The state Minister of defense in charge of army veteran affairs in Uganda, Mrs. Oleru Huda Abason has revealed that the amendment of UPDF 2005 Act, yet to be tabled in parliament as a bail is intending to solve issues of army veterans like compensation, pension, health treatment among others.

Meeting army veterans in Kiruhura district yesterday at Kiruhura headquarters, Minister Huda received several complaints from these veterans about the problems they are facing.

Some of the complaints are that veterans face difficulties in the process of getting their pension yet it is little, they are ignored by the government among others.

One of NRA veterans told Minister Huda that government did not trace them or relatives of those who died and that up to now they are not helped.

In response, Minister Huda encouraged them to be patient adding that their issues will be solved after the parliament passes UPDF 2005 Act into law.

She added that compensation, creating referrals, pension payments are some of the major issues targeted.

Minister Huda urged army veterans to remain hopeful not immediately relinquish yet good things are coming to them from the government.

Hon. Tayebwa Herbert, MP for Kashongi County also noted that army veterans in Kashongi are struggling with many challenges that need solutions to improve their standards of living.

Hon. Wilson Kajwengye, MP for Nyabushozi county noted that for both FRONASA veterans and NRA later UPDF veterans, spouses of those deceased should be considered by the government.

George Bakunda, the RDC for Kiruhura told the veterans that although they are suffering, government has a plan for them.

Dairy sector stakeholders in Ibanda district have called on the sector watchdog to institute stringent measures to stamp out illegal practices that are affecting milk quality.

George Mutara, the Ibanda town-based bulk milk buyer said some of the dealers were encouraging the illegality by buying the low quality milk, and they are not even punished.

Mutara was speaking during a dairy sector training workshop on milk quality, dairy standards and regulations conducted by the Dairy Development Authority (DDA) southwestern regional office on Tuesday.

Peninnah Natumanya, the DDA southwestern region dairy inspector, said milk quality is also negatively affected by poor handling, right from the farm up to the selling points and collection centres.

“Some farmers also scoop off the cream reducing milk quality,” added Natumanya.

The sensitization workshop held at district council hall attracted farmers, milk retailers and bulk buyers and suppliers, dairy cooperatives, and the district extension workers.  

The southwestern region accounts for about 45% of the country’s total milk production, making it the biggest milk producer in Uganda, according to DDA.  

The stakeholders noted that milk adulteration was widespread and Natumanya pointed out that dirty cow udder, cow dung, dust, cowboys that milk without washing hands, not washing milk containers properly, among others affect milk quality.

The Bishop for East Ruwenzori Diocese, Rt. Rev. George Turyasingura has asked the youth to have hope in Jesus Christ if they want to be saved from sinning.

Speaking as the guest of honor at the 12th Annual Youth and Students convention at Kaaro high school in Kiruhura district, Bishop Turyasingura urged the youth to have unconditional love for one another, listen to the good advice from others as well as sharing problems for comfort.

The Bishop also implored the youth to change their bad morals to good ones.

Rev. Dr. Benson Tumuhairwe of Junamagara Ministries; Kampala noted that there is cultism, unreligious and ungodly acts that are happening in the world which youths should be careful of like homosexuality and incest among others.

Rev. Dr. Benson castigated the acts of wedding homosexuals by the church, adding that world and church need deliverance.

The Bishop of North Ankole diocese (host), Rt. Rev. Steven Namanya also emphasized that youth should do away with doing evil deeds like theft, sexual immorality, drug abuse and others asserting that sinning is the deliberate violation of God’s will.

The convention was held from 5^th to 8^th January under the theme; “…Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” John 1:29.

Officials from the Ministry of Water and Environment ministry have assured the general public that water from the Nyabuhikye-Kikyenkye gravity water project will reach their homes in Ibanda and Kazo districts in March this year.

Speaking during the project tour by media personnel on Thursday, Engineer Moses Ebalu, the clerk of works at the UGX 20b project, said the works are scheduled to be completed by February 28 and the project handed over to the government.

Ebalu noted that about 1,000 residents of Keihangara and Kikyenkye sub-counties will, however, be the first beneficiaries of this water project.

The Nyabuhikye-Kikyenkye Water Supply and Sanitation System, a gravity flow water scheme located in Igorora town council Ibanda South, is funded by the African Development Bank and the government of Uganda.

The first phase of the project is targeting to serve 41,000 people in the two districts of Ibanda and Kazo.

The multibillion water project which started in 2017, was slated to take 18 months, ending in late 2018 is being undertaken by Mbarara-based Block Technical Services.

Duncan Kangwangye, the Block Technical Services supervisor at the project, said despite the numerous challenges, the change of project managers by the ministry and facilitating payments to the contractor, enabled them to do the work as per schedule.

Eng Ebalu attributed the project’s delay to challenges like government’s delay to compensate the landowners along the route of the raw water pipe, Covid-19 pandemic and low cash flow in government among others.

Eng Ebalu revealed that the landowners were paid by the government almost a year ago, enabling works to progress well as per new timelines. 

Meanwhile, Godwin Muhumuza, the Ibanda district speaker, has appealed to the public to be patient, saying that the government has committed itself to delivering the water by March.

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, Janet Kataha Museveni was meeting farmers and leaders of Kiruhura and Kazo districts on Wednesday at Nswerenkye Primary School, Kiruhura where he called on leaders at all levels to dedicate their energies on income-generating activities that will improve the livelihoods and families of the people they lead.

President Museveni made the remarks in response to Jovanice Rwenduru, the Kiruhura District Woman MP who raised the issue of poor infrastructure such as the bad road network in the region.

Rev. Samuel Mugisha Katugunda, the Kazo LCV Chairperson informed the president that out of the 35,000 households in the district, 67% are involved in commercial farming while 33% in subsistence farming citing lack of land as the reason why they are still doing subsistence farming.

President Museveni advised those with small pieces of land to venture into activities like poultry and zero grazing that do not require much land.

Re-echoing the danger associated with land fragmentation which he said is part of the hindrances to prosperity of Ugandans, president Museveni advised children to venture into collective investment and share what they get from the land instead of subdividing the land amongst themselves especially when the owner dies noting that subdividing the land cannot support commercial agriculture which is the backbone of Uganda’s economy.

 “When I go to heaven, I don’t want God to blame me for not getting you out of poverty. He will at least know that I did my part but you did not listen.”

Alluding to Matthew 6:33 in the Bible, the President said: “Seek ye first homestead incomes (Entasya y’amaka), the rest will be added unto you.”

He noted that good roads have been constructed in many parts of the country to ease transport of goods and services but they’re instead being misused to dry cassava and maize.

“We shall work on all the roads but they should find stable families with improved household incomes. Tarmac roads will not take away poverty,” said the president adding that he bought land in Kisozi, Gomba with a vision to create wealth despite the fact that the area had poor road network.

Dan Mukago Rutetebya, the Kiruhura District LCV Chairman appreciated the president for setting up a regional hub for skilling youth in different fields to fight unemployment.

In response to a request by Mukago to have a general Hospital in Kiruhura district and Katugunda who asked that Kazo Health center IV be elevated to district hospital status, the president 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 the Minister of State for Animal Industry, Lt Col (Rtd) Bright Rwamirama, the Members of Parliament for Kazo, Kashongi and Nyabushozi constituencies, Gen. Sam Kavuma, the Chairman Board of Directors of Wazalendo Savings and Credit Cooperative Society (WSACCO), District Councillors, LC V and LC III Chairpersons, Women leaders from Kazo and Kiruhura and religious leaders among others.

Elderly persons in Ibanda have been advised to form groups through which they will receive government grants to set up income-generating projects.

Norbert Kamugisha, the district senior community development officer, asked the elderly to form groups of between 5-15 people to benefit from the small grants of UGX 5m per group aimed at ensuring they have sustainable sources of income.

Kamugisha revealed that persons with disabilities (PWDs) in the district were already benefitting from a similar government grant.

Kamugisha made the recommendation while addressing older persons from Bufunda Division, Ibanda Municipality who had turned up to receive their Social Assistance Grant Empowerment (SAGE) money at the division offices on Friday.

The UGX 75,000 per person is for the first quarter of this fiscal year. The beneficiaries are entitled to UGX 25,000 per month each under SAGE programme.

Commenting on the new programme, David Bigira, district male councilor representing older persons, said they were already sensitizing older persons about the government initiative. He added that they will start with those willing and later bring over 400 SAGE beneficiaries in the district on board.

Kamugisha expressed disappointment over those stealing the money from the beneficiaries. He cited a case in Kashangura Kagongo Division, where the son of the beneficiary has been taking his father’s cash but never handing it over to the old man since he accessed the SAGE payroll.

The official said he was working with the Police in Ibanda to arrest this person so he answers for his crime.

On the issue of names missing on payroll, he assured qualifying older persons that the anomaly would be addressed and they get paid.

Eighty-three year-old Emmanuel Begumana, of Kagorogoro cell in Bufunda Division said the government SAGE cash was “keeping a smile on the faces of older persons”.

Residents and local leaders of Mbogo parish in Kanoni sub-county, Kazo district are crying out seeking justice on their 29 acres of community land that has since 1998 been in courts of law between Kazo district local government and one resident identified as Ketty Rwakanjara.

Speaking to our reporter, the residents and local residents revealed that they are dissatisfied saying that 24 years in courts of law is a long time and they have no clear information on when the court is ruling on this land matter.

According to the residents, they say that court made an order that this land shouldn’t be used until the ruling but the family of the late Rwakajara continued using it and fencing the space of the community they left with.

The residents asked government through Kazo district local government to follow this matter to an end. In an intervention on this matter, Kazo FM approached the Resident District Commissioner (RDC) Al-Hajji Mawiya Lule who noted that he is aware about the matter.

Mawiya asked the people of Mbogo to be patient and wait for the judgment noting that when the matter is in court they have to wait and stop interrupting with orders.

Kazo district Local Government has today at compassion hall Kazo town council Kazo district  launched the UGIFT small-scale irrigation program in the district, as part of the government efforts towards improving agricultural productivity through provision of water for irrigation in the district.

Kazo district is among the 95 districts under the second phase that are piloting this program in the country.

The program which is coordinated by Department of Agricultural Infrastructure Mechanization and Water for Agricultural Production (DAIMWAP) under Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries is funded by the Government of Uganda with support from the World Bank and implemented by the Production and Marketing department at the District level.

Asiimwe JohnBaptist , the District Production Officer, has said that Kazo being one of the districts affected by the drought, this program is aiming at supporting individual subsistence farmers to  get water,  wherever it is, to reach the gardens which will enable them to practice modern agriculture and improve their farm productivity.

Asiimwe added that irrigation will help farmers to grow crops all year round with or without rain because they will be planting and watering their crops even during the dry season whereby in the long run they will have plenty of food for both eating and selling to generate more income.

Tumwijukye  Innocent , the district senior agriculture engineer also clarified that, the cost of the equipment will depend on the procimity of the water source to the land for irrigation, terrain of the land, soil suitability, evidence as to whether the farmer has access to the land for at least 12 months, eligibility to contribute to the cost of the irrigation equipment, and willingness to grow and sell high value crops like horticulture crops, coffee and that the size of the land to be irrigated must not exceed 2.5 acres.

Asection of district leaders who attended the launch led by the LC V chairperson, Rev Samuel Mugisha Katugunda and the district speaker, Dan Bwamunyonga praised the programme saying this will help the district to overcome the problem of depending on rain.

In his closing remarks, the Resident District Commissioner-Al-Hajji Mawiya Lule, appreciated the government for the project noting that the farmers in Kazo district will benefit more if they get clear information and urged other leaders to take the information clearly.

This micro-scale irrigation program will help farmers to buy irrigation equipment at a low cost. The Government of Uganda will share the cost of the equipment with the farmers whereby it will pay between 25% and 75% of the total cost of the irrigation equipment depending on the farm situation and the type of irrigation equipment chosen by the farmer.

Following the concerns and outcry of residents and leaders in Kazo district and another neighboring districts over insecurity especially the rampant cattle theft, Kazo district hosted a joint security meeting with representatives from Uganda Police and Uganda Peoples Defense Forces (UPDF) led by the director of operations, Assistant Inspector General of the Police (AIGP) John Nuwagira to harmonize ways to end insecurity.

The meeting which was held at Kazo district headquarters on Tuesday was attended by security teams from Kazo, Kiruhura, Ibanda and Kyegegwa districts represented by their Resident District Commissioners (RDC), district LC V chairpersons, District Internal Security Officers(DISOs), District Police Commanders(DPCs), district councilors, opinion leaders and other security representatives in the districts.

Addressing journalists after the meeting, the Rwizi Regional Police Commander (RPC) Wenzire Nganizi said that the meeting was aimed at designing a strategy to ensure that there is no insecurity across these districts.

Al-Hajji Mawiya Lule, the RDC Kazo who doubles as head of security in the district also noted that the meeting was to call for cooperation in reporting any information regarding insecurity and working together to solve it.

Dan Mukango Rutetebya, the Kiruhura district LC V chairperson said that they raised their concerns and he is hopeful that this will help in strengthening the fight against crime especially cattle theft where every leader is expected to get involved.

The participants in the meeting resolved that, the meeting of its kind will be held quarterly at a different district each time, in an effort to curb insecurity.