President Yoweri Museveni who has been on a visit of Mitooma and Bushenyi districts in Greater Bushenyi area, has strongly advised the residents of Mitooma district to engage fully in commercial agriculture in order to eradicate household poverty.
The President was yesterday addressing a public rally at Ruhinda Secondary School shortly after he commissioned new classroom blocks at the school . He reminded the people of the area to cultivate at least one acre each of coffee, bananas and also plant elephant grass in another for purposes of zero grazing for dairy cows.
“NAADS received Sh 1,000 billion ever since its inception in 2001 and failed to deliver to the people”, he noted adding that Government has resolved to engage the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) officers in the expanded national agricultural program because of the success realized in the supervision of the Veterans’ agricultural programme. Mr. Museveni disclosed that Government released Shs. 14 billion per annum to Mitooma district out of that amount Shs. 800 million was allocated to the NAADS programme which failed to fulfill the set goals.
President Museveni called on parents to ensure that their children are vaccinated against all the immunizable diseases. He also emphasized the need to vaccinate all girls aged between 8 to 12 years of age against cervical cancer. During the same rally the President announced a donation of Shs. 20 million to Betunguura Women’s SACCO.
The President who also Mitooma district administration block participated in celebrations marking 75 years since Bubangizi Primary School was established. He told wananchi at the school that the Kashenyi – Mitooma – Rukungiri road would be tarmac. He called on the people to appreciate the important role good income plays in liberating households to have the necessary capacity to address their social domestic needs. He assured the people that they are capable of generating Shs. 9 million per year from an acre of coffee alone.
While in Rutookye Town Council, the President commissioned the area’s water supply and sanitation scheme and also performed the ground breaking ceremony for electricity supply there. He advised wananchi to make terraces as they work in their banana plantations to control soil erosion. Mitooma district is prominent for production of coffee, tea, sweet bananas, matooke as well as ranching for beef and dairy farming for milk production. The district has an estimated population of 200,000.
The Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs and area MP, Hon. KahindaOtafiire, told the President that the people resolved in Kashenshero to have him as their presidential candidate during the 2016 elections.