There is a perception that Busoga sub-region was effectively captured by the opposition in the 2021 elections. Far from it! President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, the NRM Presidential flagbearer obtained 431,070 votes and Robert Kyagulanyi of NUP obtained 483,886 votes. There was a difference of 52,816 votes between the two candidates.
At Parliamentary level, out of 44 seats, four went to opposition, seven to independents-but NRM-leaning- and 33 to NRM. Out of 191 Sub Counties and divisions in the sub-region, only five were won by the opposition.
Of the eleven districts, all Chairpersons LC 5 were NRM, except for the mayor, Jinja city, who was opposition. The statistics are squarely in favour of NRM. Opposition’s fortunes shifted very slightly from what has always been when they have two or three MPs in the entire sub-region at most. This is in spite of acts of rigging by the opposition, a fact that observers never acknowledge. I had never witnessed campaigns and elections marred by intimidation and dirty play by the opposition to the extent that I saw in 2020-2021. We lost our innocent people!
But aside from the obvious malpractices and the fact that NRM suffered sustained bad publicity for years prior to the elections because of the “age limit” debate which the opposition used to engage in premature campaigns, NRM would have performed better had it not been for a number of factors.
Among them, there was a “bitter” taste of sugar. The sugar industry which employs a sizeable number of people in Busoga had suffered price fluctuations and other industrywide challenges which aggrieved many people. There were brokers doing injustice to the farmers in favour of large industrialists. This problem has since been tackled headon.
In August, President Museveni met with stakeholders in Mayuge and a number of resolutions were passed to revamp the sector. Among them, the President directed the formation of a National Sugar Council which, I can confirm, has already been established under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives. The council is responsible for regulating the sector for quality and economic viability. The era of millers dictating prices is over. The President also promised to buy for the farmers Mayuge sugar factory and that process is underway, on top of acquiring land for them in Luuka.
Farmers have also assimilated Mzee’s message of the four-acre model as opposed and leaving sugarcane growing to only those with sizeable land (four acres and more). There is nothing reasonably possible that Government isn’t doing for the people in this sector, with a possible ripple effect on the politics.
There were grievances in the fisheries industry. Overfishing had damaged the sector and people could not earn normal livelihoods. Rich players had displaced indigenous finishing communities. When the army intervened to restore order, there was much outcry which translated into wrong voting decisions to NRM’s detriment. This sector, too, has seen affirmative intervention that is sure to heal the hearts of the fishing community members. Again in August, President Museveni held a meeting with sector stakeholders during which remedial measures were discussed and are now being implemented. Among them, the fishing community was structured in 30 SACCOs each of which will receive Shs1billion to enable them acquire standard fishing equipment like boats and nets. This means that the poor will nolonger be exploited by rich boat owners who would charge them exorbitantly, pushing them into overfishing.
Management of the lakes (Victoria and Kyoga) will be in the hands of locals. The ministry (fisheries) is working on guidelines to fight bad fishing and poor lake management practices. The army will be on the sidelines to provide overhead security.
There had been much outcry on the army’s operations much as they were necessary to stem depletion of fish stocks and other destructive practices. A transition is on to hand the lake to the people to manage it themselves. This should revive the fisheries economy which is a leading foreign exchange earner.
Another sticking point was the Iganga-Luuka-Kamuli road. Arab contractors have already started on this vital stretch that connects the interior of North Busoga. On the Ambercourt-Mbulamuti-Kamuli road, Parliament has allowed Government to borrow money for the works, and China 5 group will do the job. Two ferries connecting Busoga to Lango from Bukungu are starting operations this every month. With connectivity, travel and business are being made easier.
On Mayuge forest land, it has been established that existing titles are owned by politicians. Government is still investigating the circumstances surrounding their acquisition with a view to cancel them if they were acquired fraudulently to the disadvantage of community members. By the time of acquisition of the same, NIN numbers were not yet in use, so the process if manual and painstaking, but promising.
Elsewhere, Busoga, like other sub-regions in the country, has benefitted under the Parish Development Model (PDM) initiative. PDM was an NRM manifesto pledge and one of the major ones that has been fulfilled and implemented meticulously. Busoga’s 810 parishes have each received Shs300million as revolving funds, going directly to the phones of beneficiaries. That’s a total of Shs243billion benefitting 243, 000 citizens that were, prior to 2022, out of the money economy. That’s on top of complementary wealth creation programmes like Emyooga, UWEP and GROW. GROW also came into effect during this term, bringing a new lifeline to the economic fortunes of established womenpreneurs in need of bigger money than PDM or Emyooga can provide.
As leaders, we need to do more to get the people to appreciate these interventions outside and during the high political season.
There is a perennial disconnection between leaders and the people which affects Government standing in the eyes of the voter base even when a lot has been invested for their progress. The spirit of the Busoga anthem which bars intrigue and infighting should prevail among us. Pulling down anyone in or close to Government takes us back yet we need more “bridges” connecting to the centre.
As we prepare to welcome President Museveni on his Busoga leg of campaigns, we do so knowing that we are welcoming our own, who has been with us since he started his struggles in the 1970s and has regularly put our interests above many because of that bond. Let’s unite and consolidate the base! With a peaceful environment, our people will come out in bigger numbers to appreciate and protect the gains as noted.
Your Excellency, you’re most welcome home and, please, accept my assurances that come January 15 Busoga will reward you with a higher percentage score than before!
The author is the Special Presidential Assistant-Press & Mobilisation/Deputy Spokesperson
Email: faruk.kirunda@statehouse.go.ug
0776980486/0783990861
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