National Resistance Movement (NRM) presidential candidate Yoweri Museveni yesterday asked Ugandans to grant him another term in office, saying he would establish an industrial park in Ankole Sub-region for value addition.
Addressing a rally in Isingiro District yesterday, Mr Museveni said an industrial park would create jobs, improve standards of living and lead to development of the sub-region and the country.
‘I want to bring an industrial park in Ankole like the one in Mbale, but I have failed to get land. I had my land in the refugee settlement and told my people that I would get land for an industrial park, but people left the hills and are fighting for the same land. They want to grow sweet potatoes, yet they are already growing them elsewhere,’ he said.
Museveni added: ‘Kagyera water, we wanted to save the people of Mbarara who were suffering with water scarcity because they mishandled River Rwizi, which reduced the amount of water in the river. I decided to bring them water about 35 miles from Mbarara, but in this plan, Isingiro will be considered.’
He added that the irrigation scheme would extend water to the locals for both irrigation and industrial use, to enable them add value to their produce and give employment for the residents. ‘You will get water for drinking and irrigation, and you have to abandon the leadership of darkness and ignorance. You cannot have people without knowing the importance of irrigation,’ he said
The President said: ‘For example, Dr Muranga in our farm in Bushenyi of the presidential banana project, in our project, she collects 53 tonnes of matooke every hectare. Banyankore around his neighbourhood collect around five tonnes in a hectare, but for Dr Muranga, because of irrigation and applying fertilisers, he earns 10 times than them.’
He called upon locals to embrace government programmes such as the Parish Development Model to alleviate poverty.
He also promised to repair roads in the sub-region that are in a bad condition.
‘We worked on Mbarara-Kikagati road, there is a remaining small portion of Kikagati Kitwe Mirama hill road and Rwekubo, Rugaga- Bukanga road, we know all those roads, we have always wanted to work on them, but the leaders you chose want to chase a lot of things,’ Mr Museveni said.
The Speaker of Parliament, Ms Anitah Annet Among, who was also present at the rally, requested people to vote for NRM flagbearers in order to get the services they need.
She said: ‘The Parliament has already approved the money for the Kafunjo-Mirama-Ntungamo road. We thank Mr President for the Kagera water project, all the villages have started receiving water, and Mbarara City as well.’
In the 2021 election, Isingiro District had 233, 099 registered voters, and President Museveni polled 188,609 votes while Mr Robert Kyagulanyi got 8,769 votes.