secondary schools in seven sub-counties, and expansion of our general hospitals to cater for the growing population. We also need better road equipment and additional security personnel,” she said.
The event was attended by NRM Central Executive Committee (CEC) members, Members of Parliament, religious and cultural leaders, as well as thousands of supporters.
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