Alliance for National Transformation (ANT) presidential candidate Maj Gen (rtd) Gregory Mugisha Muntu has vowed to fight corruption, which he said remains a major problem in the country.
During his campaign rallies in Rwampara and Mitooma districts, Gen Muntu assured the voters that he is ready to fight corruption, starting from the top officials in government to the lowest person in government.
‘The corruption in this country has exhausted almost all the systems, both in the private and political wing; people swindle funds and walk away freely. If the little-known person steals something, he is arrested but those who siphon billions of shillings are untouchable. Corruption will not be in my government, we shall deal with it,’ he said.
Voters in Rwampara and Mitooma districts asked Gen Muntu to improve service delivery if elected into office. They said poor roads and inadequate healthcare services have hindered their economic progress. Mr Innocent Arinaitwe, a resident of Kabuura in Mwizi Sub-county, said: ‘For us we want to see our health facilities stocked with medicine and our roads need to be improved to enable us to transport our agricultural products to the market.’
He added: ‘We are tired of poor governance; the taxes are very high even after 40 years. They have not improved our health facilities up to now. They are still in a bad state. If these are improved and we see value for our taxes, then we will easily develop.’
Mr Devas Kwarukunda, another resident of Kabuura, called for easy access to clean water and better maternal health in their community. ‘We suffer a lot to access water considering the landscape of our community, and still we request for better hospitals here in Mwizi. Mothers still give birth by the roadside,’ Kwarukunda said.
Mr Evaristo Turinawe, a businessman in Katenga Trading Centre, Mitooma, said they are spending a lot of money on transport because of the poor state of Bushenyi-Mbarara road, which is filled with portholes.
‘We spend a lot of money on repairing our motor vehicles, and we cannot save any money. The situation is difficult for us as residents,’ he said.
Mr Jordan Akandwanaho, a resident of Katenga in Mitooma District, said: ‘As a youth, I expect our next president should help us and stop district officials asking us for money when we apply for jobs. We are jobless looking for jobs but someone wants money before giving us jobs. That is a very big problem which I want out next president to solve.’
Mr Evaristo Turinawe, a businessman from Katenga Trading Centre in Mitooma District, said he transports goods to Kampala but is struggling with the high fuel prices and rising cost of living. ‘ I therefore do not expect President Museveni to be my next president after these elections and I believe that when we vote another president, we will have all services improved,’ he said.
He added: ‘Our children are at home because he refused to give teachers better salaries we are suffering, we need a better president.’ In response, Gen Muntu said the main cause of the problems is a lack of disciplined leadership – from the president down to local leaders. He said President Museveni, who has been in power for 40 years, removed the checks and balances that would ensure proper use of public funds and improve service delivery.
‘. when you have a disciplined president, most times people will get people who are like them in thinking and in acting. Naturally, a disciplined person will look for disciplined people to work together to implement the policy positions they take in government,’ he said.
Mr Muntu said he is the solution to the issues faced by Ugandans because of his proven record as the army commander. ‘That is why we are telling the people of Mitooma, as we keep telling them all over the country, that we are the solution to these problems, because we are disciplined, focused, resilient, we can withstand any form of temptation, whether it is temptation from money, pomp and glory or power,’ he said.