They say President Museveni has once again denied the sub-region a cabinet position and allocated the sub-region two state ministers.
Among the new state ministers are Lydia Wanyoto Mutende, who was appointed as state minister for Public Service and Simon Mulongo, who was appointed as Minister of State for Gender, Labour and Social Development, Employment and Industrial Relations. Wanyoto is also a Woman MP for Mbale city.
In the previous cabinet, the sub-region still had two ministerial positions, both at the State Ministerial level, unlike in the past appointments, where it used to have a Cabinet Minister and at least two state ministers.
‘We are not happy as Bagisu. We have again been neglected by the president,’ Mr Yusuf Masaba, an elder and a resident of Mbale city, said.
Once a formidable political force, the Bugisu sub-region played a central role in Uganda’s struggle for independence and also in shaping post-independence politics.
The region produced influential and towering leaders such as the late Prof Dani Nabudere, one of the master craftsmen of Uganda’s 1995 Constitution and the late James Wapakhabulo Wambogo, the first Speaker of Parliament under the new constitutional order.
Late Wapakhabulo, who also served as National Political Commissar, died March 27 and was laid to rest at his ancestral home in Mafudu in Sironko district on April 3, 2004.
Mr Samuel Sakwa Napokoli, an opinion leader and Minister for Local Government and Clan Affairs in the Bugisu Cultural Institution, during an earlier interview with this publication, attributed Bugisu’s political backslide to the loss of leaders of substance who once served as torchbearers for the region and worked for collective development rather than personal gain.
‘The subregion has suffered in recent years under the NRM government due to internal political fights and lack of leadership, unity, and strategic engagement,’ he said.
The subregion, which consists of 7 districts including Mbale district, Mbale city, Bulambuli, Sironko, Manafwa, Bududa and Namisindwa districts with a total population of 1.8m is nestled in the foothills of Mount Elgon’s Wanale Ridge and is dominated by subsistence farming. The poverty rate is approximately 28%, according to the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS).
In Tororo, the locals have welcomed President Museveni’s latest cabinet appointments.
In the latest cabinet appointment, Sanjay Tanna was appointed Minister for Trade, Industry and Cooperatives, and Mogode Ikuya retained his seat as Minister of State for East African Affairs.
Mr Obbo Oketch, the councillor representing Nagongera Town Council, thanked the president for considering Tororo with two ministerial positions.
He is particularly reserved about the appointment of Sanjay Tanna as the Minister for Trade, Industry and Cooperatives, saying that he, being a businessman, can attract investors.
“I have to thank the President for considering us with two ministerial positions besides that of the speaker of Parliament, Jacob Oboth Oboth. This makes us proud,” he said.
Equally, Godfrey Othieno Otabong, the chairperson of Tororo County NRM party mobilisation branch, applauded the president for the appointment, citing the consideration of Tororo district in the cabinet appointments.
“I know it may look small, but it’s better than nothing because after all, Tororo was considered in the third position in the country slot “, he said.
He, however, appealed for more consideration in special Envoys and commissions as well as resident district commissioners because at least the district did well in the last elections.