President Yoweri Museveni has told the people of Kiruhura and Kazo to stop lamenting about bad roads in the districts as the cause of their poverty but instead focus on doing things that will improve their household incomes.
The President accompanied by the First Lady, Mrs. Janet Kataaha Museveni met farmers and leaders of Kiruhura and Kazo districts at Nswerenkye Primary School, Kiruhura where he called on leaders at all levels to dedicate their energies to income-generating activities that will improve the livelihoods and families of the people they lead.
Poor infrastructure such as the bad road network in the region was among the issues raised by the Woman Member of Parliament for Kiruhura District, Hon. Jovanice T. Rwenduru which the President believes is necessary but not an impediment to improving household incomes.
He noted that good roads have been constructed in many parts of the country to ease the transport of goods and services but they’re instead being misused to dry cassava and maize.
The President was happy to learn from Reverend Samuel Mugisha, the Kazo LCV Chairperson that out of the 35,000 households in the district, 67% are involved in commercial farming while 33% are in subsistence farming; most of them with small pieces of land.
He advised those with small pieces of land to venture into activities like poultry and zero grazing that do not require much land. He gave an example of one Nyakaana in Rwengaju, Fort Portal who is getting 20 million shillings in one acre of land per year through poultry and dairy farming.
The Head of State further re-echoed the danger associated with land fragmentation saying it’s part of the hindrances to the prosperity of Ugandans.
According to him, the culture of subdividing land among children especially when the owner dies cannot support commercial agriculture which is the backbone of Uganda’s economy as children will resort to selling off the land instead of undertaking collective investment.
He gave an example of England which is the same size as Uganda but in spite of having a higher population they understood the dangers of land fragmentation.
Kiruhura District LCV Chairman, Mr. Dan MukagoRuteteebya thanked the President for setting up a Regional Hub for skilling youth in different fields to fight unemployment. He however expressed the need for a district general hospital in order to improve health services.
Earlier, Rev. Samuel Mugisha, the Kazo LCV Chairperson, asked the President to elevate Kazo Health center IV to district hospital status.
Whereas the President agreed to their request, he encouraged leaders to focus on disease prevention through behavior change, improved hygiene, immunization and nutrition so that the country can save money and use it for other priority areas.
The meeting was also attended and addressed by among others, the Minister of State for Animal Industry, Hon. Lt. Col (Rtd) Bright Rwamirama and the Woman MP for Kazo Hon. Jenifer Abaho Muheesi.
