Jinja: For three consecutive years, the Uganda Bureau of Statistics has flagged Busoga region as one, sometimes the leading poorest region in Uganda. One of the most recent of such reports, released in 2021 says the region contributes 14% to national poverty.
Other data indicates that 74.8 percent of people in the region are considered poor and insecure.
In the book Rural Development – Education, Sustainability, Multi-functionality, edited by Paola de Salvo and Manuel Vaquero Pineiro, it is argued that Poverty reduction can be attained by undertaking economic and institutional reforms to enhance efficiency and improve the utilization of resources; prioritizing the basic needs of the poor in national development policies. Basics needs like good health care facilities, motorable roads and access to electricity are some of the things the region needs to make its people productive and address the poverty question.
Over time, however, government has been making development promises to Busoga region, promises that it does not keep. The most recent report of the Parliamentary committee on government assurances and implementation, lists several promises that the president made to Busoga but had never been full filled by the time of the report.
In the committee report last published in 2019, promises had taken between 10 to 20 years and the committee and written them off as unfulfilled.
It is not clear why the committee has never produced a report since 2019 as its current leadership was tightlipped on the matter but of the 92 Assurances they last followed up, 65 under Works and Transport sector, 27 were under the health sector, Busoga region got the short end of the stick with 12 broken or unfulfilled promises in the energy (electricity) sector, 11 in the roads sector and eight in the health sector.
Explaining the delay, ministers and parliamentarians from the region and belonging to the ruling National Resistance Movement can’t finish a statement without mentioning Covid-19, Ebola and or the Ukraine, albeit the fact that most of the promises were made years before the three alibis.
“The money the government uses comes from tax collection the taxes collected from the budget, so if the government expect to collect 10 trillion and the government does not collect 10 instead collects five it means that the government will only spend in what it has collected so if it has 10 promises it will only fulfill five promises and the five promises fulfilled emanate from the priorities set,
“You cannot promise that I will build all schools in Busoga and all of a sudden there is COVID-19 what do you do? Do you first tackle COVID-19 or you first build schools?” Mr Frederick Ngobi Gume, the minister in charge of cooperatives explained.
He represents Bulamogi North County in Kaliro district. According to the report, Kaliro has two broken assurances in the roads sector, the promise to tarmac Kaliro-Gadumire Road made in 2010 and another promise to upgrade Kalor-Kamuli Road. Kaliro-Nawaikoke Road and reconstruct Jinja-Kaliro road made in 2011. In the health sector, the promise to upgrade Bumanya Health Center IV to a Hospital status made in 2010 had been written off by the committee as a broken promise.
The committee classifies time frame for implementation of Assurances as emergency assurances (to be implemented within 6 months), short term assurances (to be implemented within 12 months), midterm assurances (to be implemented within 18 months) and long-term assurances (to be implemented in 5 years)
“The Committee classified all Assurances which had not been implemented within the time frame as defined above, to be broken or unfulfilled promises,” the report reads in part.
Ms. Racheal Magoola, the woman representative for Bugweri district and member on the assurances committee says they are following up on the assurances made but those expecting delivery should acknowledge that government has budget constraints that have been caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and the Ukraine war.
Pressed about whether promises made 10 and 20 years ago were broken due to the pandemic and the Ukraine war, the legislator said, “As Member of Parliament our main job is to keep reminding to keep pressure on the powers that be to make sure that these assurances are fulfilled despite all the challenges that the government is facing.”
“The effect of the pandemic is going to be long term. It has affected all the economies of the world and when we are looking at how we demand, we need to have that at the back of our minds. Our expectations are high and our demands cannot stop but we need to have that at the back of our minds that it is not business as usual,” she said.
She added, “Taxes in Uganda are falling short because of the contract of the economy locally the prices of fuel also lead to the drop in income and tax collection so balancing all of this sometimes makes assurances impossible to deliver.”
Being a fairy new district, Bugweri has no broken promises yet. However Iganga, off which Bugweri was curved has, according to the report, has the promise to extend electricity to Bunyiro – Nawaningi – Nawankonge, Busesa – Nawangisa – Nakalama written off as a broken promise. It also had the primsie to rehabilitate Iganga Hospital delivered on time.
Pressed further about why the committee has not delivered another report since 2019, she said the committee is very busy at the moment looking through all assurances that the government has put in place and “we hope the report will be ready soon.”
The committee notes, in its pages of the report under review, that by looking at the Administration of Parliament Act, 2006 and the
Parliamentary Rules of Procedure, 2017 the government assurances and implementation report is presented in the context that it is a Parliamentary oversight report on Political and Moral accountability of political leaders to fight against political deception and political fraud in elective public offices.
“The ill this Committee tries to cure is lying and political deception by political leaders in and outside Parliament, as provided for under Rule 176(1) (a) and 176(7).
“We, members of the committee, believe that: a promise is a debt; debt must be paid; lying is a sin – and it is punishable by God; lying is a crime – and it is punishable by law; political deception is political fraud and it punishable politically and proper and timely fulfillment of promises, undertakings and assurances by leaders is rewarded by the people.
The Minister in charge of Presidency, Milly Babalanda, couldn’t be got to comment on the president’s failure to keep his promises.
When contacted, Mr Faruk Kirunda, the deputy press secretary to the president asked to be emailed a list of the broken promises so as to comment. When the list was emailed, he wrote back asking for more time, saying, “good to hear from you and I request for a period of one week to respond to your email. Currently I am busy with some assignments.”
Political activist and chairman of the national Unity Platform Jinja City, Saulo Nsongambi, said government failing to deliver on its promises in Busoga is not new.
“There has been and deliberate effort to making Busoga even poorer, to me is not a surprise that the report is out that Busoga has so many unfulfilled promises. “When you look at the road which connect from Amber Court to Namwendwa-Mbulamuti that road has been unfulfilled for over 15 years.
“Busoga was promised to be a food basket around 2010 when president himself was addressing people in Budondo and nothing has been done,” he said.
More broken promises
Broken promises also extend to promises made to individuals and institutions.
According to the report, these include a promise made to the people of Bugiri in 2011 to provide a taxi, Shs50million for Youth SACCOS, Heifers, and 50 sets of computers, printer, poultry, welding machine & 20 motorcycles. All those were written off by the committee as broken promises after 7 years of no delivery.
There was also a promise to construct Bukoyo Girls Secondary School dormitory which was burnt promised in Iganga district in 2014 and was supposed to be delivered in 2017. It was also written off as broken promise by the time of report writing.
What others say
John Magezi, Deputy R.D.C Ngora district and Busoga politician
NRM government is on course and it will come to fulfill every pledge, you all know it has tried from time memorable to fulfill what it has promised, out of those pledges so far fulfilled I am very optimistic that by the time this term ends you never know most of these promises will have been fulfilled. That road that connects Amber Court to Mbulamuti will be worked on it is a matter of time.”
Chairman NRM Iganga Hajji Walubi Abubaker: I don’t want to talk like I don’t know what is going on but what I know it is all about money because at first Busoga had well-connected roads you can’t compare now Busoga to either northern Uganda or to Bunyoro. Everybody want his place to be more than other so that is why the Basoga wants all the things that are promised to be done but I think it is about the envelope”
Summary of promises to Busoga that were never kept
Energy Sector
No | District | No of Assurances | Fulfilled | Partially | Broken |
1 | Iganga | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
2 | Kamuli | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
3 | Buyende | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
4 | Kaliro | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Bugiri | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Details per district
Iganga District
Name of Project | Year Promised | No of Years waiting |
Extend electricity to; Bunyiro – Nawaningi – Nawankonge, Busesa – Nawangisa – Nakalama | 2011 | 12 |
Kamuli District
Name of Project | Year Promised | No of Years waiting |
Extend electricity to; Nabwigulu Sub county Headquarters, Nayenga Primary School, Buwuda Trading Center and Buwuda Primary School | 2001 | 22 |
Extend Electricity to; Kasambira – Bugulumbya, Luzinga – Kibeto – Wankole | 2001 | 22 |
Extend electricity to; Wankole Sub county | 2006 | 17 |
Extend electricity to; Mbulamuti Sub county | 2006 | 17 |
Extend electricity to; Kasambira – Bugulumbya – Bukuutu, Bugaya – Nakanyonyi – Naluwoli, Kamuli – Namwendwa – Bulogo, Budhatemwa P/S and Itayllngwa Sub county, Namasagali – Mutukula, Balawoli – Nawanganza – Namira, Luzinga – Wankole and Namwandyo H/C II, Nabwigulu and and Buwuda P/S, Kamuli – Buyende, Kidera, Kapiokolo, Makanga and Kanyankole | 2011 | 12 |
Extend electricity to; Namasagali – Mutukula, Balawoli – Nawangaiza – Namaira | 2011 | 12 |
Extend eiectricity to; Budhumbula – Buntansi – Bugheynva, Namwendwa – Bulopa, Bulogo – Nawansaso, Butabaala – Kitayunjwa | 2011 | 12 |
Kaliro District
Name of Project | Year Promised | No of Years waiting |
Extend electricity from Bulumba to Nawampiti and from Kasokwe to Buyuge – Bulumba | 2010 | 13 |
Extend electricity to Bulamogi and all Sub counties | 2014 | 9 |
Buyende District
Name of Project | Year Promised | No of Years waiting |
Extend eiectricity to; Kapiokolo, Kyankole, Immeri Primary School, Makanga Trading Center and Buyende District Headquarters | 2001 | 22 |
Extend electricity to cover trading centers along Nabirumba – Bugaya Irundu | 2010 | 13 |
Bugiri District
Name of Project | Year Promised | No of Years waiting |
Extend Electricity to; Buwunga, Bwalula, Nankoma & Namayingo | 2010 | 13 |
Assurance to rehabilitate hospitals
No | Year Pledged | Assurance | District | Year of expected completion | Years since pledge was made | Status |
1 | 2011 | Construct Buyende District Hospital | Buyende | 2016 | 12 | Broken |
2 | 2011 | Rehabilitate Iganga Hospital | Iganga | 2016 | 7 | Fulfilled |
3 | 2006 | Rehabilitate Bugiri Hospital | Bugiri |
Roads and Bridges
No | Year Pledged | Assurance | District | Year of expected completion | Years since pledge was made | Status |
1 | 2011 | Construct Kamuli Bukungu Road | Kamuli | 2016 | 12 | Broken |
2 | 2001 | Tarmac Bukunghu Road | Buyende | 2006 | Fulfilled | |
3 | 2011 | Tarmac KamuliBuyende Road | Buyende | 2016 | ||
4 | 2010 | Tarmac Kaliro Gadumire Road | Kaliro | 2015 | ||
5 | 2011 | Upgrade Kalor-Kamuli Road. Kaliro-Nawaikoke Road and reconstruct Jinja-Kaliro Road | Kaliro | 2016 | ||
6 | 2006 | Constructs Roads from Bugiri Lwemba – Kimrra, Namutumba Bulange Nabukalu Kisetaka-Lwemba-Buwuni | Bugiri | 2011 | ||
7 | 2010 | Tarmac Nakifuma Bugiri Kitodha Lugala Road | Bugiri | 2015 | ||
8 | 2010 | Upgrade Musita – Lumino – Busia/Majanji Road, Bugiri (140km) from gravel to tarmac. | Bugiri | |||
9 | 2010 | Tarmac May-uge Mbale Nakivumbi – Buwunga Road | Bugiri | 2015 | ||
10 | 2001 | Provide a Ferry at Bukungu Landing Site, pledged rn 2001. (Before creation of Buyende drstrict out of Kamuh). | Kamuli | 2004 | ||
11 | Provide a ferry at Bukungu landing site | Buyende | 2003 | |||
12 | 2013 | Provide a Ferry on Lake Kyoga (Bukungu – Kaberamaido to Kasilo),. | Buyende | |||
13 | 2010 | Construct Saaka Bridge linking Kaliro to Paliisa, | Kaliro | |||
14 | 2001 | Upgrade from gravel to Tarmac, Jinja – Buwenda – Mbulamuti Road (60 Km) | Jinja |