Unfulfilled presidential pledges irk Masindi leaders
He also questioned whether the president would use the same pledges during the 2026 presidential campaigns.
By Innocent Atuganyira
Masindi: Leaders in Masindi district have expressed their concern over unfulfilled presidential pledges made during the campaigns for the 2016 presidential elections.
The concerns were raised recently during the commemoration of the belated Independence Day for Masindi district held at Kikingura Primary School in Bwijanga Sub County, Bujenje County.
According to Deo Rubanjwa, the LC1 Chairperson of Kikingura Village, while campaigning at Kikingura Primary School Play Ground, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni pledged to construct for them a memorial secondary school and tarmac roads in their area.
‘’Mr. Chief Guest, I remember it was in 2016 when President Museveni was here campaigning; he pledged to construct for us Bwijanga Secondary School as a memorial school, tarmacking a number of roads, but it’s now been seven years; nothing has been fulfilled,’’ he decried.
Rubanjwa stated that the president promised to fulfill the pledges within the space of one year. He also questioned whether the president would use the same pledges during the 2026 presidential campaigns.
‘’Mr. Chief Guest, the president gave you a vehicle; if it means taking me to Rwakitura, kindly do it; we have been patient enough; I don’t know where the problem is; maybe our leaders don’t follow up on the pledges,’’ he said.
Rubanjwa noted that if the above pledges were fulfilled, their children would be studying in a decent school, and there would be easy accessibility to places due to a good road network. He therefore asked the leaders in the district to follow up on the presidential pledges.
The LC3 Chairperson for Bwijanga Sub County, James Mudede, challenged the government to implement the presidential pledges, saying that Bwijanga Sub County was a resting place for the National Resistance Army (NRA) that brought this government to power.
‘’This area was a resting place for the NRA soldiers, and our children were recruited into the army that brought this government into power; therefore, the presidential pledges should be fulfilled,’’ he said.
According to Mudede, the president pledged to tarmac Ikoba-Kikingura Road, Kikingura-Ntooma-Kasokwa-Kyankwanzi Road, and others.
While responding to the presidential pledges, Emmy Ngabirano, the Resident District Commissioner (RDC), Masindi, who was the chief guest, said some of the pledges would be done by the district. He also asked the leaders to engage their area members of parliament and the district leadership to follow up on the pledges.
‘’We shouldn’t be in this state of lamentation over the presidential pledges; engage your area members of parliament and the district leadership so they follow up on the pledges,’’ he advised.
The Masindi district LCV Chairperson, Cosmas Byaruhanga, assured the residents that Bwijanga secondary school, which was a memorial school pledge, is in the pipeline, and a pledged bridge will also be worked on, adding that recently he had three working days in Kampala to follow up on the presidential pledges.
”Recently, I had three working days in Kampala to follow up on the above pledges. As I talk now, we are fundraising for Bwijanga Secondary School, but we need more funding, which is in the pipeline. Recently, the president wrote the letter on the pledged bridge, which will soon be worked on,’’ he said.
Byaruhanga said that since the president has many pledges and matters to handle, they engage the prime minister and relevant ministries to ensure the presidential pledges are fulfilled, noting that the minister for roads assured them that some of the above roads will be taken over by the Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA).
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