Buhweju District

420 PRIME MINISTER’S TIME 1. The Government supports farmers with rosette-tolerant groundnut seed varieties and planting materials for short-term food security crops in the next planting season; and 2. Agricultural extension services be strengthened to educate farmers on the best farming practices, especially the management and control of groundnut rosette. Mr Speaker, my response is that I have taken note of the Member’s prayer for the Government to support farmers with rosette- tolerant groundnut seed varieties and planting materials for short-term food security crops in the next planting season. I will inform the President accordingly, and the Minister of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries is hereby put on alert. However, in the meantime, those who can afford it can go and buy Serenut 2-14, which is a rosette- tolerant variety from open markets. Mr Speaker, the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries extension technical teams are already engaging Ngora District, and every district has agricultural officers. The recommended practices are: use of certified seeds; early planting; proper spacing; inter-crop with beans or sorghum; uproot and bury infected plants; apply Cypermethrin 5-percent-EC or neem; extract if the infestation is high; and report symptoms to the subcounty extension workers. The fourth question came from Hon. Peter Okeyoh, the Member of Parliament for Bukooli Island County. According to our brother, His Excellency, the President of the Republic of Uganda did write a letter to the Minister of Energy and Mineral Development, directing that power be extended to Sigulu Island, Namayingo and Buvuma Island. His question is: what is the status of the project? My response is that the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development has commenced the public investment management system process. The project is currently at the project profile stage, awaiting consideration by the development committee. Mr Speaker, the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development is implementing a mini-grid project on Buvuma Island with support from the European Union, under the GET Access project. The contractor has been procured, while the submarine cable is being processed. I got a fifth question from Hon. Okeyoh, again. He stated that this Parliament amended the Mining and Minerals Act, 2022, to provide for artisanal miners. He asked: “Why are our people, in Namayingo, Kassanda and Buhweju districts, being harassed by armed men?” Mr Speaker, my response is that the Mining and Minerals Policy, 2018, the Mining and Minerals Act, 2022 and the Mining and Minerals (Artisanal Mining) Regulations, 2025, provide a legal and regulatory regime for the development of artisanal miners in Uganda. Mining is only permitted within gazetted artisanal mining zones. To enforce this, the Police Minerals Protection Unit is halting illegal mining activities outside gazetted mining zones. This is aimed at curbing environmental degradation, the spread of epidemics, occupational health and safety hazards, and the use of hazardous chemicals such as mercury. The ministry is currently organising and registering artisanal miners into associations and cooperatives, as a requirement before licensing them to operate within gazetted mining areas. The progress, so far, is that 20 artisanal and small-scale mining licences have been issued to miners in Namayingo, Kassanda and Buhweju districts. In addition, the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development is engaging gold rush miners across the country. Mining in

Thank you, Mr Speaker. Buhweju is closed again. The only road that connects Buhweju to DRC through Rubirizi and Katerera is closed. The road situation in Kasyoha Kitomi Forest is very bad. As you know, the road situation in Buhweju has been terrible. In the past, His Excellency, the President, got stuck there. He walked for six miles. Later, in 2022, the current Prime Minister of Uganda, Ms Robinah Nabbanja, also got stuck for two hours. In 2025, the current Deputy Speaker of this Republic got stuck in the roads for over three hours. Mr Speaker, the Buhweju people are waiting. They even had to – (Member timed out.)

Thank you. Madam Prime Minister, that is why I am not going to Buhweju these days despite the invitation. The situation is really bad.

Mr Speaker, the fact is, the President of Uganda has directed that we work on the road that connects to Buhweju from this other side of Mbarara. I am forgetting the place - ( Interjections ) - Bwizibwera-Nsiika-Nyaka –

Nyakambu-Nyakashaka- Nyakabirizi-Buhweju Road. (Applause) I got stuck in Buhweju. The UPDF supported me with a helicopter to come out of there. Why? It is because the mudslide had covered the road. The President has directed my office to coordinate the Ministries of Finance, Planning and Economic Development and Works and Transport to have that road worked on this financial year.

That is Busia Municipality, then Gomba. The camera man, please give space to Members. Okay. Fifth row. Those standing, do not vote. You will vote differently. The team of Hon. Cissy Namujju. I hope you counted the two votes: Hon. Ochai and the colleague. Their suits are almost the same; you would think it is one person. Those standing here. Hon. Amelia Kyambadde is somewhere there. I can see Hon. Ssentayi, Hon. Freedom, Hon. Paula Turyahikayo, and Hon. Kiyonga – have you seen them? Hon. Cissy Namujju, Hon. Emaju, the Senior Counsel. Somehow, I can see just the hands and know. Okay. Have you counted the other side, Hon. Bagiire and group? Hon. James Kaberuka, and Hon. Ofwono Opondo – he says he is the MP for the elderly, but not for the old. We come to the other row, where Hon. Patrick Obura is, Maj. Gen. Ssemwanga, Hon. Kateshumbwa and the group. Hon. Akello, there. Okay. The middle one, from Hon. Frank Tumwebaze, the whole row up to Hon. Asinansi Nyakato, the former candidate for Deputy Speaker. She is from Bunyoro. She has voted “Yes”. Just for the record, Madam Prime Minister, she is supporting you. We can go to Hon. Mapenduzi, Hon. Machika, Hon. Achola, Hon. Alex, Hon. Harriet Ntabazi, Col Knight Ikiriza, Hon. Nathan Byanyima. There is somebody else there I cannot see. Have you counted them? We can do the first row here. Hon. Ssenyonyi is perpetual – the Speaker is only taking note. Alliance for National Transformation has one MP and is voting positively. Second row, we are done. Third row. Those standing, do not. Dr Batuwa, do not raise your hand. Mbale, Hon. Fiona Nakku. There is a hand on the other side. Clerk, are you seeing? Where are you beginning from? Are you done? Fourth row. Hon. Mutonyi, Hon. Ngabirano, MP representing Buhweju, Hon. Martin Drito, welcome back. The last row. Yes, Hon. Okot, Hon. Otim, Hon. Sarah, I cannot see the rest. Hon. Molly Kamukama, and then the Woman MP for Mbarara City, that is Hon. Charity Kibaaju. Okay. Those standing there: Hon. Aogon, Hon. Emmanuel, Hon. Opio, Hon. Charles Ngabirano, and Hon. Kinobere. Have you counted those ones? Hon. Betty Aol – there are two standing. Hon. Akol has not voted. Okay. The Uganda People’s Congress – already counted. MPs in the Gallery, we acknowledge you with a lot of difficulty. The corridor here. Hon. Lokii, Hon. Sam Engola. Apparently, he could not get a fitting seat. (Laughter) Have you counted this one? Okay. Hon. Cissy Namujju’s team is back there. Clerk, this problem must end. We should find a solution. Everyone is elected to sit comfortably in the House. The voters are looking for their MPs, and they cannot see them.

7. Nankwanga Stellamaris Woman Representative Bugweri Independent 8. Nanzala Metrine Namisindwa County Namisindwa NRM 9. Nassolo Eugenia Rubaga Division South Kampala NUP 10. Nawe Molly Kamukama Woman Representative Kazo NRM 11. Ndeezi Alex PWD Representative N/A NRM 12. Ngabirano Charles Rwampara East County Rwampara Independent 13. Ninsiima Evelyne Woman Representative Rubanda Independent 14. Nnamara Annet Oyes Byamukama Woman Representative Buhweju NRM 15. Nyakato Asinansi City Woman Representative Hoima City PFF 16. Namujju Cissy Dionizia Woman Representative Lwengo NRM 17. Nyakato Dorothy Woman Representative Kitagwenda NRM 18. Namutaawe Joan Woman Representative Masaka NUP 19. Nayebale Sylivia Woman Representative Gomba NRM 20. Naziiwa Margret Woman Representative Kagadi NRM 21. Nkunyingi Muwada Kyadondo County East Wakiso NUP 22. Nuria Hafsa Teko Woman Representative Kotido Independent 23. Nangoli Gerald Elgon North County Bulambuli NRM 24. Nyeko Johnson Kezekiya Lamwo County Lamwo NRM 25. Obong Peter Acuda Maruzi County Apac UPC 26. Obong Vincent Shedrick Lira West Division Lira City UPC 27. Okiding Sam (Lt Gen.) UPDF Representative N/A N/A 28. Ofwono Opondo P’Odel Older Person’s Representative Eastern NRM 29. Ocen Geoffery Kioga North County Amolatar UPC 30. 3Ogwal Joseph Jones Dokolo North County Dokolo NRM 31. Ojara Martin Mapenduzi Bardege-Layibi Division Gulu City NRM 32. Nameere Justine Woman Representative Masaka City NRM 33. Nkrumah Roland Bufumbira County East Kisoro NRM 34. 3Ojiit Peter Pingire County Serere Independent 35. Ntabazi Harriet Bwamba County Bundibugyo NRM 36. Ocan Patrick Apac Municipality Apac Independent 37. Ogwang Patrick Obura Oyam County South Oyam NRM 38. Okaasai Sidronius Opolot Kumi County Kumi NRM 39. Oketcho George West Budama County South Tororo NRM 40. Oketcho John Francis Bugiri Municipality Bugiri NRM 41. Okeyoh Peter Bukooli Island County Namayingo NRM 42. Okot Peter Tochi County Omoro DP 43. Okumu Gabriel Okoro County Zombo NRM 44. Omara Paul Otuke County Otuke NRM 45. Omoding Emmanuel Serere County Serere NRM 46. Onek Hilary Obaloker Palabek County Lamwo NRM 47. Oneka Lit Amere Denis Kitgum Municipality Kitgum FDC 48. Ongom Patrick Erute County North Lira NRM 49. Ongu James Kwania North County Kwania NRM 50. Opito Vincent Dokolo South County Dokolo UPC 51. Nankabirwa Ann Maria Woman Representative Kyankwanzi NRM 52. Nantongo Fortunate Rose Woman Representative Kyotera NUP 53. Natumanya Flora Woman Representative Kikuube NRM 54. Naturinda Eliab Ndorwa County West Kabale NRM 55. Ngompek Linos Kibanda North County Kiryandongo NRM 56. Ninkusiima John Paul (Dr) Ibanda County South Ibanda NRM 57. Niringiyimana James R. Kaberuka Kinkizi County West Kanungu NRM

8 ADMINISTRATION OF OATHS 5. Kansiime Annah Woman Representative Rwampara NRM 6. Kanyesigye Mercy Youth Representative Female Independent 7. Kapyagon Brian Kongasis County Bukwo Independent 8. Karim Musa Aringa North County Yumbe Independent 9. Kasajja George Patrick Bulamogi North West County Kaliro NRM 10. Kasigwa Gerald Bihemaiso Kigorobya County Hoima NRM 11. Kasirye Nganda Ali Makindye East Division Kampala NUP 12. Kasukaali Methuselah Mwenge Central County Kyenjojo NRM 13. Kariisa Johnbosco Koy Buhweju West County Buhweju NRM 14. Katushabe Ruth Woman Representative Bukomansimbi NRM 15. Katusiime Annet Mugisha Woman Representative Bushenyi NRM 16. Kawalya Abubaker Rubaga Division North Kampala NUP 17. Kasaija Matia Buyanja County Kibaale NRM 18. Karuhanga Gerald Kafureeka Ntungamo Municipality Ntungamo Independent 19. Khalayi Peace Woman Representative Namisindwa NRMK 20. Kiirya Grace Paddy Wanzala Butembe County Jinja FDC 21. Kiiza Andrew N. Kaluya Kigulu County South Iganga NUP 22. Katushabe Doreen Birungi Woman Representative Lyantonde NRM 23. Kiyonga C.W.C.B. Bukonzo County West Kasese NRM 24. Muhwezi Jim Katugugu Rujumbura County Rukungiri NRM 25. Kenan Opio Busiro South Wakiso NRM 26. Kateshumbwa Dicksons Sheema Municipality Sheema NRM 27. Katusiime Jovia Woman Representative Kiryandongo NRM 28. Kiiza Kenneth Nyendwoha Bujenje County Masindi NRM 29. Kikabi Edward (Dr) Ntwetwe County Kyankwanzi NRM 30. Kinalwa James (Maj. Gen.) UPDF Representative N/A N/A 31. Kinobere Herbert Tom Kibuku County Kibuku Independent 32. Kinshaba Patience Nkunda Woman Representative Kanungu Independent 33. Kiruluuta Yusuf J. Nkerettanyi Kalungu County East Kalungu NUP 34. Kirumira Hassan Katikamu County South Luweero NUP 35. Kisekka Salim Bukomansimbi North County Bukomansimbi NRM 36. Kitiyo Patrick Kapchorwa Municipality Kapchorwa Independent 37. Kiyimba Emmanuel Bukoto County Mid-West Lwengo NRM 38. Kasule Ismail Hoima West Division Hoima City ANT 39. Khainza Agnes Shiuma Woman Representative Bududa NRM 40. Kugonza Emely Buyanja East County Kibaale NRM 41. Kungu Samuel Bamuteeze Kigulu County North Iganga NRM 42. Kwizera Eddie Wa-Gahungu Bukimbiri County Kisoro Independent 43. Kyambadde Amelia Ann Mawokota County North Mpigi NRM 44. Kyarampe Rebecca Woman Representative Mitooma NRM 45. Kyarikunda Loydah T. Woman Representative Mbarara NRM 46. Kisa Stephen Bakubalwayo Luuka South County Luuka NRM 47. Kavuma Samuel (Lt Gen.) UPDF N/A N/A 48. Kitanywa Sowedi Busongora County North Kasese NRM 49. Kizza Hakim Sawula Bukoto County South Lwengo NUP 50. Kuteesa Patrick Kimanya-Kabonera Division Masaka City NUP 51. Kwiyucwiny Grace Freedom Ora County Zombo NRM 52. Kibaaju Charity Kamuhanda Woman Representative Mbarara City NRM 53. Komol Joseph Miidi Dodoth North County Kaabong NRM 54. Karubanga Jacob Ateenyi Kibanda South County Kiryandongo Independent 55. Mwine Mpaka Rwamirama Mbarara South Division Mbarara City NRM

102. Maganda Julius Wandera Samia Bugwe County South Busia NRM 103. Malende Shamim Woman Representative Kampala NUP 104. Mayanja Moses Busiro County North Wakiso NRM 105. Mbalibulha Christopher K. Taban Bughendera County Bundibugyo Independent 106. Monday Julius Rude (Dr) Bukonzo County East Kasese NRM 107. Lule Eria Erick Kiboga West County Kiboga NRM 108. Meeme Sylvia (Col) UPDF Representative N/A N/A 109. Lwansasula Sarah Woman Representative Jinja City NUP 110. Modoi Isaac Lutseshe County Bududa NRM 111. Mpaata Salleh Bunya County South Mayuge NRM 112. Mubangizi Dedan Buwekula South County Mubende NRM 113. Luyimbazi Nalukoola Elias Kawempe Division North Kampala NUP 114. Masaba Muhamood Mutenyo Bungokho Central County Mbale NRM 115. Mbabazi Jacqueline Older persons Representative Western NRM 116. Migadde Robert Ndugwa Buvuma Islands County Buvuma NRM 117. Mudukoi Fred Oduchu Butebo County Butebo NRM 118. Namatovu Mastula Kamuli Municipality Kamuli NRM 119. Mugenyi Joseph Burahya County Kabarole NRM 120. Mudiobole Abedi Nasser Iganga Municipality Iganga NUP 121. Mugira James (Lt Gen.) UPDF Representative N/A N/A 122. Mugisa Margaret Muhanga Fort Portal North Division Fort Portal City NRM 123. Malinga Isaac Maikut Soi County Kween NRM 124. Masiko Henry Moses (Maj. Gen.) UPDF Representative N/A N/A 125. Mushabe Rujoki Ruth Woman Representative Kiruhura NRM 126. Mpindi Bumali PWD N/A Independent 127. Maseruka Robert Mukono County South Mukono NUP 128. Musinguzi Patrick Kashari North County Mbarara NRM 129. Muhenda Ronald Fort Portal Central Division Fort Portal City Independent 130. Muhooza Desire Woman Representative Kiboga NRM 131. Mujungu Jennifer K. Woman Representative Ntoroko NRM 132. Mujuni Asensio Maari Isingiro County South Isingiro NRM 133. Mukisa Robina Hope Woman Representative Namayingo NRM 134. Mukhaye Miriam Woman Representative Mbale NRM 135. Mulemya Ismail Sowed Busia Municipality Busia NRM 136. Mukiibi Eriasa Sserunjogi Butambala County Butambala Independent 137. Mulindwa David Isimbwa Busongora County South Kasese NRM 138. Mirembe Lydia Daphine Woman Representative Butambala Independent 139. Mugabe Robert Kitagwenda County Kitagwenda NRM 140. Mugabi Muzaale Martin Kisule Buzaaya County Kamuli NRM 141. Musa Noah Koboko North County Koboko NRM 142. Musanje Moses Njeru Municipality Buikwe NUP 143. Musasizi Henry Ariganyira Rubanda County East Rubanda NRM 144. Musila John Bubulo East County Namisindwa NRM 145. Musisi George Kira Municipality Wakiso NUP 146. Mutasingwa Diana Nankunda Woman Representative Buikwe NRM 147. Mutego Ronard Hangujja Bunyole East County Butaleja Independent 148. Nakku Fiona Female Workers Representative N/A Independent 149. Mutekanga Zadock Buhweju County Buhweju NRM 150. Mutonyi Rose Masaaba Woman Representative Manafwa Independent 151. Muyonjo Hussein Jinja North Division Jinja City NUP 152. Mwesigwa Mathias Rubabo County Rukungiri NRM

Thank you. That is under Rule 160(1) of the Rules of Procedure. Is the motion seconded? Seconded by Hon. Isaac, Hon. Peter, Member from Buhweju, Hon. Bahati, Hon. Obua, Hon. Ecweru, and this whole side. Hon. Aber, Hon. Linos, Ibanda, Hon. Kisa, Hon. Gabriel, Hon. Eric, Hon. Mariam, Hon. Amero, Hon. Elijah, Hon. Max, Hon. Akol, Member from Aruu, Hon. Okot, Hon. Ssentayi, Hon. Angura, Hon. Fox, Hon. Tom, and Hon. Kinobere- by the majority Members of the House. Honourable members, please enter.

Do you know why I am asking about how much has been allocated? This is because even after that allocation, we do not find the roads being worked on. What did you say about the Kampala-Jinja Expressway? As you look for that, we also need to synchronise the issue of the regional mechanical workshops. You find a district like Bundibugyo with a regional workshop in Fort Portal – It is in Mbarara, not even Fort Portal. You find the one servicing Soroti in Bugembe. We are wondering what happened to the – because Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) used to be very organised. They had regional offices. What happened to those offices? What happened to the equipment that they had? Where are the regional labs? Before we start talking about the roads and whatever, how do we test the materials? Where are those labs or the regional mechanical workshops? Then, what happened to the UNRA roads? Honourable chairperson, you may need to enlighten us on that because we are giving you a lot of money. Now, the fact that you have a lot of money, tell us which roads you are going to give us – when we are doing appropriation – which roads are we working on? I told you about the road leading to Buhweju. You cannot even think of passing there. There is the road from Lira-Otuke-Abim up to Karenga; it is very bad. When you look at Kachonga-Butaleja-Tororo- Namutumba road, it is terrible. Look at where Hon. Joan comes from, Madi-Okollo. That road of Madi-Okollo connecting to Arua - I can tell you all the roads now. Let us look at the critical roads and make sure that we use the money effectively. With all this money that is being given, we must achieve what we need to achieve. You find the roads in Kampala – like my road, somebody is working on McKinnon Road, but I have failed to pass there for a whole two weeks. Nothing is moving. I was wondering why they removed my little tarmac which was there; they should have left it the way it was. Therefore, honourable chairperson, there is a big problem in your sector.

18649 THE ELEVENTH PARLIAMENT OF UGANDA THURSDAY, 16 APRIL 2026 This project intends to ensure the connection of 1,073,500 new connections of people to the electricity grid. The distribution is as follows: Central Region, 497,106; Eastern Region, 216,616; Northern, 140,337; and Western Uganda, 219,441 new connections, all amounting to 1,073,500 new connections. Under the mineral exploration and beneficiation projects, there is exploration and support for the mineral value chains. This is to improve the value of the minerals that are being obtained by the various artisanal as well as developed miners. This is planned for in Ssembabule, Buhweju, Iganga, Luweero, Kyenjojo, Ntungamo, Kazo, Kiboga, Kassanda, Mubende, Nakasongola, Mityana, and Nakaseke districts. On the Kilembe redevelopment and mineral value addition, the Government intends to support mining, processing, and mineral value addition under the Kilembe project. This will be located in Kilembe, which is in Kasese. There will also be Busia, Mbarara, Iganga, Jinja, Tororo, Rubanda, Kampala, and other mineral processing points in the country. Observations on Vote 017 The committee welcomes -

18651 THE ELEVENTH PARLIAMENT OF UGANDA THURSDAY, 16 APRIL 2026 intended for Laropi and Lefori in Moyo, Akoro and Pangila, and Padibe West in Lamwo. The institutional water supply and sanitation project This one is intended to supply the Arocha prison in Apac and the Iceme health centre and surrounding areas in Oyam. The rural growth centre schemes in Ewanga in Madi-Okollo, Edrayo in Terego, Rodo and Nyori in Yumbe. The gravity and piped water schemes are intended for Ambe GFS in Zombo, the Ogili water supply and sanitation scheme in Agago, as well as Pader. The solar-powered schemes for Achukudu solar RGC in Napak. Colleagues, I am sure that the Hon Faith Nakut is now going to give me a bit- Table 12, in the Eastern region. There are rural growth centre piped water projects that are intended for Bulange in Namutumba, Nango in Mayuge, Bubugo- Itanda in Jinja, and Kagumba in Kamuli. Additional rural growth centre schemes, one intended for Oyama RGC in Kaberamaido. The institutional water supply and sanitation schemes in Ivukula prisons and the surrounding areas in Namutumba. The public sanitation facilities are intended for Mulatsi S.S. in Mbale and Lubani SSS in Jinja. The urban and small town water system schemes under the Water and Sanitation Development Facility East. In Manafwa, Bulangira, Bukumi, Kaproron, Kadungulu, Iyolwa, Mukura, Atutur and Mbale Industrial Park. Central region The ministry intends to undertake piped water schemes in Nankondo in Ssembabule, Moone in Nakasongola and Bulera in Mityana. The institutional water and sanitation schemes - Masaka Army Barracks. The solar-powered water schemes in Kyegegwa, Rakai, Namayingo and Buvuma districts. Then the other additional schemes and extensions are intended for Ngoma, Nyanseke, Busaale, Lunya, Kapeeka Industrial Park extension and Kikuube. In Western and Southwestern regions The major towns and cluster water systems. In Nyakashaka and Rubaya in Buhweju and Mbarara, Mabira, Bukiro, and Nyabisirira, Ntungamo Industrial Park, among others. The integrated water management and development schemes Kaliro-Namungalwe and Kyegegwa-Mpara- Ruyonza-Kabagore. This is the learned DAGs area. Isingiro water and sanitation scheme That is for the Isingiro District. Institutional water schemes in Butanda Secondary School in Kabale, Rugazi Health Centre IV in Rubirizi, and Ishekye School of the Handicapped in Sheema. The rural growth schemes Kyampangara and Nyamushojwa in Kazo, Kasaba in Kyenjojo, Rwentuha in Kyegegwa and Buhanda in Mubende. The solar-powered scheme Bikone and Isule-Katebenyangorongo in Kasese; Kagunga Iremera 1, Iremera 2 in Kisoro; and the Rubanda extension scheme.

Thank you. The Government Chief Whip communicated to the Minister of Kampala Capital City and Metropolitan Affairs. I did follow it up myself. The minister is currently unavailable, but once we get the report, we will put it on the Order Paper. The reason you see us varying the Order Paper is that this one has just come. Therefore, even if it came now, we would vary the Order Paper and have it discussed. We are pushing for it. Honourable member from Buhweju?

18511 THE ELEVENTH PARLIAMENT OF UGANDA WEDNESDAY, 1 APRIL 2026 Honourable Member of Buhweju?

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I raise a matter of national importance and concerns about the plight of smallholder tea farmers in the Greater Bushenyi. Igara Growers Tea Factory was opened in 1969, and then Buhweju Tea Factory was also opened in 2010. Both tea factories are owned by smallholder tea farmers from the districts of Buhweju, Sheema, Mitooma, Rubirizi, and Bushenyi. The farmers hold about one million shares worth Shs 5 billion as bona fide shareholders. Both factories employ more than 1,300 staff – skilled and semi-skilled – and thousands of others on farmers’ estates who are paid on a monthly and contract basis. They have been commanding a turnover of about Shs 60 billion per annum. In recent years, we have – and I in particular – been informing this august House about the huge challenges in the tea industry in Uganda. Finally, the Igara and Buhweju tea factories ceased operations in early March this year. This spells economic doom for the stakeholders mentioned above and the country economically. My prayers are: 1. I ask the Government to urgently intervene and rescue the tea farmers. 2. The Government should expedite the much-craved-for tea policy so that it can ameliorate some of the challenges causing hardships in the sector. 3. Thorough investigations into the mismanagement aspects should be carried out to find out the causes that led to the closure of our tea factories to our detriment. I beg to move.

This is called Kombucha . Hon. Linos knows it. This is called Officer’s Choice . This is called Jajja . This is called Torero . This is called Sabula . This is called Buganda . This is called Hell . This is called Kituzi . This is called Buhweju , where Hon. Mwijukye comes from. (Laughter) This is called Diplomat . This is called LC5 . (Laughter) This is called Kabiriti . This is called Sanyuka . Hon. Kabanda wants to taste Sanyuka. This is called Boda-Boda . I have so many here. This is called Kwetegeleza . That when you take it, you understand things better. This is Katoki . This is Buganda Kombucha . This is Leo . This is Honey Waragi . This is Mpenkoni . (Laughter) This is Kaziro . This is Club 5 . This is Coffee Flavoured Vodka. This is Work , and you know what they are insinuating when they say this is “Work”. This is called Embatura . At least I was able to get these, and they do not even form a quarter of what is on our market. Some of them have the logo, but you cannot confirm that they are certified. My prayer is that the Ministry of Trade - (Hon. Anthony Akol rose _)

Thank you so much, honourable members. Honourable minister, Chairperson of the Budget Committee and the members, I want to thank you so much for handling the supplementary. Honourable minister, I know you have considered a number of roads. Thank you but I have some very crucial roads that should be considered: Lira-Aloi-Otuke-Abim-Kotido road, we have Lira-Apala-Otuke, we have Buhweju road, we have Kachonga, Butaleja, Busolwe, Tororo - that tells you that I have gone through this country –Dokolo-Namasale- Otuke. Honourable minister, we need to look at those roads. Then there was part of the road that we are working on in Isingiro towards Tanzania. We also have the BKK 1 and 2 ferry. We are opening it in January. Hon. Agaba?

18019 THE ELEVENTH PARLIAMENT OF UGANDA TUESDAY, 16 SEPTEMBER 2025 MR EPHRAIM BIRAARO (NRM, Buhweju West County, Buhweju) Thank you, Mr Speaker. I raise this matter of national importance, as a Member of Parliament from Buhweju West – a coffee-growing area – and, two, as a member of the parliamentary coffee forum. Mr Speaker, in July this year, the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries circulated a form, which I am holding here – and I will later lay it on the Table – requesting the willing and needy farmers to ask for coffee plantlets for this season, which is September and October, for planting. A few days ago, we talked to some of the people in the agriculture ministry, and they said there are no coffee seedlings because the policy has changed. We wonder: if the policy changed and the people need coffee, did the agriculture ministry circulate the forms for requests to create anxiety and expectations? My prayers are that: 1. The Ministry for Agriculture responds and fulfils the promise it made through this advert and publication requesting applications. 2. The ministry sets a standard on how farmers throughout the country will receive coffee plantlets. Mr Speaker, I request to lay the form, which was circulated by the Ministry for Agriculture, on the Table for reference.

Is the motion seconded? (Members rose_) It is seconded by Hon. Sarah Opendi, Hon. Amos, by the youth representative, Hon. Rugumayo, another Member called Amos, Member of Parliament for Buhweju, Member of Parliament for Isingiro, Hon. Okeyoh, Member for Rwampara, Hon. Chemonges, Hon. Isaac, Woman Member of Parliament for Isingiro Hon. Clare, Hon. Wilson, Hon. Penny, the vice-chairperson Hon. Anywar, Hon. Huda, Hon. Omara, Hon. Ibanda, Hon. Alanyo, Workers’ representative, Hon. Mwijukye, Hon. Driwaru, Hon. Emmanuel, Hon. Koluo, and another Hon. Emmanuel. Then we have Hon. Mohammad, Hon. Asaba, Hon. Rose, Hon. Emely, the Member representing Ntungamo, the Member representing Kalaki and the senior youth, Hon. Akumu. Would you want to speak to it?

17754 THE BUILDING CONTROL (AMENDMENT) BILL, 2025 COMMUNICATION FROM THE CHAIR but by God’s grace, we will be there. I thank all of you. Yes, Honourable Member for Buhweju?

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I am responding to your communication, and I sympathise with the people of eastern Uganda, where the rains have ravaged gardens and infrastructure. As much as I have notified the Government, I well remember, on 20 September 2023 or a few days afterwards, that I reported about infrastructure that was ravaged by rains in Buhweju, particularly the road between Katerera and Rubengye and Ekirindi Bridge. To date, Madam Speaker, the Government has never come to the assistance of those people, and that road has been blocked ever since. My concern is, much as you have mentioned and appealed to the Government to assess the situation, what follows after the assessment, when we make reports? The Government has sort of neglected us and we are equally suffering with the communities, with no business and connectivity. I request that the Government respond to whatever appeal we make in this House.

17717 THE ELEVENTH PARLIAMENT OF UGANDA THURSDAY, 7 AUGUST 2 0 2 5 member for Isingiro, Hon. Omara, Hon. Alanyo, the honourable member for Ibanda, Hon. Nekesa, Dr Noah, Hon. Asuman, Hon. Isodo, Dr Emely, the honourable member for Buhweju - I have already talked about Hon. Richard, Hon. Ojok, and Hon. Nyendwoha. Would you like to speak to your motion? Justify your motion briefly?

Honourable member from Buhweju?

Thank you, Madam Speaker. The Government authorised nursery bed operators and farmers to supply tea seedlings to farmers in Buhweju, and this process, at some stage, was coordinated by the Prime Minister. We had said they would be paid in one financial year, and this was 2022. They have been requesting payments since then. Some of them had taken loans, and they have been arrested by many moneylenders, and now they are asking. I think around June, the Minister of Finance, Planning, and Economic Development said they were going to be paid before the end of the last financial year. They are asking when this payment is coming.

17491 THE ELEVENTH PARLIAMENT OF UGANDA THURSDAY, 5 JUNE 2025 To achieve this goal, the Government is accelerating the construction of solar-powered irrigation schemes; medium-scale irrigation schemes, earth dams, communal and individual valley tanks, and large-scale irrigation schemes across the country. The construction works for 92 solar-powered irrigation schemes have been completed, adding an irrigation area of 900 acres. These are in the districts of Apac, Buhweju, Buikwe, Bukomansimbi, Buliisa, Bushenyi, Butambala, Buvuma, Gomba, Hoima, Isingiro, Kakumiro, etc. The new solar-powered irrigation schemes have benefitted 110,000 farmers and production yield from 120 schemes has increased to 3,600 tons per season. The major crop enterprises in these irrigation schemes include green pepper, onions, Irish potatoes, watermelons, tomatoes, apples, cabbages, pineapples, coffee, eggplants, vanilla, grapes, mangoes, and pumpkins. The construction works are also ongoing for 22 solar-powered irrigation demonstration sites in the districts of Kabarole, Kyenjojo, Kole, Gulu, Napak, Abim, etc. In Nakaseke District, the construction works for the Kirema Phase 1, a medium-scale irrigation scheme, have been completed; thus adding a total of 124 hectares and benefitting 50 farmers engaged in coffee growing, passion fruits, maize, and bananas. The construction works for the Wadelai Irrigation Scheme, 1,000 hectares in Pakwach District, stands at 93.5 per cent. The construction works for the Namaitsu medium- scale Irrigation Scheme in Bududa District stands at 70 per cent. Kawumu Irrigation Scheme, which is in Luwero District, is at 90 per cent, among others. A mega irrigation scheme, Nyimur, covering 3,300 hectares, has been constructed in Lamwo District. Do you know where Lamwo is? You people, you do not know where Lamwo is? Lamwo is far away, on the South Sudan border. Other construction works include the Acomai Irrigation Scheme in Bukedea District, covering 1,480 hectares, and targeting 1,600 households; Atari Irrigation Scheme in Kween/ Bulambuli districts, covering 680 hectares, targeting 2,667 households; and Namatala Irrigation Scheme in the Budaka, Mbale, and Butaleja districts, covering 3,450 hectares, targets 4,923 households. The current production of milk stands at 5.4 billion litres at the end of 2024, compared to 2.5 billion litres in the Financial Year 2017/2018. We have also identified and secured foreign markets through government-to-government interventions, e.g. Algeria and Nigeria. These countries are now buying our powdered milk. This has resulted into an increase in the value of milk and milk products, as already pointed out, from $28.7 million in the Financial Year 2014/2015 to $285 million in the 2024 year. A new processing factory, Benni Foods, has been commissioned and is currently operational with an installed capacity of 10,000 litres of milk per day. The total value of fish catches from all the water bodies has steadily increased since the Government deployed armed forces to assist in fisheries enforcement. Currently, we are producing 658,000 metric tonnes of fish annually. The availability of raw material fish sustained operations of 12 fish processing factories; you know that debate. The fisheries unit has been able to stop overfishing or reduce it, although they have also been accused – once in a while – of being sinners, but we can audit their work by looking at the 12 factories that are now processing fish. Many of these had closed. I will meet the fisheries people soon; I will meet the traditional fishing communities, but this is one of the facts. Are the factories operating or not? Had they closed or not? When we meet, we shall discuss this. According to this one here, 12 factories are now operating, processing 658,000 metric tonnes.

17494 ADDRESS ON THE STATE OF THE NATION In Tororo, where we have got large deposits of limestone, and Kabale, where we have got iron ore, the Government has facilitated the use of these minerals for making cement and steel, respectively. In Kabale, we have put in place the infrastructure for mining the iron ore from which domestic steel manufacturers have started making high- quality steel. There are now 10 gold refineries in the country producing gold, which is refined to 99.9 per cent purity. There are gold mining activities in Busia by a Chinese company called Wagagai, and the Government embarked on the registration of artisanal miners in Buhweju, Busia, Mubende, Kassanda and Karamoja. Registration will be expanded to cover all artisanal mining areas in the country. In Moyo, there are gold reserves and huge limestone deposits, apparently, which are raw material for cement production in Madi- Manzora. We currently have three cement manufacturing plants, namely Tororo, Hima, and Simba Cement, a high-quality tin smelting plant in Mbarara with an annual capacity of 1,600 tons. A number of cement factories are coming up in Karamoja. The Government is also facilitating the establishment of a modern mineral laboratory in Entebbe, which is in the final stages of accreditation to international standards. This financial year, the Government started the capitalisation of the Uganda National Mining Company. This company will take an equity stake of up to 15 per cent in all medium-scale and large-scale strategic mining operations in the country. This is to ensure that as we attract foreign direct investment capital, the country benefits directly, in addition to monitoring what is happening in the sector. The company will be capitalised to a tune of Shs 500 billion over five years. Oil and gas With regard to oil and gas production, the Government is investing in the requisite infrastructure for commercial production. Kabalega International Airport is near completion, and 700 kilometres of tarmac roads have been constructed in the Albertine area. The civil works for the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) are scheduled for completion next financial year, both in Uganda and Tanzania. The Ugandan National Oil Company commenced the petroleum bulk trading business in August 2024. The objective is to ensure the security of fuel supply, reduction in the petroleum pump prices, and ensure the quality of petroleum products on the market. Since the Government started implementing this initiative, Uganda has experienced some reduction in fuel pump prices. We rejected the old mistake of a whole country like Uganda buying petroleum products from middlemen in Kenya. Can you imagine? Your people were buying petroleum for the Republic of Uganda, a member of the United Nations, from middlemen. Can you imagine? You cannot believe what happens in Africa. I did not believe it. And you know, in these ministries, there are people called commissioners. Have you heard of them? Commissioner of ignorance or what? (Laughter) When I came to know of it, I said, “This would not happen. Why not buy from refiners? Don’t you know where the refineries are or the bulk suppliers?” You can’t believe it. Africa is really a continent of wonders; a whole country buying petroleum from middlemen! I did not know of this, and I was sitting there, “President, President.” (Laughter) In the minerals sector, the Government’s investment next financial year will prioritise the following:

17499 THE ELEVENTH PARLIAMENT OF UGANDA THURSDAY, 5 JUNE 2025 schools under the Uganda Inter-Governmental Fiscal Transfers (UgIFT) programme, bringing the cumulative total to 161 seed schools, out of the 259 planned. The majority of the remaining schools are progressing well and are on schedule for completion by June, 2025. The total number of Government-aided primary schools in the country is now 12,550. People normally talk of parishes which do not have Government-aided primary schools. But how many parishes are there in Uganda? It is because some of the parishes have got more than one primary school. Otherwise, 12,000 could have covered every parish because remember, the villages are 72,000 and they are normally about five or 10 villages in a parish. The primary schools, supported by the Government, are now quite many but some of the parishes may have more than one. The total number of Government-aided secondary schools is 1,416. The technical and vocational schools are 189 and Government degree-awarding universities are 12. That is the infrastructure of education in the country now. Clean water and sanitation The proper management of our water and environmental resources is a major contributing factor to public health, agricultural productivity and climate change adaptation. The National Population and Housing Census Report of 2024 showed that at least eight in 10 households now have access to improved water sources, that is, piped water, protected springs, etc. In 1986, only 10 per cent – that is one out of 10 households – had access to a clean and safe water source. Today, 81.1 per cent of the households in Uganda are in the radius of one kilometre from a safe water source. This is on account of the Government’s prioritisation of the construction of piped water systems in both rural and urban areas. Government has constructed a number of solar- powered piped water systems in the districts of Agago, Alebtong, Kayunga, Mityana, Pader, etc. There are ongoing construction works in other districts like Buhweju – for Bisya water supply system; Kasese – for Nyamugasani gravity flow scheme; Ala-Ora water supply system to serve the districts of Terego, Madi- Okollo and Nebbi, among others. Additionally, through the District Water and Sanitation Conditional Grant, the local governments have been able to boost access to improved water sources across the country. The local governments have constructed a total of 2,564 taps, serving 452,000 persons; drilled 709 deep boreholes, serving 212,000 persons and 128 protected springs, serving 43,000 persons. They have also constructed 109 rainwater harvesting tanks, serving 654 persons and 79 production wells. A total of 1,333 boreholes and 28 piped water systems have been rehabilitated across the country, thus restoring service to 417,000 persons. Regional integration The political balkanisation of Africa created small states, many of which have small populations. Uganda, with 46 million people, is one of the bigger states. The solution to this problem is regional integration. The whole of Africa has got a very high population of 1.4 billion people but this population is broken up into small units. Small populations mean small markets. The problem is compounded by a low purchasing power because of low incomes. So you have got small populations with low incomes. How will they support business? There are also problems in the regional market such as lack of roads and lack of communication to enable us to fully exploit the regional market. That is why, for instance, Uganda has undertaken the construction of the Mpondwe to Beni highway to ease connectivity between Congo and Uganda. If we mobilise the whole of Africa to remove all trade barriers, we shall no longer worry about being shut out of markets in Europe or the USA. In the Budget speech, I will speak more about this issue of integration. I think for now, let me finish so that people can survive and go home.

Madam Speaker, the information I am giving the House is that when the human rights committee of Parliament visited Luzira, there were prisoners who shouted, saying: “We have been here for 28 years.” When we interrogated, we found out that some of them, including a one Byaruhanga, had been in prison for 28 years and had never visited court. They said they were there on the minister’s orders. We were told there are very many like those. They had been there for 28 years, 26 years – the Attorney-General knows when they say “minister’s orders”. There are people who are in prison on the minister’s orders. I do not know who that minister is. (Interjection) Yes, and they have never gone to court – leave alone those who go to court and return to prison. These ones have never left Luzira, for 28 years. We are asking; can’t he come in, as the Attorney-General, and advise on whether they cannot try them? This is in order for us to deal with congestion. Actually, three are from Buhweju, including one Byaruhanga and three from Mbarara. Our concern, Madam Speaker, is that if they cannot be prosecuted, then they should be released so that we can decongest these prisons.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. The annual crime report of the Uganda Police Force 2024 shows that since 2020, the total number of people who have died in road accidents is 22,306. Five thousand one hundred fifty four (5,154) people have died in 2024 only. This reflects a fatal increase of 7 per cent from 4,000 in 2023 to 5,000 in 2024. This is very alarming. In 2023, the Speaker convened a meeting of Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA), the Ministry of Works and Transport, the Police, the Leader of the Opposition, the Ministry of Health, the Chairperson of the Committee on Physical Infrastructure, and the Shadow Minister for Works and Transport. Resolutions were made and adopted by this House. The Minister of Works and Transport pledged to implement those resolutions. However, those resolutions have never been implemented in respect to the accidents. Even before I go to the second one, the minister should update us on those resolutions; how they were implemented, if they were implemented. Secondly, the minister is lamenting. He convinced us here, together with the Minister of Public Service, that whatever they were doing in rationalisation was in this country’s best interests and that they were promoting effectiveness in the ministry. At least UNRA was managing the debt. Now you are failing to even manage the debt. Where we come from, through Sheema District, Mbarara District, to Buhweju, the road is impossible. It is a national road. Now, you say that you have no money, and so you will not be moving from Mbarara to Bushenyi. You are lamenting. Finally, the arrears: the high cost of financing the foreign companies. Why don’t we support the local companies? All these companies you are talking about have arrears amounting to almost Shs 1.581 trillion; most of this is to foreign companies. I [Mr Ecweru] MINISTERIAL STATEMENT

Thank you, Mr Speaker. Mine is about the Mbarara-Kabwohe– Bushenyi-Ishaka Road. This road was in the National Development Plan I, II, III, and it has now been carried forward to NDPIV. When the report was being read, I was very sure, 100 per cent, that I would see this road in this budget. To my dismay, it is nowhere to be seen. In 2021, His Excellency, the President, directed Uganda National Road Authority (UNRA) then to rehabilitate the road, but the road is in a sorry state. It is too potholed despite its economic benefits. This morning, I took the initiative to call the regional traffic officer to give me the statistics of how many people have perished on that road. In Bushenyi alone, 23 people have died since January to date. Shema - 32, Rubirizi - 14, Mitooma - 7 and Buhweju - 8. In total, between January to date, 84 have perished on that road. Those are the ones that are known, but some are not known. Mr Speaker, it is very unfortunate and regrettable. Honourable minister, kindly, look for money from somewhere, because this road cannot wait - and work on this road. This is a road that connects very many tourist destinations. It is a road that connects to the Residence District Commissioner, Mpondwe Border - (Member timed out. )

Honourable colleagues, I would like us to be very cautious about that issue. I have given you my example. Sometimes, you judge the west – “the west is having much”. Come to my constituency. Come to Buhweju. In my constituency, I have told you I do not have a single Central Government road. I think, honourable colleagues, have been putting issues here. Let us look at this from a national outlook, but when we start saying, “this area, that area”, some of us will also say, call a caucus of the eastern region and see where Mitooma is. That is not helpful. However, what Hon. Jonathan Ebwalu says is that let us ensure we have equity. For example, I visited the Zombo area – the Gori Road. It is really unfortunate. When we say we are working on a road in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), that road would open us to DRC - that area of the West Nile. You would have opened a huge economic activity if you opened that area.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. I am concerned about the issue of Shs 1 billion, where in some districts the engineers insist that part of it should be used for repairing the equipment. You find that about Shs 300 million is spent on repairs. So, at the end of the day, you do not use the Shs 1 billion, but you use Shs 700 million. I would like some clarification on that. Secondly, some Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) staff sat for interviews to be incorporated into the ministry. They have not been appointed, and consequently, because the UNRA staff are not working, there is no business going on. Last year, I raised the issue of the Buhweju Road, the only one we have, which used to be the UNRA road, the Central Government road. It is impassable. When you talk to UNRA, they tell you they are still waiting for the appointment. So, what happens? Finally, the issue that was raised by Hon. Nyakikongoro of the Bwizibwera-Buhweju- Kabwohe Road has become like a song. Honourable minister, you said everything was done, you have a contractor, you have agreed on the money, you have the agreement; where is the problem?

Thank you, Mr Speaker. I would like to thank the chairperson for a substantive report. The chair raised an issue on exploration, where they need Shs 10 billion to do a feasibility study on the occurrence of uranium. I think this is a very good opportunity for our country. We have relied on hydropower for a long time and time has come for us to look at a diverse energy source. Therefore, I support that we give them the Shs 10 billion to do the feasibility study and we move to implement the uranium project in Soroti University. Also, I understand that it goes beyond Busoga. It is in Buhweju, Arua according to the mineral occurrence report in Uganda. Therefore, we need to extend because it is a very good opportunity for us to empower and also have a diverse energy source. On the issue of the CUP 100-umbrella, whenever you provide water to the community or to Ugandans, you will be broadening the resource base for this country. There might be issues with this 100-umbrella problem because usually, when you put a system in place, you must review it constantly. We have a bigger population coming up, and when you supply, you need to improve the system constantly but also resource the Ministry of Water. They do not receive enough money and MPs usually come here complaining about town councils with no running tap water. If it is there, it is not functioning. We need to give them this Shs 35.85 billion, then they can come back and account. We need to see water everywhere in Uganda. If we do not do this, then we cannot question them. I support looking for the funds and resource them. The Chairperson said that we should give them money to do afforestation. I think that money should be invested in supplying water to the people because people have built in wetlands, and by the time you remove them, roughly Shs 20-something billion can be used to provide water to the communities. Thank you and thank the chairperson for the report.

Thank you very much for the report. It is informative. It will be deposited in the parliamentary library for ease of access. Honourable members, in the public gallery this afternoon, we have student leaders of the Buhweju Students Association in Buhweju West County. They are represented by Hon. Ephraim Biraaro. Where is he - (Mr Biraaro rose) – There he is; and Hon. Olive Koyekyenga. We also have Hon. Francis here from Buhweju. You are most welcome. Please join me in welcoming them - (Applause) – Hon. Biraaro, you can greet your people – people are not seeing your face. (Laughter)

I take the opportunity to thank you, Madam Speaker and honourable colleagues for welcoming people from Buhweju. They are not only from Buhweju West but the majority. Madam Speaker, one important thing these youths would like to hear as pronouncements from this Parliament is about affirmative action

16736 THE MORTGAGE REFINANCE INSTITUTIONS BILL, 2024 in service delivery for Buhweju. That will summarise all things. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I also want to take this singular opportunity to welcome the young people from Buhweju. This is Parliament where we sit. Welcome all the time to see what we do here.

Finally, Madam Speaker, even with the A and B grading, there is another young woman, again, from Buhweju who came for an operation. She had a tumour, and because it was Grade B - free services – she was asked to come back next year, in March. Of course, when I intervened, she was operated upon after one week. However, you can imagine that with free services, you have to wait longer. They will tell you “we have bookings up to the end of the year” – because it is free. So, even where we have free services, it is a problem. So, honourable minister – and, again, it is for women; some of these complications are women-related. As you look at the A and B grades, also, look at people who are told: “It is free, but wait for six months. It is free, but wait for one year.” At the end of the day, you would not have helped her but forced her to go to a private hospital or Grade A and pay. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. I rise on a matter of national importance that requires urgent attention. Mr Speaker, every year at the onset of the rains, Buhweju District usually suffers hailstorms, violent winds and landslides. On 16 February and 3 March 2025, hailstorms ravaged the subcounties of Kyahenda, Bihanga, Nyakishana, Nyakaziba Town Council, Engaju, and Rubengye, particularly devastating the parishes of Runengo, Akarembe, Kiyanja, Katongo, and Kayonza, among others. A lot of crops were destroyed, banana plantations collapsed, and the roofs of schools and churches were blown off. Mr Speaker, herewith is attached the detailed Chief Administrative Officer’s (CAO’s) technical report of the extent of the destruction. My prayers are that we ask the Government to quickly address the situation and provide relief items to the affected families and communities, including food, seeds for planting and building materials. Two, that Government provides building materials to the affected schools and churches to get back to their normal operations. Three, we ask the Office of the Prime Minister to put Buhweju on its disaster radar because such occurrences have become routine over the years. Mr Speaker, I beg to submit.

Thank you so much, Mr Speaker. I thank the colleague who has raised the issue. Mr Speaker, I report that as we talk, Hon. Lillian Aber is in Bundibugyo District to assess the same issues and tomorrow, she will be in Buhweju.

16603 THE ELEVENTH PARLIAMENT OF UGANDA TUESDAY, 4 MARCH 2025 Uganda Government is stored- there was a sample, which was carried, they brought three different types with papers marked and they asked me, “According to you, which tea do you think is not good?” I pointed at one and when they turned the paper around, it was tea from Uganda. I got embarrassed and it was from Kayonza, Buhweju, Igara. So, I said, “no, maybe you did this because –,” they said, “No, we can sample…”. They picked those 25kgs bags, opened them, and it was same thing. We are simply not serious. Lack of regulations - field extension services are lacking. Farmers are struggling on their own, and the best the Kenyan advised is that for Uganda to compete, they have to uproot all those tea trees and plant them afresh but you have to use much more fertilisers, which we do not have. I think the issue of tea, we have to discuss it and the Government has to take a firm decision to support farmers. Otherwise, ours is just for mixing. It is like garbage.

16535 THE ELEVENTH PARLIAMENT OF UGANDA THURSDAY, 27 FEBRUARY 2025 increased tremendously, and this necessitated us to raise the landing sites to match the new water levels, in order to ensure safe ferry operations. Between mid-December 2024 and January 2025, the water levels at the same ferry crossing dropped significantly, making the ferry operations risky and challenging. Despite the operational difficulties, the ferry team was able to continue with ferry operations up to the 10 th of February this year, when the ferry itself experienced a fatal challenge on one of its three operational engines. The new engine challenge led to the temporary closure of the ferry crossing in order to safeguard passengers and the ferry crew. Madam Speaker, the repair of the faulty engine is ongoing and will be fully restored. In addition, temporary civil works should also be completed by – that was 26 February 2025 – I think they must have completed by now. It is expected that the ferry operations at Obongi-Sinyanya ferry will resume today. I hope, today, they resumed. We shall find out whether they have resumed. The sixth question came from Hon. Juliet Achayo, MP Ngora County. She started by thanking the Government for constructing a bridge at Aleles, that connects Ngora to the neighbouring Pallisa District. The construction of the bridge is complete and the road is, by and large, usable. However, since the completion of the bridge, part of the road that connects to the bridge has not been properly worked on to provide seamless transition from the road to the bridge structure. There is a sudden change in elevation at the bridge, that is a potential cause of accidents. Furthermore, after heavy rains, water tends to flood in the area surrounding the bridge, making it look like an island and rendering the road impassable. Her prayer is that the Ministry of Works and Transport quickly responds to this concern, and ensures that a proper approach is constructed to allow a smooth access to the bridge, and also introduce culvert crossings that are necessary to eliminate the flooding at Aleles. My response was that the Ministry of Works and Transport signed a contract with M/s Coil Ltd and Motorways Construction JV, on 21 April 2019 for the construction of Aleles Bridge in Pallisa District. At the time these concerns were raised, the contractor had completed the bridge, although the approach road work was still ongoing. The contractor provided a temporary diversion to allow limited access to the community. I am pleased to report that the project, including the bridge and the approach road, has since been substantially completed and is now being used by the community for its intended purpose. The seventh question came from Hon. Ephraim Biraaro, MP, Buhweju West County. As we may be aware, His Excellency the President, through the NRM Manifestos of 2016-2021 and 2021-2026, and his several public pronouncements, has been pledging Bwizibwera-Nsiika-Nyakashaka-Nyakabirizi Road, with two spurs; Kabwohe and Bihanga- Katerera. Madam Speaker, the process has not only been delayed, but tampered with. According to the current plans geared by the Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA), the road now apparently stops at Nsiika, but priority is given to the Kabwohe Spur. While we would not envy any question of the road being worked on, our concerns are raised by the total neglect and side-lining of an important section of 45.8 km of Nsiika-Nyakasharara-Nyakabirizi Road, which was meant to serve several tea factories, traversing these three districts of Buhweju, Sheema and Bushenyi.

Thank you. Is it seconded? (Members rose_) It is seconded by the Chairperson, Committee on Finance, the Attorney-General, the Chairperson of the Committee on Public Service, the minister in charge of veterans, the minister in charge of Karamoja Affairs, Hon. Ogwang, Hon. Kabanda, Hon. Nekesa, the honourable member from Bunyole, the honourable member from Rwampara, the honourable member from Serere, the honourable member from Koboko, Hon. Emmanuel Ongiertho, Hon. Akifeza, Hon. Avur, Hon. Faith Kunihira, Member representing the elderly, Hon. Afidra, Hon. John Faith Magolo, Hon. Patience Nkunda, my uncle – you know, we do not mention the name of an uncle - Hon. Basil Bataringaya, Hon. Donald Katalihwa, Dr Aabuka, Hon. Ochwa, Hon. Phyllis Chemutai, Hon. Atima, Hon. Maximus Ochai, Hon. Esenu, Hon. Mugisha, Member for Sheema, Member from Kyankwanzi – Kyankwanzi and Nakasongola are close to each other – Member from Buhweju, Dr Otaala, Hon. Sarah Najjuma, Hon. Faith Nakut and Member from Jinja. Would you like to speak to your motion?

Thank you. Hon. Francis Mwijukye and Hon. Francis Kazini Twinomujuni (Buhaguzi County, Kikuube) and Hon. Christine Kaaya, not the Kikuube MP. He can speak after those who have been mentioned. MR FRANCIS MWIJUKYE (FDC, Buhweju County, Buhweju) Madam Speaker, over the weekend, we were attacked by heavy rains. It was an attack - (Laughter) - to use the language of Buhunga Subcounty. Almost four villages lost gardens, animals, schools, and plantations. We have written to the Prime Minister through our Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), and they asked me to come to this House to officially, in addition to writing, inform the Prime Minister to come to our rescue. Madam Prime Minister, can you direct?

Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. I have closely and patiently listened to the chairperson and Hon. Ssemujju, and you realise the paradox that the priorities are not funded, and that is why they are called “unfunded priorities” and the less-priority activities are funded. For me that is a paradox. However, I would want clarification on money to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) because it was not well explained; so, I would like the Attorney-General or Hon. Ssemujju to explain exactly why we are paying money to DRC, because it did not come out clearly. Secondly, Hon. Ssemujju talked about arrears. Mr Speaker, you recall the issue of tea seedlings; we have arrears for tea seedlings and the honourable minister came here and asked suppliers to supply and be paid later and had given them one year but it is now four years – the tea-seedling suppliers are suffering specifically in Greater Bushenyi. Mr Speaker, I am sure you know this very well because when the minister came here, you were in the Chair. I am also concerned about the Bwizibwera- Buhweju-Kabwohe road. I can see the MPs from Mbarara, Sheema and Buhweju but this has been a priority road in all the national development plans. That road was pledged in 1989 and it is now 2025. The Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development knows about this road; it has been a priority in the National Development Plan (NDP) III. I really want to understand – from NDP I to IV – I want to understand what the problem is, as we continue to plan for this country. Mr Speaker, the issue of a draft budget; I do not want to go back to what has been dealt with but when we were dealing with the budget that was returned, the Minister for ICT said that Parliament cannot change anything in our

15922 THE NATIONAL BUDGET FRAMEWORK PAPER FOR THE FY 2025/2026 - 2029/2030 Mr Speaker. I will start with the GDP, which has been said to have increased from Shs 144 trillion to Shs 154 trillion, but the tax revenue is not growing in response to that. I believe these tax holidays should be checked. Secondly, I go to education. My district submitted a request for four Seed Schools in 2021. However, The New Vision published the list and my district was left out. So, I wonder what happened in the budgeting process. On Capitation Grant, Shs 6,000 per child per term translates to Shs 75 per day on an average of 80 days in a term. Surely Shs 75 is too little to support a child. On health, the Government of USA has recently suspended aid to many countries including Uganda, and I think we should refocus our budget to make sure that people who are on ARVs are taken care of, and also to ensure Health Centre IIs are upgraded to Health Centre IIIs, and Health Centre IVs are completed. We created town councils way back in 2016/2017 but these town councils are not being funded completely. In my town councils, people do not have any services – no roads, no nothing. Last time, emoluments LC-I to LC-V had appeared in the budget, and the President had indicated that it was – but it evaporated from the budget last time. I beg that this time it is considered so that the emoluments of LC-I leaders are increased. Electricity - we have naked poles across the country, especially in Kashari North since 2021. How shall we promote value addition without electricity? Second to last, let me say something about the Bwizibwera-Buhweju-Kabwoohe-Mitooma Road. In NDP IV, now it has been listed as pre- feasibility yet it has been featuring in NDP I up to NDP III. What happened? Lastly, domestic arrears. I saw a figure from Hon. Ssemujju of Shs 14 trillion. If we allocate Shs 200 billion per year, it will take us 70 years to pay off these domestic arrears if we stop accumulating any new ones. I beg to submit, Mr Speaker.

Is the motion seconded? (Members rose_) It is seconded by the Leader of the Opposition, the Government Chief Whip, the Chief Opposition Whip, Hon. Christine – by the whole House - by Hon. Kateshumbwa, Hon. Sarah, Hon. Donald, Hon. Ibanda, Hon. Macho, the Imam of Parliament, Hon. Abdu, Hon. Karim, Hon. Hassan – I am looking for the Muslims –(Laughter)- by Hon. Luttamaguzi, Hon. Asuman, Hon. Mpuuga, Hon. Yeri, Hon. Akifeza, Hon. Esenu, Hon. Isaac, Hon. Margaret, Hon. Claire, Hon. Joslyline, Hon. Obangaina –(Laughter)- Hon. Baka, the honourable member from Buhweju, Hon. Betty, Hon. Judith, Hon. Iddi Isabirye, Hon. Solomon, Hon. Dr Bhoka, Hon. Noeline, Hon. Kibalya, Hon. Moses, Hon. Kinobere, Hon. Eddie Kwizera, Hon. Sam, Hon. Margaret – Workers Representative – Hon. Atkins, Hon. Apea, Hon. Zaake, Hon. Hillary, Hon. Ethel, Hon. Goretti, Hon. Asinasi, Hon. Nsanja, Hon. Fortunate, honourable member from Mityana, Member from Kassanda, Hon. Allan, Hon. Denis and Hon. Aloysius. Have I not mentioned all your names? (Applause) Would you like to speak to your motion?

15547 THE ELEVENTH PARLIAMENT OF UGANDA THURSDAY, 9 JANUARY 2025 On the 19 th of June, Uganda National Roads Authority wrote to finance informing you that Bwizibwera-Buhweju-Kabwohe Road- let me read the letter if you allow me.

Thank you so much, Madam Speaker. My issue is with respect to the Bwizibwera-Nsiika-Nyakambu- Kabwohe Road and then Nyakabirizi-Nsiika Road. On 19 June 2024, the Uganda National Roads Authority wrote to the finance ministry about this road – and this was the letter addressed to the minister for finance. “The Uganda National Roads Authority has concluded the procurement of a contractor for the above-named project. China Railway 18 th Bureau Group Limited has been evaluated as the best bidder for the civil works for the upgrading of Kabwohe – that road – from gravel to paved standard at a contract price of Shs 249,774,854,000. The Solicitor-General has advised that we confirm financing with your ministry and obtain approval from Parliament before clearing the signing of the above contract. Being a priority project in the National Development Plan III, UNRA needs guidance on the way forward. The purpose of this letter, therefore, is to forward this issue to you for guidance.” Madam Speaker, this is a road that has a contractor. The price is already agreed on; it is pre-financing. The letter was written on the 19 th of June. It covers the districts of Mbarara, Buhweju, Sheema and Bushenyi. The finance ministry has refused or failed to respond to this letter, yet all that is needed is just a commitment because it is pre-financing. My concern, Madam Speaker, is to the ministry. Why has the ministry – (Interjections) - yes, I am sure the Speaker is listening; she is always listening.

Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. While the Prime Minister was doing great work in eastern Uganda, the rains swept off the bridge that connects Sheema and Buhweju. As I talk, we cannot cross at Kyankanda. I know you are doing something about that road, as you promised, because it is the only main road to Buhweju and it is a murram road. You had pledged that you were going to do something about it. Is there anything you can do in the meantime so that this shadow Minister of Works and Transport and the people of Buhweju are able to go home for Christmas? Thank you very much.

Thank you, Mr Speaker, for the opportunity. Mine is a kind reminder to the Rt Hon. Prime Minister about Bwizibwera-Nsiika Road. Nsiika is in Buhweju. This road has been a matter here, raised by my colleagues, Hon. Koyekyanga and Hon. Francis Mwijukye.

Thank you. There is nobody you are putting on order. Member from Buhweju-

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I am responding to your communication about the floods that happened in Bulambuli. You said that they sent you pictures on the phone and you have read them. It is very amazing and positively surprising that the whole Rt Hon. Speaker is receiving pictures from us. That is a very big plus for you. You mentioned the floods; I was in Buhweju last weekendOn Saturday, I managed to traverse three sub-counties, and 28 landslides occurred there. My biggest pain is when we report to the relevant ministries like the Ministry of Works and Transport that do not respond. - Our roads in Buhweju were washed away on 20 September 2022. To date, there has been no response from the Ministry of Works and Transport. If I had had time to know that we would talk about that one, I would have come with a pile of letters I have written to the minister of State, the minister himself, the permanent secretary, and the engineer-in-chief, but to no avail. Three roads have been cut off since 20 September 2022. Madam Speaker, where do we go?

Thank you, Madam Speaker. My question to the Prime Minister is concerning the Buhweju tarmac road. Buhweju is the only district in Ankole that has no tarmac connection. So, the connection of Buhweju and the surrounding districts of Mbarara, Ibanda and Sheema is a problem. This road is not only a presidential pledge or a manifesto, but it is a priority in the National Development Plan III. The Prime Minister has talked about this road, and the President has called it a priority road many times, but the road construction is not taking off. Rt Hon. Prime Minister, who is delaying the start of construction on this road? Who is sabotaging the Government? Who is sabotaging the development plan?

Thank you, Mr Speaker. I rise on a matter of national importance with regard to the tea industry. Mr Speaker, since the year 2022 to date, the tea industry has been facing turbulence, ranging from hiked prices of inputs, falling prices, black tea prices, and lack of regulation in the sector. Mr Speaker, in some areas of Uganda, like Buhweju, Bushenyi, Kyenjojo, Kabarole, and Mitooma, farmers are currently uprooting their tea gardens in despair. The Government has, on several occasions, promised a tea policy and subsidy on farm inputs. My prayers are: i. Can the Government update the tea farmers about the progress of subsidy on inputs, especially fertilisers, which are required this season? ii. Can the Government inform this House about the progress on tea policy, which is lacking in our sector? Thank you, Mr Speaker. I present.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. You know the Government has been giving out seedlings to farmers. Buhweju is one district that has received seedlings from the Government, and so we have a lot of tea. [Ms Businge] COMMUNICATION FROM THE CHAIR

Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. I share the concerns that the honourable Members of Parliament from Buhweju are raising. Kanungu is also a tea- growing area. This matter was discussed extensively by Cabinet and a number of measures were arrived at, some of which you are reporting on, such as subsidies on fertilisers, which fertilisers will be given through the tea companies. There is also the issue of supporting tea companies and waiving off some taxes for tea companies. Give the Government time to come and give a report on how far the Government has gone in terms of addressing these issues. However, the tea issue is a global phenomenon, which is affecting many other countries. The reduction in the prices is due to factors which are largely extrinsic – from the outside – but the Government takes note. Give us time. The Government will come back and give an update on how far we have gone in addressing these concerns.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I am Biraaro Ephraim Ganshanga, Member of Parliament, Buhweju West County, Buhweju District, Ankole Region. Buhweju is the only district I know with no inch of a tarmac road and suffering under the tea sector neglected by the Government. Thank you.

13972 PRIME MINISTER’S TIME Mr Speaker, we request the leaders to harmonise on the land so that the Government can support this initiative. The Government will grant and build, after the issues of land are addressed. The construction of the school will commence when the money is provided for in the budget. Mr Speaker, the Government is engaging the local leadership on the matter, for availability of land for the construction. Grant-aiding is a cheaper alternative, as you all know, compared to the construction of a fully-fledged secondary school, which requires approximately Shs 3.3 billion. The second question, Mr Speaker, came from Hon. Patience Kinshaba Nkunda, Kanungu District. She said that there is guidance from the Ministry of Education and Sports, about Government schools not to have boarding students and pupils. Many schools do not know about that policy because they have not received formal communication. Additionally, ministers and other top government officials have attended fundraising functions to build dormitories. Her prayers are: 1. Are there special schools and districts with exemptions to have boarding facilities? 2. Are these government officials attending such fundraisings aware of the policy? My response, Mr Speaker, is that the spirit of universal education is to increase access to education, especially for the disadvantaged children. Hence, these schools are expected to operate as day schools. In the event that a school would like to operate a boarding section, it must follow the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Education and Sports. It is entirely under the management of the school and its governance to ensure that the school meets the requirements for the operation of the boarding section. Therefore, the boarding of learners should be optional, not a must. Additionally, schools are allowed to operate a boarding section after they have been given permission by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education and Sports. Mr Speaker, they are expected to write to the permanent secretary using the provided application forms, which are forwarded by the respective local governments. The permanent secretary then requests the Directorate of Education Standards to carry out a compliance inspection, and depending on the findings, the Directorate of Education Standards submits the application forms to the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education and Sports. If the school meets the requirements, then, the permanent secretary issues a certificate of authority to operate a boarding facility. It is only after the acquisition of this permission that the school is allowed to operate a boarding section. Mr Speaker, all this is meant to secure the safety, security and health of our learners. Therefore, schools which operate such unauthorised boarding sections, and conduct fundraisings, do it against the ministry’s position, and they are aware of it. Question number three came from Hon. Acrobert Kiiza, Bughendera Constituency. He said that “on several occasions, you have met Members of Parliament from the disaster- prone districts, especially the districts at high risk such as Bududa, Bundibugyo, Kasese, Ntoroko, Namusindwa, Buhweju, Bulambuli, etc and it has always been resolved that the Office of the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Works and Transport would urgently fix the washed away bridges and work on the damaged road infrastructure beyond the capacity of the districts. To date, according to the Member, he has not seen critical intervention, especially in the Bundibugyo District to have the washed away bridges and damaged roads worked on.

Honourable colleagues we are debating and I want you to bring out all these questions because, in the end, this is a matter which must go to the Natural Resources Committee. When they bring these risks here, it is very difficult to scrutinise deeply. I know the minister can engage with the committee very well. They scrutinize, in detail, and then Members can appear before the committee, for those who have issues. Then we have this matter well concluded. I have picked mostly men; I want to pick ladies first. Therefore, I request all men to sit. I will start with ladies who have been here, not those who just entered. The ones who just entered know themselves. Honourable members for Kiboga, Kalangala, Dokolo, Gulu, you are very many. Honourable member for Mukono, because you have complained, honourable member for Mbale. This is time for ladies, you are men. Honourable members for Masindi, Buhweju, Sheema, Kumi, Napak, Bugiri, Fort Portal, Jinja, Abim, and Adjumani.

Member for Napak, Shema, Buhweju and Kumi then I pick Bugiri, Terego, Jinja and Fort Portal. For areas where you do not see your Woman Member of Parliament, you can declare yourself a woman and then I will see what to do. (Laughter)

Let us have the Members for Sheema, Buhweju and Kumi. Now, Honourable colleagues, you do not know the reason - you know I follow up on our WhatsApp groups. I saw the ladies complaining that as men, we are recycling suits. (Laughter) They gave me a list. So, today, I have decided to punish men. They said that we buy at least six pairs of suits so that we stop recycling. I have a list. So, if you know you have been recycling – (Laughter)- I will forgive you when I do not see you recycling. That was on a light note. (Laughter) Now let us hear from Hon. Nyakikongoro.

Buhweju and, then, Kumi.

I want to take us back to those people who were in the 10 th Parliament. We came here and made a resolution on two things, about electricity. We agreed on electricity connection to the subcounties. We also resolved on free connectivity. Honourable minister, I do not know whether we followed what we discussed. I even remember that in Financial Year 2019/2020, His Excellency the President went and commissioned connectivity to the subcounties. However, I want to assure you that, that project stalled. That was the project that was under TBEA. I want to give you an example of my district, Buhweju: it stalled there and then.

25 Hon. Byarugaba Alex Bakunda Isingiro South Vffi 26 Hon. Kibaaju Naome Sheema North 27 Hon. Ogwal Moses Goli 2B Hon. Achayo Juliet Lodou 29 Hon. Wokorach Simon Peter ,Atgr,,t r* 30 Hon. Lubega Bashir Ssempa 31 Hon. Taaka Agnes B*giri D^sf.'^a'-+ .@ast 32 Hon. Awas Sylvia Viclry Nakapiripiriti 33 Hon. Kibalya Henry Maurice Bugabula 34 Hon.Katwesirye Koyelryenga Oliver Buhweju ,dd{ I 35 Hon. Kajwengre T\ninomugisha Wilson Nyabuslnozi w*) 36 Hon. Chemaswet Abdi Fadhil Kisos .J"i ffi 1 I s7 Hon. Kabataazi Francis Katongole 38 Hon. Kirumira Hassan Katikamu South 39 Hon. Nyeko Derrick 40 Hon. Tebandeke Charles 4I Hon. Dr. Thaddeus Kamara Nicholas Kabale Municipality 42 Hon. Oguzu Lee Denis 43 Hon. Isodo Stella Apolot It ,r7 44 Hon. Okot Peter Tochi County ffi 45 Hon. Lukwago Mpalanyi John Paul L,ry*'+a -e-**t*. -/ .-- 46 Hon. Akena James Jimmy Lira City > 47 Hon. Atugonza ALlan 4B Hon. Macho Geofrey Busia Municipality 49 Hon. Nsereko Muhammad Kampala Central

Rt Hon. Prime Minister, this puzzles me. Most of the colleagues who visited my constituency have called me – there is one from Karamoja who told me and said, “I saw some of your parts are worse than mine.” If you visit an area like Buhweju - for us who are disadvantaged and are doing badly, and do not belong under any of those programmes, how shall we – are we under Luwero? No, just go to Kiyanga where some people go and ask – I heard some Members of Parliament who went there last time, like Hon. Reagan Okumu, and asked, “Is this part of Congo or an extension of Congo?” So, where do we fall? When you read about regions – Bukedi is out - parts of Buganda - I do not know how Mitooma will fall under Luwero. Guide us and then -

13615 THE E L E V E N TH P A R L I A MENT OF UGANDA THURSDAY , 25 J ULY 2024 we chaired their committee. Hon. Idi Isabirye, Hon. Migadde, the late Hon. Cecilia, and the rest; we had all these big guns. Mr Speaker, we kept together and survived the most controversial part of Parliament to have a minority report for all the years we served because of his skills of mobilisation. We worked together and did a lot of things. In the committee, Hon. Simon Aleper brought the Karamoja agenda and emphasised it and it was emancipated in the committee. At the same time, the Buhweju agenda was also brought up. These are the most remote areas. Mr Speaker, even in the whole of Ankole, Buhweju is still referred to as the Karamoja of Ankole so we had that driven ahead. Mr Speaker, we must – (Member timed out.)

Mr Speaker, my prayers are; 1. I ask the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries to go on the ground, investigate and eliminate these insects; 2. I ask the Government to go to Buhweju and establish the origin of these insects to provide a lasting solution; and 3. Lastly, since people have lost all their crops, I ask the Government to provide urgent relief to the affected areas. I beg to lay this report on the Table. Thank you.

Mr Speaker, the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries will go to Buhweju and we shall handle those grasshoppers the same way we handled the locusts.

Yes, Madam Speaker, this was reported and the local government of Buhweju – from the Resident District Commissioner, District Police Commander and the rest of the security personnel in the district – is aware of what happened. We did not stop there, but we even went to the police headquarters in Bushenyi and reported the case. I am very sure – as they said, they are doing their investigations, but the attackers are known.

Member from Buhweju –

Thank you, Madam Speaker. On behalf of the people of Buhweju, who are the champions of the Ankole Football Tournament, I support the motion. The honourable minister knows that I am a very good supporter of football and rugby and so when I speak, I know that rugby needs to be supported by all of us. Two, I also need to put the record straight. When my colleague said that the disciplinary committee slept on the job - Madam Speaker, you know that I have perfected all the assignments you have given me. I was a Commissioner here, I served very well. The people of Buhweju are very happy.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I want to conclude on the issue of the mothers. I purchased ultrasound scans through the help of Hon. Dan Kimosho from China and distributed them to my health centres III but they are not operational because of staff. On the issue of staffing, let us also look at the health centres III because women move from Buhweju up to Mbarara, to check the status of their pregnancies. They have to spend about Shs 30,000 to get a service that is just Shs 5,000 and it becomes expensive for them, in areas where the health Centres IV do not have ultrasound scans. I request the chairperson to include the issue of staffing for those cases in health centres III.

Everybody knows that Buhweju is a very bad area and honourable minister, you have to make sure it is worked on because that issue has come up again and again. Hon. Fred, are you hearing? What have I said? (Laughter) The issue of Buhweju, you must take it as a priority. Was it the Prime Minister who went there and got stuck? So, you must make sure that it is considered. I know we do not have money, but there are some things we can do - like Hon. Kasolo said, there is no road on Jinja Road! No road at all! You cannot even tell where there is a pothole, that is the road, which takes you up – it is an economic road. Leave alone economic, it is also international. Yes, Hon. Twinobusingye.

Madam Speaker, I can provide the details on the districts that have offices, and they are the following: Lamwo, Abim, Amuru, Kiryandongo, Kamuli, Buhweju, Bundibugyo, Lwengo, Rubirizi, Butaleja, Adjumani, Butambala, Otuke, Luuka and Nakapiripirit. Those are the 15 that have offices. The rest do not have. Madam Speaker, the second issue is Cabinet support and policy development. We have a gap of Shs 1.976 billion. Our total request is Shs 4.579 billion. What was provided for is Shs 2.603 billion and we request for the balance to be provided. Regarding the facilitation for RDCs, our budget is Shs 21 billion, but what was provided is Shs 14.8 billion, leaving a gap of Shs 6.2 billion. That is what we are recommending. On facilitation of the project management team for the Intelligence Transport Monitoring System Aware that in July 2021, the Government signed an agreement with Joint Stock Global Security. Subsequently, a committee to oversee this project was established by the Office of the President and we request for the facilitation of this committee; we request for Shs 3.5 billion. Support to the Afro-Arab Youth Council for headquarters construction Madam Speaker, we are about to lose a prime opportunity to construct an office block, a stadium, and a cultural heritage centre, among others, because the Government of Uganda signed an agreement, in August 2023, to host the headquarters and the condition given to our government is to provide land. The duration of the project is only five years. We have only purchased 23 acres and we are left with 27 acres. The money we are demanding so that we comply is Shs 5.4 billion minus that we shall lose this prime opportunity. Monitoring the mainstreaming of the manifesto commitments Aware that the governance of this country is dependent on the manifesto –

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives had an approved budget of UGX 118.264 billion. The Ministry received supplementar5r budget of UGX 51.73 billion hence the approved revised budget was UGX 169.99 billion. Out of the total revised budget, UGX 97.066 billion was released and UGX 93.09 billion was spent. Budget release, Expenditure and Absorption performe d, at 82.600/o, T8.TOo/o and 95.307o respectively. Half Year Physical Performance for Ministry of Trad,e, Industry and Cooperatives FY 2023 l2+. (1) 9 Value Addition Equipment for 11 enterprises across the country procured, Delivered and Installed. (21 Stakeholder consultations on re-establishment of the cooperative bank. (3) 1,065 cooperatives registered; 6 cooperatives inspected; 190 Cooperatives superuised. (41 70 youth cooperative members trained and 20 Cooperatives leaders trained on governance, financial management and gender-based planning. (5) 11 industrial field monitoring and technical guidance visits undertaken in the districts of Kampala, Njeru, Jinja, Buhweju and Nakaseke. (6) Commissioned Mpondwe Market as well as the one stop border at Mpondwe. (71 International Trade Missions conducted. (8) Joint stake engagements with the Key MDAs on Preferential Markets e.g. China, DRC and South Sudan and r'i- --.it. TM (^W h 43 .::trfr l/,r I

Okay. On Thursday, it will be included among the answered questions. Let us have Hon. Kabanda, followed by Hon. Mujungu and the Member for Buhweju.

Thank you. Member for Buhweju.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. I also thank the committee for the very pertinent and touching report presented about Zombo. Leave alone the losses made by the people from tea. Any overgrown tea garden is a danger to society. It is a very good haven for wild animals and thieves. It is a good forest for hiding. When we have tea gardens like those in Zombo and the ones growing wild in Mitooma, Bushenyi and Buhweju, we are also growing another danger of vermin within the societies. I am appealing to the Government - when we talk about Shs 19 billion for investing in a tea factory in Zombo, and then about Shs 180 billion in terms of returns, the Government should be very calculative and do that business. Thank you very much, Mr Speaker.

?.2 TEA GROIIIING IN UGANDA Tea was first cultivated in Uganda in the early years of the 2oft century at the botanical gardens in Entebbe. The crop was a success and commercial cultivation started in the 1920s. Unfortunately, Uganda's tea industry was decimated by political upheaval in the 197Os. It was revived in the early 1990s due to availability of Commonwealth development funds, foreign expertise, and investment by Indian owned companies (Ahmed Tea London, 2or9l. In the FY 2022123, tea was Uganda's fourth largest agricultural export after coffee, fish and maize, earning the country over USD 90 million. This represented a 5.3% increase compared to FY 2O2l122. Tea has generated an average of 3.60/o of Uganda's export earnings over the last five years and is recognizsed to have a higher potential to contribute more to national revenue, employment and environmental conservation (NAADS, 2021). Over the past eight (8) years, tea has been fetching average earnings of USD 76 million for the country, having apexes at USD 94 million 2018. Tea estates produce about 54o/o of the tea in the country while the small holder tea growers contribute about 460/o of the total average. The industry employs close to 8O,OOO farmer households and supports 150,000 skilled and unskilled workers with about one million people directly deriving their velihoods from tea growing (NAADS, 2021). The traditional tea-growing districts in Uganda are: Mukono, Buikwe, Mubende, Mityana, Masaka in the central region; Kyenjojo, Kibale, Hoima and Kabarole in the western region; Bushenyi, Buhweju, Kanungu and Kabale in south-western Uganda. Recently, tea growing has expanded to new districts like Kisoro, Rubanda, Rukungiri, Sheema, Nebbi, Zombo, Isingiro, Ntungamo, Mitooma, Ru 2O2Ol. Kamwenge and Mbarara (NAADS, .l ffit^-- t "# ffili, -\ l. 2 --- j=.r t\S'rr '.i'-5r a 1 hk h

2.9 HrsToRY OF TEA GROWING rN ZOI0IBO Tea growing in Zombo was initially introduced in the 1960s. However, the economic activity collapsed due to the political turmoil of the 1970s. Following a request by the Alur King (Wimu ker Alur) to His Excellency the President to support tea growing in Abanga and other parts of the Alur Kingdom in order to improve the livelihoods of the people; Government re- introduced tea growing in the district during the FY 2OI3l2014 through the Northern Uganda Social Action Fund (NUSAF) II Programme. This happened at an opportune time when Government had started the expansion of tea production in the western and south-western regions of Uganda. In 2014, tea nursery beds were set up by Giant Seeds Company in Zombo and Nebbi districts. The National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS) procured and distributed tea seedlings to the farmers for planting. ln 2016, nursery beds were established again in Zombo district by the sa.rne company and more tea planting was done in 20 17 and 20 18 in block farms. ln 2018, more nursery operators were invited to set up nursery beds across the district to increase the quantity of tea seedlings available to farmers. It was at that time that tea farmers' groups/cooperatives and nursery operators' organizations emerged, prompting the formation of the 300- member Zombo Tea Growers Cooperative Society Limited. However, procurement of tea seedlings by NAADS remained low, causing loses to nursery operators and this, coupled with the impact of COVID-19, negatively affected tea growing. In 2022, Government through NAADS, embarked on the process of distributing tea seedlings to farmers in 16 tea growing districts namely: Buhweju, Bushenyi, Mitooma, Rukungiri, Kisoro, Kyenjojo, Zornbo, Rubanda, Rukiga, Kabale, Kanungu, Sheema, Kikuube, Rwampara, and Kabarole. The main suppliers of these tea seedlings were Tea Development Agency Limited (UTDAL) and Zombo Nursery a Operators and Farmers' Associa POK& Vl- \ 3 :E# ffi** tS' d#*il/,' #

K 2.4 BACKGROUND TO THE PETITION Zombo Tea Nursery Operators and Farmers' Association was founded in 2OI9. It brings together over 200 local tea farmers, nursery operators and other value chain actors operating within the district. It is registered at the district as a community-based organisation. Since 2O2O, the association has supplied farmers with tea seedlings with support from Government through NAADS. On 21st September, 2022, Cabinet under Minute No. 340 (CT 2022) directed for a one-off procurement of tea and coffee seedlings for distribution to farmers during tlrre 2022 Season (September to December 20221. Under this arrangement, Government committed to procure and pay over two financial years (FYs) starting with FY 202312024, tea seedlings from verified nursery operators in the 16 tea growing districts mentioned above. On 28tt' September 2022, MAAIF wrote to the 16 district local governments (Annex 2) seeking details of verified tea seedling suppliers with tea seedlings in nurseries ready for planting, to be submitted not later than 5ft October, 2022. According to MAAIF, only six out of the sixteen districts namely Sheema, Rukungiri, Bushenyi, Kanungu, Mitooma and Buhweju were able to submit the required information within the designated timeframe of Sept 29th - lTtr:. Oct. 2022 under the initiation of NAADS (Annex 3). The Committee was informed that Zombo DLG provided information to MAAIF on the available and verified tea seedlings in the nurseries on 5ft October, 2023 but sought to defer procurement and distribution to March 2023 on account of the anticipated dry spell. However, this procurement was never effected despite various efforts to follow up. It is against this background that a armers Association petitioned the pply tea seedlings "ft.sctrc Zombo Tea Nursery Operators and Rt. Hon. Speaker concerning the to farmers in Zombo district. ) -- rr-- delayed/ to su '{rV::" 4 W ry <

ct- J.^ -, ^ ^^.^ r^r4r rmrltlslr J auu .r lsnerles iiiL{r,gl tdarti,oinati Agrue uul Plot S Kgado{ito Road., }' r 1i ) rl Lr (ii['i:i iiS C ri",, Towers, Btock H, Legacg P.O. Box 2 5235, Ka i*,il;i'l,iiiC.."-'S Nakasero J {( mpala - Uganda asury ltrc tc?urucof NAADS/Nr/oo8 31s August,2023 I.he Perrnanent S l4inistry of Finance KAMPALA ., ) i.lr UPDATE ON THE PROGR ESS OF IMPLEMENTATI ON OF THE CABINET DECISION ON PROCURE 2022 B (SEPTEMBER-D MENT AND DISTRIB ECEMB UTIO N OF TEA SEEDLINGS ER 2022) DURING RAIN SEASON Reference is made to letter ISS 461256/01 dated 21sr Fe bruary 2023 from the Mi nister of Finance plann ing and Economic Developrnent to the Minister of Agriculture Animal Industry and Fisheries copied to the Executive Di rector NAADS, copied to yoU, requesting for in formation on progress of imple menting the Cabi net Directive on procurement of tea and co ffee seedlings d unng season September to December 2022. lt is notable tha t, in this letter, the Mini ster makes reference to the Cabinet Minute No.340 (CT 202 2) dated 26h September 2022 which approved a one-off payment arrangement to verified coffee and tea nursery operators ased over a period of twc ph ye3is starting FY 202.3-24. Arlditionalt y, the Minister,s letter enumerated actions to be perfcrrrred by different offices of Government, includi ng expected timelines for the actions with Ute final step being validation by the I nternal Auditor General of the relurns for seedlings dis tributed as submitted by the p rocuring Entity. ,Accord ingly, the NAADS Secretariat initiated and exec uted the procurement for the verifi ed tea seedlings under a de legated procurement arrangement to six (6) Districr Local Governments(Dl_Gs ) that submitted the requ ired information [o the Ministry of Agricultur-e Animai Industry and Fisheries ( MAAIF) within the prescribed timeframer iAnnexes 1 and 2 ). These included S heema, Ru kung iri, Bushenyi, Kan ungu, Mitooma and Euhweju DLGs. .Subseq uently, the NAADS riat provided the required update Secreta on the progress of irnplementing the Cabinet Directive on procurement of tea seedlings to your office in a letter dated 20th April 2023 and further update to you rna letter dated .3 ist May 2023 (copied the M inister, MOFPED ) both attached for your further referen ce. To date orrly five of the six D Mitooma were able to execute the LGs, namely Sheema, Rukungiri, procurement for the tea Bushenyi Kan and submit the ungu and relevant documents, with returns seedlings totaling to 4t, g74 , 638 procu red tea seedlings worth UGX 16, 749, 855,200 (Sixteen billion, seven h undred forty-ni ne million, eight hundred fifty-five thousand two hundred shillings only) For the case of Buhweju DLG , whereas the NAADS Secretariat received a co mmunication from the Chief Admin Officer lOu( of rhe rarget sixreen ( l6) DLGs. : 2564t4/312/34s440, 34s06s, 34s066, 34s060, Fax 256 4r4 347843, Email: ETVED * 0lSEpZ02J * TTEC S EC U R TY R E G S T R Y OFFI c E OF I HE PRIME MIN ts TER sEP ?023 0t EIVED R EC it : rlii tt: b i.t t: :; :..: c i t i ! i : t. t:.i -...:;.1,,3.i111..,.2..,r,, or.u8 a'l r, '1 r'ii the T 'i : .., ..':,:

sNo Oistrict No. of Nursery operator s No. of Seedlings verified in nurseries No. of seedlings demanded Submis sion Date Remarks I Bushenyi 92 23,240,300 23,240,300 r.o7.22 Submitted time, Procurement initiated. tn 2 Buhweju 304 103,246,999 101,210,669 r.07.22 Submitted time, Procurement initiated ln 3 Mitooma 38 9,411,429 9,41L,429 r.07.22 Submitted time, Procurement initiated tn 4 Sheema 2 6 L,007,902 1,200,000 7.10.22 Submitted time, Procurement initiated tn 5 Rukungiri 1,894,579 2,000,000 5.10.22 Submitted time, Procurement initiated in 27s 16,991,296 27,921,979 7.t0.22 Submitted time, Procurement initiated in 7 Rukiga 5 3,110,000 2,973,000 26.r0.22 Did not submit in time. Procurement not initiated 8 Kabale 4 2,809,900 4,935,650 3.tt.22 Did not submit in time. Procurement not initiated 9 Rwampar a 2 17 1,3 1g 108,000 26.10.22 Did not submit in time. Procurement not initiated 10 Rubanda 12 3,553,916 4,651,000 26.r0.22 Did not submit in time. Annex 1: sumrnary of verified tea seedlings and farmer demands submitted by oistrict Local Governments under the cabine[ decision as at 31.og.23 6 Kanungu

to .made' to MOFPED Sub Total 5L,53t,7L4 20$L2,685,600 4L,874,638 16,749,855,200 Buhweju 101,210,668 40,484,267,200 According to information from the District, the Delegated Procurement was executed. DLG in process of submittinq documents tc NAADS

i 6 Annex 2: PROGRESS ON EXECUTION OF DELEGATED PROCUREMENTS FOR TEA SEEDLINGS AS AT 13.04.2023 Delegated Procurement executed. Documents submitted to NAADS Kabarole B 2,I30,000 1.386,000 7.r0.22 Did not demand. Procurement initiated. subnriI not Kikuube I 450000 819.843 24.L0.22 Did not submit in time. Procurement not initiated TOTAL 189,717 j339 I-'84,794;822 Name of DLG No. of seedlings delegated Value (UGX) No. ol seedlings procured as per submitted documents Value seedlings procured (uGx) o T Remarks Bush e ny 23.240,300 9.296,120,000 13.987.876 5,59 5. I 50.400 Sheema 957,4t2 382,964,800 9s7 4t2 382.964, BoC Delegated Procurement executed. Documents submitted to NAADS Rukungiri r. 7 90.3 49 7r6.139,600 r.790.349 7 r6.139.600 Delegated Procurement executed. Docurnents submitted to NAADS Buhweju r0r.2 10,668 40.484,261,)00 According to information from the District. the Delegated Procurement was executed. DLG in ss of ting ents SU mit \

Anncx 1: SUMMARY OF VERIFIED TEA SEEDLINGS AND FARMER DEMANDS SUBMTTTED BY DISTRICT LOCAL GOVERNMENTS UNDER THE CABINET DEC r S r ON (OCTOBER 20221 q I 2 3 4 6 1 o I 10 1, t2 13 SNO District No. of Nur';ery operators No. Seedlings verified nurseries of tn No. of seedlings demanded Submission Date Remarks Bushenyi 92 23,240.300 23.240.300 t.07.22 Submitted in time. Procurement initiated. Buhweju 304 r03,246,988 101,210,668 t.07.22 Submitted in time. Procurement initiated Mitooma 3B 9.4 I r.428 9.4I1.428 t.07.22 Submitted in time. Procurement initiated Sheema i.007,802 i 200 000 Submitteci in time. Procurement initiated f .i0.27 Rukungiri 2 6 1.884,5 78 2,000.000 5.10.22 Submitted in time, Procurement initiated Kanungu 275 t 6.981.286 21,8)r,819 1.t0.22 Submitted in time, Procurement initiated Rukiga 5 3,1I0,000 2.873,000 26.r0.22 Kahale 4 2,808,800 4,83 5,650 3.11.22 Rwampara 2 171.318 r08,000 26.r0.22 Rubanda ).2 3.553,916 4.651,000 26.r0.22 Kagadi 1 500.000 731,000 31.10.22 Kyenjojo 6 955.000 95s,000 26.r0.22 Zombo 45 r 6,765,000 7.10.22 Kisoro 37 3.500,923 3,551,054 1.r0.22 Did not submit in time. Procurement not initiated Did not submit in time. Procurement not initiated Did not submit in tirne. Procurement not initiated Did not submit in time. Procurement not initiated Did not submit in time. Procurement not initiated Did not submit in time. Procurement not initiated Differed procurement to March 2023. Did not submit demand. Procurement not initiated. Did not submit demand. Pro ement t ,t I ,t. 14 init noI .t

To inform you that three (3) DLGs (Buhweju, Mitooma. &.Kanungu) reportedly ffii"3.1[,ff:::rted procuremenrs but aie v.i-to submir tn. ,.-uirrns ro rhe l,l L., \_---- ,,& 13 Dr. Chr For: E ristophel Bukenya XECUTIVE DIRECTOR cc: The Rt. Hon. prime Minister cc: The Hon. Minister of Finance. pranning and Economic Deveropment cc: The Hon. Minister of Agricurture, Aniniar rnorrtrv and Fisheries cc: The Hon. Minister oi SLte for ngricuiture. niaaii cc: The permanent Secretary. MAAIF cc: The permanent Secretary. MOLG

rr^rrrrdLt J ,r ra'Err rLulLul tr, lallllllal llluustry illlu tt lsnerlgs -... l' - . a 1 i e il r;iiii i.\gi i ti"ii i,iij'iti rirl iisSi, i' _l +;. t ie,.):i Plot 5 Kyadoido Road., Legacg Touters, Brock b, Nakasero a il !' Uganda SECURI OFFICE OF I nrf MrutLtc or Lc{ 'I :r: . NAADS,/Nl/oo8 20th Rpril. 2023 The Permanent Ministry of Fina KAMPALA. 2 ( AFR ?023 RECET vE^ * 2 \ AP'R 2023 ) iii'i i -j\ .!;!r: .l -1.1- :1 Secrei4gy/SecrE nce, Pianhinqr-an taiyto tnC {.reaSury you on the progress of implemen idance on procurement and distributi TY REGISTRY HE PRIME MINIS-' UPDATE ON PROGRESS IN IMPLEMENTTNG THE CABINET DECISION ON PROCUREMENT OF TEA SEEDLINGS FOR DTSTRIBUTION AND PLANTING BY FARMERS DUR!NG SEASON 20228 (SEPTEMBER-DECEMBER 2C,221 Refei-ence is rnacje io the ietter isS 4bl256/0i ciateo'21': February 2023 from the Hon. Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development to the Hon. Minister of Agriculture, Animal tndustry and Fisheries copied to the Executive Director NAADS. requesting for information on progress of implementing the Cabinet decision (and related guidance) on procuring tea and coffee seedlings from verified nursery operators during season 20228 (September-Decemb er 2022\. As guided by Cabinet, the NAADS Secretariat initiated procurement of verified tea seedlings under - a .delegated procurement arrangement to six (6) District Local Governments (DLGs) that submitted !h. required information to the Ministry of Agricrrlture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF) uuithin the prescribed timeframer (Annex 1). Th.e detegated procurement for the six DLGs was initiated between 29th September and 17'h october 20D^91d involved procurement of 1s2,142,382 verified tea seedlings worth ucx 6r.096,952.800 for distribution to farmers in Buhweju, Bushenyi. Mitooma, Sheema. Rukungiri and Kanungu DLGs (Annex 2). To date, three (3) DLGs namely Sheema. Ruku ngiri and Bushenyi have submitted procurement returns to NAADS Secretariat for 16 ,735.637 tea seedlings worth UGX 6,694,254,80O (Annexes 3, 4, and 5 ). All doc uments pertain t the procuremenI and distribution of the tea seedli ngs to farmers for the ble at the NAADS Secretariat for review. tr€ 65rv€ C The purpose of this letter therefore is three-fold: .a '' 'l ? \ Al '''' /\rI ' atGtS rtrY + )( To update related gu districts. To presen seedlings on ecision and ings in the target t to you to the returns indicating the quantit y and value of the of t procureci anci distributed in the three District Local Go namely Sheema, Rukungiri and B ushenyi worth UGX 6,694,254 ,BOO ion for.fu nding under Fy 2023-24 (Annexes 3 4 a n 0312 178 300 ilioi 305i303-Tollft'ee.0800 230 100, Entait info@naacis.or.Ltg, l4/ebsite.-rt,,,nnt.paads.or.Ltg " P ;' +. 11 1 6 i I ;, f p i r; ii i u l: i c ir gri c it ! t i t rr, ! u ro r! ; t c t i o tr,' Tel l.j.',.'r: i,.i I

We have short and long- term interventions. For the short term, they are saying our tea does not have the quality so we are going to see how to subsidise fertilisers such that our farmers can get fertilisers cheaply in the country. That is the remedy. Tomorrow, we have a meeting with Elite Agro, a United Arab Emirates Government company from Dubai that is going to establish five factories in the areas of Buhweju in Northern Uganda, we have Zombo and three other districts. Others are supposed to be in Kyenjojo, Sheema and others. This is the long term intervention. We are also establishing an auction market in the country instead of going to Mombasa to be graded the way they want. We want to have an auction market in our country since we have the quantities. Mr Speaker, the Government of Uganda is concerned and we shall handle this matter, as we have heard.

Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. In 2022, the Government, led by the Prime Minister, authorised the people of Buhweju, Kakumiro, Bushenyi, and Zombo; the tea suppliers to supply seedlings on credit in 2022. It is now 2024 and they are choking on loans. I am asking the Prime Minister; when will the Government pay these suppliers?

Thank you, Mr Speaker. In your communication, you talked about paying tribute to His Excellency, the Ambassador of Japan to Uganda. Thank you very much, for connecting us to that extent. The interaction you had with him was very enriching and put a foundation for the incoming Ambassador to take on. Mr Speaker, Buhweju is one of the areas that have not benefited from NGOs or foreign support. However, Japan, without much soliciting or pushing went and installed water tanks in about seven primary schools. (Applause) They are the only ones so far existing there because there is no input from others. So, as the people of Buhweju and Ugandans, we wish to thank Japan and the ambassador. We hope that his successor will sustain what he did and even build much more. Thank you very much.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. My question to the Rt Hon. Prime Minister, is about my constituency, where a range of hills pass from Buhweju through Sheema to Igara. These hills supply stones as building materials. People have been digging into these hills and have developed cracks. Recently, heavy rains exacerbated the problem. There is a big hill in a village called Ekijogoma and there is a very big crack, both in the hill and on the ground, and water is gushing out. Sheema District leadership formed a committee which wrote to your office, Rt Hon. Prime Minister, but nothing has been done. My question is; When is something going to be done before a catastrophe occurs? Thank you.

Thank you so much, Mr Speaker. The matter of national importance I have concerns tea. However, it has two dimensions. Whereas we have a problem of tea prices generally in Uganda, we also have a problem of bad governance and management at Igara Growers Tea Company, and my concern is about that. Since 1969, Buhweju and Igara have worked together under the Igara Growers Tea Company and owned Igara Tea Factory that is in Igara. But in 2010, the farmers of Buhweju applied to the Government for support and started up an independent tea factory; Buhweju Tea Factory in Buhweju. Igara Tea Company acted as a guarantor and a promoter. However, the guarantor and promoter has refused to grant ownership to the people of Buhweju and they want to continue owning the factory that is in Buhweju. Consequently, there is now a conflict; there is a crisis. The farmers in Buhweju, for the last six months, are not picking their tea. This has caused anxiety and panic; it has caused loss of money and loss of interest. The other day I saw a farmer who was uprooting his tea farm, and yet the Government has a lot of interest because in 2010, the Government invested money in Buhweju to start the factory. Two, the Government has been giving us tea seedlings so, in such a situation, the Government cannot see farmers lose money and does not do something about it. I am sure Hon. Biraaro and Hon. Mushemeza know much about this because we have always talked about that factory and the crisis in Igara. Mr Speaker, we are concerned, as leaders, and we think that the Government must come in and sort out the issue of ownership of this factory. Secondly, there is a need to deal with the challenge of mismanagement that has further exacerbated the problem of prices because in Buhweju, I think it is about Shs 250 per kilogram. For me, that is a very big problem. We think that the Government must come in now. I see Hon. Biraaro wants to say something. If -(Laughter)

I see these people of Buhweju have decided to make it their day. Since we are celebrating Tarehe Sita, let it be their Tarehe Sita. Hon. Biraaro –

Thank you, Mr Speaker. Buhweju was a big contributor towards the liberation of Uganda because it was a training camp for the Tarehe Sita liberationists. I thank my honourable colleague for raising this matter. We have what we call the bona fide farmers and bona fide shareholders and in the greater Bushenyi, they are shared between the current districts of Mitooma, Bushenyi, Sheema, Buhweju, and River Rubirizi. It so happens, Mr Speaker, that the factory that was commissioned in 1969 was based in Igara area. Buhweju remained pending with the registered company, which was registered in 1974. However, later on, there was a lack of funds and in 2008 -2010, I was a member of the board in Igara, and we asked the Government to finance Buhweju. In 2004, His Excellency the President visited the site, which was just a playground, and he offered to help Buhweju to put up a factory and the Government financed all the civil works. The total funding from the Government was about Shs 14 billion and Igara, together with Buhweju, Mitooma and Sheema, contributed machinery. Currently, Mr Speaker, to be very quick, the farmers in Buhweju have been molested by being denied payments on a monthly basis. Currently, we are demanding payments for four months. COMMUNICATION FROM THE CHAIR

11637 THE ELEVENTH PARLIAMENT OF UGANDA TUESDAY, 6 FEBRUARY 2024 Secondly, there is no representation from Buhweju on the board and management of Igara. They handpick their people; we have no democracy. Thirdly, the factory in Buhweju lacks servicing and it collapses day in, day out such that now, the farmers no longer pluck their tea leaves because their factory is down. Fourthly, there is harassment of employees originating from Buhweju. If you have an ID showing Buhweju, you are harassed in that area. Fifthly, there is the hiring of police. Whenever farmers want to sit and settle their matters, a handful of managers at Igara hire police to chase the farmers from sites in their own homes. Mr Speaker, Parliament should investigate and settle the ownership problem of the Buhweju Tea Factory since the Government also invested in it. Secondly, we should investigate the mismanagement of Igara as a company so that the economy is salvaged because what happens in that company is that we employ a lot of Ugandans. Everybody becomes affected and our export potential reduces. Remember, we bring in about $100 million per annum from tea exports from that company alone. Thank you.

Mr Speaker, in the circumstances, I am going to hold a stakeholders’ meeting next week, and then I will be in touch with the Members of Parliament from the region. They will also attend and we will find a solution to this. However, the good news for the country is that through Elite Group; a Dubai-based company, we are setting up extra factories in Buhweju, Kigezi in Rukiga, Toro region, and Zombo. Some of these solutions can be helpful for the farmers but next week, we shall have a stakeholders’ meeting. Thank you.

11652 THE CIVIL AVIATION AUTHORITY (AMENDMENT) BILL, 2023 We must see ourselves because I was in the West Nile, there is a road that goes to Goli Diocesan Headquarters, I think to the border of the Democratic Republic of Congo, it is terrible. I was in some part of Mitooma, the road that comes from Buhweju, I think – the owner is - it is terrible. If you go to – countrywide, people are demanding for roads. All we would like to see, as a Parliament, is ourselves- so that we can go back and tell your people it is next year or the other year you will be fitted in. Mr Speaker, I persuade you that this minister be sent back and bring this statement. When the statement comes, we can then debate it as a House and make recommendations so that they are all dealt with at once. I thank you.

I would need it on Wednesday but now, the focus is on the process. How do you sensitise the community to know you have precious minerals here because sometimes, he is saying, “When people in the ministry know there are minerals here, then their people go and buy the land, take over it, and then they come and reap big when locals got peanuts out of their land. Therefore, this should not be only about Ntungamo but generally countrywide. I was in Buhweju with the Committee on Natural Resources; gold miners told us, “I have never seen gold” yet I am the one mining it.” They said these guys have processes in the way they do it. “Personally, I have never seen how gold looks like, despite spending over 20 years mining gold in my own land and selling.” There is a lot of cheating going on; public sensitisation needs to be brought.

Thank you so much, Mr Speaker. We have praised the late Hon. Cecilia Ogwal for helping when we had situations of minority report and the majority by looking into both and getting out the best. This is not the time for competition between minority and majority. I have been here for some time. I hear us pass budgets and when you go out there, whenever the citizens’ priorities are not seen, they do not bash the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, they bash the Members of Parliament. They do not talk about the President or the Minister. They say “These MPs.” You will find Resident District Commissioners (RDCs) on radios saying MPs are not prioritising agriculture and roads and the minister will be happy in his home. Therefore, when we talk about priorities, it is because we interact with the people down there. It is not because we are Government or we are Opposition. It is because we are representatives of the people. How do I explain that I have a road that was pledged in 1989 and it is never worked on but I am passing budgets every financial year? How do I go to Buhweju and explain that? The priorities are not being set by us, Parliament; they are being set somewhere and we have to just approve and then, when we go there, they say they are the appropriators. You even find a minister telling the public that it is “these MPs.” They are the appropriators. Therefore, honourable minister, please, listen to us. It is not because we are against anybody. And, that is why I would wish that we look at the minority and the majority reports and we get out the best for our people. It is not about the competition of the two ideas and two reports and that is why we were talking about Hon. Cecilia Ogwal and now, we have even forgotten what she was doing here even before a week elapses. (Interjection) Of course, you are a listening post. I know you will not talk about UPDF. The point I am making is that we are the eyes and ears of our people and, therefore, let us look at these reports and get out the best for our people. Thank you, Mr Speaker.

Madam Speaker, I beg to designate the following honourable members to the standing Committee on National Economy: 1. Hon. Ikojo John Bosco – Chairperson; and 2. Hon. Robert Migadde - Deputy Chairperson. The following are designated as members: 1. Hon. Joram Ruranga - Elderly; 2. Hon. Simon Peter Opolot - Kanyum; 3. Hon. Tonny Ayoo - Kwania; 4. Hon. Joy Katali - Jinja; 5. Hon. Jane Avur Pacuto - Pakwach; 6. Hon. James Baba Boliba - Koboko; 7. Hon. Geoffrey Eric Mutiwa – Bunyole West; 8. Hon. Betty Chelain - Amudat; 9. Hon. Nathan Byanyima – Bukanga North; 10. Hon. Micah Lolem - Upe; 11. Hon. Francis Kazini Twinomujuni - Buhaguzi; 12. Hon. Sylvia Bahireira Tumwekwase - Kamwenge; 13. Hon. Peggy Joy Waako – Elderly; 14. Hon. Aisa Agaba – Bugangaizi East; 15. Hon. Midius Natukunda - Rukungiri; 16. Hon. Peterkhen Lochap - Bokora; 17. Hon. Godfrey Were Odero – Samia Bugwe South; 18. Hon. Jennifer Ayoo - Kalki; 19. Hon. Jane Awich - Kaberamaido; 20. Hon. Stella Atyang - Moroto; 21. Hon. Hillary Lokwang – Napore West; 22. Hon. Joseph Komol – Dodoth North; 23. Hon. Alex Byarugaba - Isingiro; 24. Hon. Naome Kibaaju – Sheema North; 25. Hon. Moses Ogwal Goli – Dokolo North; 26. Hon. Juliet Achayo Lodou – Ngora County; 27. Hon. Simon Peter Wokorach – Aswa County; 28. Hon. Bashir Lubega – Mubende Muncipality; 29. Hon. Agnes Taaka - Bugiri; 30. Hon. Sylvia Vicky Awas - Nabilatuk; 31. Hon. Henry Maurice Kibalya – Bugabula South; 32. Hon. Oliver Katwesigye - Buhweju; 33. Hon. Stephen Kangwagye - Bukanga; and 34. Hon. Abdi Fadhil Kisos Chemaswet - Soi. I beg to designate.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I would like to heartily thank you for always giving us positive surprises, when you said that you had driven through Kampala to see what is happening within. Some roads, away from the centre, like we said the other time, are really impassable. I would also like to extend my thanks to the Deputy Speaker, who I recently saw and heard was moving in the countryside with the committees. This is very good because you get to know what is happening and when we are speaking here, you can draw the picture. Madam Speaker, I would like to draw your attention and efforts to drive further into the countryside of Bukwo, Sebei, Kisoro, Buhweju, Amudat and elsewhere so that when we talk here, you get the context of what we are talking about. Thank you.

Back to your communication, Madam Speaker. I thank you for talking about the patching of roads in Kampala by Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA). In the same way, in the countryside, there is a lot of patching on the face but the rest of the body is unwashed. When they patch areas in Kampala where the guests are going to pass, they leave behind the other streets and roads untouched. Likewise, the districts which are in corners that are not on highways - from Kampala, Masaka, Mbarara, Bushenyi, Ishaka, and Kasese, there is some attention. For a district in a corner like Buhweju, there is virtually no road to talk about. Be it a Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) road, a district road, a community road, and even the bulungi bwansi , which is done by the natives; there is virtually no road. No one should tell us about the funds released by Uganda Road Fund. They are too meagre to cause any effect in Buhweju. I would like to make an appeal that the districts in corners - not only Buhweju, but those like Buhweju - should get affirmative action. I beg to move.

10917 THE ELEVENTH PARLIAMENT OF UGANDA WEDNESDAY, 15 NOVEMBER 2023 meagre, but it is going to all districts, cities and municipalities. We all passed this. I implore my honourable colleague - because he has stated that even at the district, Buhweju is one of the districts that, in my humble opinion, has equally received a sum of Shs 500 million. If there are roads that fall under Uganda National Roads Authority, we can draw the attention of the Ministry of Works and Transport. However, as far as the district roads are concerned, all municipalities and cities in Uganda received that money. As far as community access roads that are handled under subcounties are concerned, all subcounties in Uganda have received their share. I beg to submit, Madam Speaker.

Thank you. Honourable minister, you could also tell UNRA to look at his issue because it is unique. You know where Buhweju is; it is off-road - so deep in the corners that even going there is not an easy thing. You could ask UNRA to look into it.

Thank you. Let us have the Member from Mbarara that is hosting the event and then the gender minister. (Hon. Biraaro rose_) Is Buhweju hosting? (Laughter) I want us to discuss issues of disabilities on Tuesday, once we have the report on the land. Let us first hear from the Member from Mbarara who is hosting this event.

10675 THE ELEVENTH PARLIAMENT OF UGANDA THURSDAY, 19 OCTOBER 2023 Mr Speaker, the Ministry of Health has updated its specifications and only allows robust solar systems that can work up to a minimum of l5 years. A few facilities that have so for benefited and the systems have been installed and commissioned, are as follows; 1. Kiboga - Bukomero Health Centre IV; 2. Kazo - Kazo Health Centre IV; 3. Buhweju - Nsika Health Centre IV; 4. Kamwenge - Rukunyu Government Hospital; 5. Kakumiro - Kakumiro Health Centre IV; 6. Omoro - Lalogi Health Centre IV; 7. Kapelebyong - Kapelebyong Health Centre IV; 8. Bukedea - Bukedea Health Centre IV; 9. Sironko - Budadiri Health Centre IV; 10. Manafwa - Bugobero Health Centre IV; and 11. Oyam - Anyeke Health Centre IV. Mr Speaker, these health centres have their power reliability at 100 per cent for the last two years and that is the direction that the Ministry of Health has taken to reduce the recurrent expenditure to the minimum. My response to the second prayer is that the standard for the general wards provides for separate sections for male, female and children. Once funds are realised, the required infrastructure shall be put in place at Kassanda Health Centre IV. My response to the third prayer is that on 20 September 2021, the Emergency Medical Services Policy was approved by the Cabinet of Uganda, and it spells out the allocation of ambulances to defined catchment areas. The new policy is to allocate one Type B ambulances per 100,000 population equivalent to one constituency in Uganda. The allocated ambulance serves the population in that constituency. The policy disbanded the prior arrangement of the issue of allocating ambulances to health facilities in order to serve a wider population better. Mr Speaker, the ambulance vehicle is situated at the most accessible and secure health facility in the constituency, preferably on the highway. In the year 2020/2021, Kassanda District was allocated an ambulance registration UG6859M for Bukuya Constituency. For now, though situated in one of the constituencies, the ambulance is provided with fuel to respond to emergencies across Kassanda North and Kassanda South constituencies, in Kassanda District. In the Financial Year 2024/2025, we plan to procure additional 180 Type B and Type C ambulances to fill the gaps. The Government is committed to fill the gaps in ambulance vehicles at the constituency level for the Financial Year 2025/2026. The fifth question came from Hon. Chelangat Alinga Solomon, Member of Parliament, T’oo County, Bukwo District. He stated thus: “ Bukwo District is predominantly an agricultural district. People mainly grow maize for both commercial and subsistence purposes. However, the President has been discouraging people from maize farming unless on a large scale because it is not economically viable. Therefore, our people were advised to shift to short term crops, which are more profitable. The Government of Uganda thought of giving our people some incentives through the Agriculture Cluster Development Program (ACDP), under the Ministry of Agriculture Animal Industry and Fisheries. Rt Hon. Prime Minister, I have issues of concern that have discouraged our people from taking the good advice from the President. i. Government through ACDP, procured a contractor, Bold Energy, in April 2021 to supply farm inputs, like maize seed and fertiliser. The contractor did their part, but the Government has never met its obligation of paying the contractor. This has put the contractor in a very fragile

I have an urgent issue. Nyakambu Bridge has been swept away by heavy rains. This bridge is between Kashari and Sheema and that is where I pass while going to Buhweju. Mr Speaker, you are familiar with Bwizibwera- Nyakambu-Nsika-Burere-Nyakabirizi Road and it is one of the roads that were earmarked for tarmacking. I would like to know the status of those roads as far as working on them is concerned. That road has been a presidential

Mr Speaker, the President gave a directive to the Cabinet and colleague members of the Cabinet can bear me witness. He said, “Money must be got to ensure that, that road is worked on. It is a hard-to-reach area. ” There was a time I attended Women’s Day celebrations in Buhweju. It rained and the road was cut off. I had to be airlifted and my vehicle spent a week in Buhweju because the Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA), under the Ministry of Works and Transport, was still working on the road because of landslide debris. The President and everybody in the Cabinet are aware that Nsika-Nyakambu-Buhweju is a priority road and the procurement process has started with UNRA.

10538 MINISTERIAL STATEMENT Hon. Kibalya and then the Member for Buhweju. After Buhweju, Max Ochai.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. I also thank the minister for being honest. However, before I go to the regional workshops, I want to remind the Minister of Works that even for the road units that we put in the districts, we took them there without a plan for maintaining them. Most of them are covered by the bush because they are not doing anything. I suggest that when we are in this House budgeting, we should look at the priorities. I want to assume that road units – and the machines and the workshops – are one of the priorities because we cannot do anything when we do not have roads. So, I suggest that we also look at the money to maintain the road units that we put in the districts. Mr Speaker, you know my district of Buhweju. The roads are very poor and, considering the terrain, it is really very bad. We need strong machines; we need excavators that we do not have. Mr Speaker, I suggest that when we are doing budgeting here, let us give the Ministry of Works more money so that they can be able to work on those.

Member for Kyankwanzi, Member for Kibaale, Member for Hoima, Member for Gomba, Member for Ntungamo, Hon. Okeyoh, Hon. Kazini, Hon. Kahonda, Hon. Enoch, Member for Kiruhura. Member for Buhweju, were you here yesterday? The Member for Buhweju was here. I know those who were here.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. About two years ago, a perennial disaster cropped up in my area in Buhweju. There are insects called “variegated” grasshoppers. I reported it here in Parliament, and the agriculture Ministry did a one-off treatment of those insects and they died a bit, but never completed the exercise. However, they are now all over the place and they eat everything and anything green; tea, bananas, cassava, coffee, everything. My appeal is that the Rt Hon. Prime Minister, maybe working through the agriculture ministry again, investigates what brings these insects and how they survive, and exterminate them so that people do not starve.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. Last year, in the months of September and October, heavy rains ravaged the country and most of the roads were destroyed, and reports were brought here on the Floor of Parliament. Buhweju West County and the whole of Buhweju inclusive, reported this issue to this House as a matter of national importance. However, to-date, no action has been taken in Buhweju at all. Roads like Kilembe, Ekiha, Nyamihera and many others were cut off and communities have never connected ever since. Mr Speaker, we are again into the same season after a year and so, my prayers are: 1. That this House compels the Government to go to Buhweju and fix some roads so that communities can be reconnected; 2. That the Ministry of Works and Transport provides culverts and Bar Reinforced Concrete (BRCs) to replace those that were destroyed by the rains during that season. I beg to pray.

When I retire, that is where I am going. So, I need to fight for the sector. (Laughter) Honourable colleagues, many of you will join me. Hon. Oguzu Lee had suggested something to me; that when they appear before the committee, they should appear in the regions so that it is not just a Kampala affair. I will detail that in the terms of reference when I am forwarding the petition. Thank you. Honourable colleagues, in the Public Gallery this afternoon, we have Speakers from some of the western region districts. They include the Speakers of Rwampara, Kiruhura, Kazo, Ntungamo, Sheema, Ibanda, Hoima, Bundibugyo, Buhweju, Kagadi, Kakumiro, Rukiga, Mbarara, Kikuube and Kasese. They have come to observe how we are running the House and they will be advising the Deputy Speaker, later on, on how to run the House better. Thank you for coming, friends.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Like everybody is saying, I felt touched and cheated when I discovered that Buhweju was not benefiting from the scheme. I put in time and visited the council and met the Executive Director. I thought that at that time he educated me correctly because he told me the selection criteria does not involve any direct human input. He told me the list is computer generated and that if the computer detects anything like anyone from a wealthy family, it knocks that person out. That is what I was told, Madam Speaker. (Laughter) Now, when I come here and find these details out, I get surprised that the process is being abused and the system is being manipulated. Buhweju comes from the western part of Uganda and we have not benefited at all. Even though there are numbers, they are very minimal. Madam Speaker, I would suggest the following: One, there should be a thorough audit of the selection system. Is it computerised or manual? - the manual man could be having influence. Secondly, the council should interface with Parliament and educators so that later on, we take them at their word. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

9093 THE ELEVENTH PARLIAMENT OF UGANDA WEDNESDAY, 24 MAY 2023 My people have mixed up my papers but I will manage them. They have put page 21 before 20. Let me read it the way it is. They will sort it out. Here, they are saying districts of Buhweju, Bushenyi, Ibanda, Isingiro, Kabarole, Kamwengye, and Kanungu. They are talking about irrigation and saying, as a result, 2,373 acres have been added to the area under irrigation enabling 14,961 farmers to produce cabbages, tomatoes, apples, onions, pineapples, watermelons, green pepper, etc. They are still talking about irrigation. The following medium-scale irrigation schemes have been completed: Ngenge 808 hectares - Honourable Members of Parliament, get to know these things. These people may say “completed” when it is not. So, this is an opportunity for you to help them. We have: 1. Ngenge in Sebei - 808 hectares irrigated; 2. Rwengaju - 116 hectares; 3. Tochi - 500 hectares; 4. Mubuku II - 480 hectares; 5. Doho II - 1,000 hectares; 6. Olweny - 600 hectares and so on. Communal Valley Tanks The Government has constructed 44 communal valley tanks in Nabilatuk, Kotido, Amudat, Kaabong, Karenga, Soroti, Butebo etc. This has created a storage capacity of 6.6 billion litres serving 89,000 livestock. This is where they have mixed up. They put page 20 after page 21 but this is not the end of the world. (Laughter) Ekitatta muyima- ffe abaganda, tulina eddagala ly’ebizibu bino. Awo wengambila nti kasita obeera n’obulamu, ensobi zingenda kutelera. These people put page 21 before page 20. Somehow you can combine them. There has been a major disruption to transportation arising from the damage of Katonga Bridge which was washed away by floods. The floods also led to the eroding of wetland vegetation and gardens in the upstream parts of the catchment. This flooding was caused by a dam breach along the four- kilometer stretch of the Kalungu- Gomba Road in Bugomola Village, Lwabenge Subcounty in Kalungu District. The water had progressively built up on one side of the road due to blocked culverts, creating a damming effect. This created a massive force beyond the capacity of the road, creating a dam breach, which led to a sudden release of a large volume of water that moved downstream the Katonga River. As the flood wave moved downstream with a lot of papyrus and gardens causing significant damage to infrastructure. The interventions to address the problem of floods involve the protection of water catchments and the general environment so that they perform their function of storing and releasing water safely, even when there is increased rainfall. Regular maintenance of water bodies and rivers so that they perform their water storage and conveyance function. Demarcation and protection of lake shores, riverbanks and wetlands. To limit encroachment by settlements, construction of water storage facilities, agricultural activities and other developments. Strengthening of the early warning systems and enforcement of the water and environmental laws at all levels. People who damage the environment, do so at their own risk. Have we not seen enough examples? Nantabulirwa yasabala bwa bbumba . That is what we say in our language here. “The one who does not listen to advice insisted on using a clay boat on the lake and drowned in the lake”. Somebody made a boat from clay and people told him that clay cannot make a boat, do not do it but he could not listen. He made a clay boat, put it in the lake and drowned there. And that is how our people here in Buganda got a proverb, Nantabulirwa yasabala bwa bbumba . We tell people that please - in the book of Genesis- Ate bino bya Katonda - this is now

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I do not want to repeat what has been said but I would like to emphasise something. We have been demanding the Ministry of Information, Communications Technology and National Guidance to institute a tribunal to deal with a conflict between media houses, UCC and the Government. Without this tribunal, what we are talking about will not be actualised. I propose that on World Press Freedom Day, the Government should give this to media houses as a gift so conflicts will be sorted. Finally, on the issue of health - I come from Buhweju but since October last year, we have not received medicines. I raised it here sometime back and the Minister of Health informed me that something was going to happen. Madam Speaker, I have just talked to the district health officer who said they have no medicines, including ergometrine for the mothers. I know the Prime Minister loves Buhweju very much and she is a very determined woman. I worked with her in the Parliamentary Commission; so

Hon. Prime Minister, the medicine he has talked about is very important for women. I know you are a mother, and you believe in protecting women. Can you make a follow-up on the delivery of medicine to all hospitals in Uganda? You can start with Buhweju, then all hospitals in Uganda.

Thank you. Hon. Harold Muhindo? Let me finish with Kasese and Bundibugyo group. Hon. Acrobert Kiiza, for your information, even people from Mitooma District, it is Kilembe Mines Hospital that has been serving us, including people of Buhweju, especially on fractures. They are specialists and people from that region - now, I think people are going to Mbale and Kumi. That is a specialised hospital for the whole of the Western Region. Yes, Hon. Harold Muhindo?

Thank you, Mr Speaker. Today morning, I arrived late because Buhweju roads have been cut off again. Whereas the Prime Minister directed that we be given priority and our road be fixed, the ministers have not respected the Prime Minister’s directives. I abandoned my vehicle at midnight in the middle of the road and used a bus to come to Kampala because I could not remove it. Of course, Sheema and Kashari are also in the same condition because that is where we pass. Even when we were told there was a presidential directive that our road is prioritised, they were not in the ministerial statements last time; there is no budget for them. In the meantime, the money for maintenance that has been provided for, only caters for the road up to the border of Buhweju, so Buhweju has been left out. Our concern is: What did we do? The road that was provided for starts from Kabwohe up to Bwizibwera; it leaves Buhweju out of the question. That is my concern.

Mr Speaker, I have been to Buhweju, like I told you, and I thank the Member for his report. It is not true the road will start from Bwizibwera and not go through Buhweju because the President directed that that road should be prioritised. I know that the ministry, through Uganda National Roads Auditory (UNRA), has been mobilising resources, including machines to go and start working on the road; I want you to be patient. Now that a problem has come and our people are stuck, I am going to direct UNRA to come to Buhweju.

Sometime back, the President of Uganda wrote a book about the paradox of development. In that book, the President talked about Africa’s problems and he said that it is a paradox to find a highly mineral-endowed area but very poor. When one reads that book, they see what is happening now, and which we are talking about. While there is a lot of Gold in Buhweju, poverty is overtly seen. There are no roads but people come and mine Gold and go away without paying taxes. We are told that Gold is the property of the Government and that we cannot touch it. If they are not paying taxes, how can we benefit from the Gold mining in Buhweju? The minister talked about the companies - those that are willing to pay and those that are paying; we want to know these companies. Last time I told you that in Buhweju, we are suffering under a company owned by the daughter of the Minister of State for Energy and Mineral Development, called Modesta Lokeris. She has a lot of power and authority. She has destroyed all the roads, and now she is not even paying taxes. No, we cannot allow this to happen; we sit here while people are suffering with somebody saying, “Just let them be.”

Thank you, Mr Speaker. I would like to thank the chairperson and the committee for the good report. I am interested in knowing how much fuel is allocated to the tractors in the districts. How much is set aside for their maintenance? You can buy road units, but you do not provide the fuel to run these machines. Secondly, Kalungu, where I come from, is among the newly created districts. However, we have only one small tarmac road of one kilometre that goes to a certain Catholic Church built by an individual. I want to know whether you have put money aside for every new district that has no single tarmac. When shall we ever have tarmac in new districts? What is the interest of creating districts and we just have those roads with no single tarmac? Lastly, on the issue of Kampala, I do not know whether they have looked at Salaama Road. There are matters of litigation in KCCA where the IGG stopped contracts from proceeding. Have you looked at that? What is taking place? We need these roads maintained. On the Kampala-Entebbe Expressway, the contract was supposed to have lighting but there is none and as a result, a number of accidents occur along that road. Can we know whether something has been done regarding the challenges on that road? We need to have lights because people are getting killed all the time. On the issue of the new districts, we would like to get an update when we shall get at least one main tarmac road for a district. Buhweju is here – (Member timed out.)

Thank you. Why do you excite communities? Mr Speaker, remember you were in Buhweju and the issue of the Buhweju roads was brought to your attention. You made some commitments and did your work. There was also a Cabinet meeting where the President said that the Buhweju and the Ngora roads are priorities, but the money is not there. I do not know how you define the word “priorities”. Sometime back, we censured a minister, but she is still in office. I do not recognise that minister, since I voted for her censure. How do I pass money to the ministry to a person I do not recognise? We have not even had any communication from the Executive. I am at loss, Mr Speaker. I need guidance on passing money to the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, when there is somebody there that was censured.

Thank you, Mr Speaker, for your guidance. As we look at the law, we also have to look at who is mining the land. This is because when you know that, you will know why they are not paying taxes. In Buhweju, it is Modesta, Lokeris’ daughter, doing the mining. She has brought down all the roads - she is the daughter of the Minister of Energy -

Yes. His daughter is in Buhweju mining and you are asking, “Why are they not paying taxes?” It is because people in Government are doing business with the Government. We can look at the taxes but we also need to know who is mining because there are people who are mining and they believe they must not pay taxes.

At the time they had just started knowing it, it becomes very expensive. We need to assist them. Buhweju is now a bit better because of the good leader, but we also need the support.

8092 Disclaimer: The electronic version of the Official Report of the proceedings of Parliament (Hansard) is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Office of the Clerk to Parliament. MINISTERIAL POLICY STATEMENTS & BUDGET ESTIMATES FOR THE FY 2023/2024 iii. Inter-agency land wrangles The committee recommends that an inter- agency committee be instituted to resolve these wrangles and expedite the process of resolving the conflict to pave way for Government programmes. Anti-tick vaccines The committee notes that NARO is in the final stages of rolling out the anti-tick vaccine. The vaccine trials shall be concluded in the next six months; they are being tried in some of the NARO centres. The committee recommends that Shs 16 billion be repurposed to ZARDIs. We realise that ZARDIs depends on the headquarters and sometimes they are bogged down. That is why the committee recommends that to each of the 16 ZARDIs, one billion be sent to each to facilitate research. On sunflower and research and seed production for import substitution, the committee recommends that Shs 15 billion be provided to Serere ZARDI that is specialised in producing and multiplying sunflower seeds. On the multiplication and delivery of technologies for food and nutrition security at Nabuin, the committee recommends that Shs 10 billion be provided for to multiply and deliver technologies for food and nutrition security. Vote 151: National Agriculture Advisory Services The committee observes that the Vote has experienced significant budget cuts in the Financial Year 2023/2024, losing Shs 23.45 billion in total. The committee recommends as follows: i) That Shs 58.6 billion be reinstated to enable the Vote consolidate its current achievements; ii) That Shs 44 billion be provided to supply beans and maize seeds to address food security as the PDM gets fully operational; iii) Shs 10 billion be reallocated from Vote 010 – MAAIF, for related items, to Vote 152 - NAADS as follows: a) Shs 3.2 billion for Hass Avocado; b) Shs 4 billion for cashew nuts; c) Shs 2.8 billion for procurement and supply of goats; and d) Shs 20 billion be provided to purchase and distribute hoes to the remaining districts that have not received them. On the duplication of activities, the committee recommends that Shs 3 billion meant for the provision of milk coolers, under Vote 152: NAADS, be relocated to Vote 121: DDA, which is the mandated agency for the effective provision of the milk coolers. The committee observed that following a Cabinet directive on special intervention to evacuate tea and coffee seedlings from nurseries, NAADS supplied tea seedlings to a tune of Shs 61.096 billion to farmers in six district local governments (Mitooma, Buhweju, Bushenyi, Sheema, Rukungiri and Kanungu). No funds have been provided in the budget to clear these arrears. The committee recommends that Shs 61.096 billion be provided to clear these arrears. Vote 152: Uganda Cotton Development Organisation The committee recommends as follows: i) That Shs 0.163 billion be provided for setting the country’s cotton standards and reinstate it to meet its statutory requirements; ii) That Shs 5 billion be provided for farm - ers’ mobilisation, seed multiplication, production and pesticides to farmers; and

8096 Disclaimer: The electronic version of the Official Report of the proceedings of Parliament (Hansard) is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Office of the Clerk to Parliament. MINISTERIAL POLICY STATEMENTS & BUDGET ESTIMATES FOR THE FY 2023/2024 monies have dropped so much; there are a lot of budget cuts. Mr Speaker, this time, we should fund and invest in research, if our products are to compete with other countries. I would like to ask that these votes be funded and given more money. I would like to talk about value addition. We have not seen much in this budget towards value addition. It is very sad that Uganda has invested in some monies - let me give an example of the Buhweju tea growers. We grow tea and the Government has invested so much money to give seedlings to the farmers, but they do not think much after the tea has grown. Mr Speaker, we do not have enough factories. The small factories we have cannot sustain the green leaf. The Government should look at value addition, if we are to achieve what we are investing in.

Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. Now that the grant was not secured, we want to implore Government to take over the development of these stadia, as earlier planned. However, if the Government says they cannot manage, let us privatise them because if we had a good private stadium here, we would not have gone to Egypt. Maybe we would have used the “St. Mary’s” if it was highly developed instead of going to Egypt. Of course, Mr Speaker, you know that I am the patron for the Ankole District Football Association League and Buhweju is the champion. So, I speak from my heart.

Mr Speaker, I was appointed because Buhweju are the champions.

Mr Speaker, the Isimba Project is a national disaster in waiting. This project was commissioned in March 2019 and in April 2023, four years later, we are still talking about defects and liability. This should have taken only two years. The report of the committee is talking about defects and remedial work, meaning that the contractor did not do a good job. The ministry has never come here to tell us what the problem is. Of course, I have other issues with the minister, which are not part of this – with respect to mining in Buhweju, where the daughter has displaced very many people in my constituency. However, that will be for another day. The minister has not come here to deal with this issue before. This is no longer an issue of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development; it has become a security threat and, therefore, we should take it as that. The minister should tell us whether he is engaging the Government of China to do renegotiation. For now, you are not doing much and taxpayers are losing money. Mind you, this was a contract awarded in State House – there was no advert, but they sat and agreed and, now we are paying money. Mr Speaker, you heard from the chairperson that the log boom is not yet constructed, yet it is very important for the integrity of this dam; this is very dangerous. Finally, since we are paying money even before we can deal with the liability that we are involved in now, I think – like somebody suggested – the payment should stop. We should, first, work on the defects, if we can, and then talk about payment. Otherwise, paying money now would really be tantamount to costing the taxpayers’ money and I do not support such an irregularity. Thank you very much.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. Buhweju is an area endowed with minerals, especially gold. Unfortunately, the vehicles and the machinery deployed to mine gold destroy the very poor existing roads on the ground. My prayers are: 1. Can Government go to the ground and assess the situation with the view of expeditiously working on these roads? 2. Can Government think of sharing the revenues from the minerals with the district to help it restore the roads to a motorable situation? Thank you.

Mr Speaker, since I became the Prime Minister, I have been to Buhweju four times. I want to give a scenario: one day, it rained and all the roads got blocked; we suffered. So, when I came back, I wrote to the President. The President, in his wisdom and powers, directed the Ministry of Works and Transport to prioritise roads in Buhweju. I want to assure my brother that your roads are a priority line and they are going to be worked upon in the next financial year.

Mr Speaker, I request that you direct the Minister of Health, who is here, to tell us when Buhweju will get these supplies.

Thank you, Mr Speaker, for recognising that I am very peaceful. There are two categories of peaceful people the Rt Hon. Speaker was referring to; there are those they will pick up to create peace when there is chaos, and I am one of them. I stand to support the motion and to give testimony about the humility and truthfulness of the late Jacob Oulanyah. Finally, on behalf of the people of Buhweju, I wish that the late continues to rest in peace. Thank you.

7102 MINISTERIAL STATEMENT [Mr Ssewungu] COMMUNICATION FROM THE CHAIR the one road going to a church and it was built by one Christian. (Laughter) We want to know why new districts like Kalungu, Buhweju and others do not have a single tarmac road within their area, yet they were created for development.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. I applaud the Ministry of Defence and Veteran Affairs and the other security agencies for a job well done. However, while I appreciate the participation of the UPDF in the Democratic Republic of Congo, my concern is about the leakages back at home such as the recent skirmishes we heard of in Bundibugyo and Kasese. Mr Speaker, in Buhweju, where I come from, we border a forest – Kashohakitomi. There is talk that people have seen strange people within the forest. The UPDF has not come out to declare itself. Remember that at one time, the ADF operated in that forest, up to Bihanga in Nyakaziba Town Council. [Mr Oboth] MINISTERIAL STATEMENT

6958 SECTORAL COMMITTEE REPORT d) Be healthy and willing to undergo medical and physical tests. e) Have no criminal record and this proof of good citizenship was LCI and DISO signatures and recommendations. The quotas were distributed as follows: a) 8,400 were shared nationwide based on the district population size. b) 1,000 were mechanics and drivers. c) 600 were scientists qualifying to join the Air force. d) 100 Medical personnel e) 100 brass band musicians f) 50 specialised sportsmen and ladies The committee findings The committee observed that the recruitment covered 146 districts and the recruitment plan covered 134 districts. The 12 districts were accommodated within their former districts, since their district headquarters were not yet established. Quotas allocated to each district were based on the Uganda Bureau of Statistics population data of 2020. On this note, districts like Mitooma, Sheema, Rubirizi, Bushenyi and Buhweju had their recruitment centre at Bushenyi District Headquarters, which was their mother district as well as Greater Mbarara of Rwampara, Isingiro, Ibanda and Mbarara City and Mbarara District as well. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the recruitments were done on zonal levels. For instance, the UPDF recruited a total of 163 people from the districts of Nebbi, Zombo and Pakwach. Here the recruitment centre was in Nebbi. All those that attended were recommended by LCIs and DISOs. Nebbi District was a recruitment centre hosting the other two districts. Despite their quota being 57 for Nebbi District alone, 163 recruits were recruited at the zone. While recruitment is not based on tribe, most of the recruits that came from Nebbi were the Alur, as per their identity cards. The committee was informed that a total of 195 people were recruited from Tororo District and most of their documents were verified by LCI chairpersons of various villages of applicants to ensure that they had no criminal record - and not necessarily to prove their ethnicity, tribe or place of abode. Attached are the copies of IDs and letters of recommendation; letters from LCs and recommendations by GISOs as well. However, this was misunderstood to mean proof of nationality. The committee recommends that LCs and the general public should be sensitised on recruitment procedures and guidelines, in accordance with the UPDF Act of 2005. Advertisements should be clear, easy to understand and should be published in all local newspapers and local radios for wider coverage. There were alarming numbers of forged academic documents and the Uganda national identity cards. Recruits who did not have national IDs, but had already applied were not allowed to use their national identification numbers because it was difficult to attach the face to the NIN. Verification of all other documents required more time and finances, which had its own limitations. The recruitment period should be long enough to allow time to verify all the required documents by the relevant Government institutions and agencies. The national identification numbers should be allowed as long as their genuineness can be verified. The recruitment process should be financed to undertake most of the required activities to avoid haphazard work. The recruitment was done for all Ugandans, as long as they had national identity cards and their LCI or GISO or DISO confirmed that they had the required documents verified by LCIs, DISOs, GISOs, as proof of no criminal record. The committee recommends that there should always be proper scrutiny or vetting of these

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I convey heartfelt condolences from the people Buhweju. I have come to realise that during times like these, reality sets in. Even those who have a sense of entitlement realise that we are all perishable. You hear people speak and realise that yes, death brings us closer to the truth that we do not know who the next candidate will be. I do not know why we are always very proud; we speak like we are on top of mountains, we speak like we are in charge of all situations yet it does not take even a second to leave - ( Member timed out. )

Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. My concern is that because of the heavy rains over the last two months, in most parts of the country, most of the bridges have been washed away and some roads destroyed, specifically the UNRA roads. When we talked to UNRA, they told us: “We are under a lot of pressure and we have received only 10 per cent of the funds.” The Prime Minister just told us a few minutes ago that they have received a lot of money. So, I want to know: do they have the money? If they don’t have the money, what happens? This is because most of the bridges have been washed away and the roads have been destroyed. I speak for Buhweju, but I know that most parts of the country are affected. They even said, “We are overstretched.” Thank you very much.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. Rt Hon. Prime Minister, I want to help my neighbour, Hon. Francis Mwijukye, to be specific because that is what you wanted from him. There is a UNRA road that connects Ibanda and Buhweju. There is a bridge called Kyangwahanda; it was washed away by running water on the 21 st of November. On the 23 rd , a boda boda cyclist called Turyasiima Chrysostom, drowned at the same point. If we do not handle this Kyangwahanda Bridge as an emergency, more people are going to die. Kindly, Madam Prime Minister, give me the exact time when that bridge is likely to be worked on.

6348 In northern Uganda, we have Abim, Adjumani, Agago, Alebtong, Amolatar, Amudat, Amuru, Apac, Omoro, Arua, Dokolo, Gulu, Kaabong, Kitgum, Koboko, Kole, Kotido, Lamwo, Lira, Maracha, Moroto, Moyo, Nakapiripirit, Napak, Nebbi, Nwoya, Otuke, Oyam, Pader, Pakwach, Yumbe, Zombo, Obongi, Terego, Karenga, Kwania, Madi-Okollo, Nabilatuk, and Obongi. In Western Uganda, we have Buhweju, Buliisa, Bundibugyo, Bunyangabu, Bushenyi, Hoima, Ibanda, Isingiro, Ntungamo, Kabarole, Kagadi, Kakumiro, Kamwenge, Kanungu, Kasese, Kibale, Kiruhura, Kiryandongo, Kisoro, Kyegegwa, Kyenjojo, Masindi, Mbarara, Mitooma, Ntoroko, Rubanda, Rubirizi, Rukiga, Rukungiri, Sheema, Kikuube, Kazo and Rwampara. Madam Speaker, those are the areas that will be covered by the project.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. As a person who almost became a priest – (Laughter) - and as a servant of the people of Buhweju, I want to support the motion. We have had instances where people say, “I cannot work in Buhweju because it is a hard- to-stay area; I cannot work in such a village because it is a hard-to-reach place”. They need hard-to-reach allowances to work in some areas. This is a lesson to us; that you can even work where there is no money and you can be a missionary. I salute the life of this servant of God. Thank you very much.

6208 PRIME MINISTER’S TIME under the wise leadership of the First Lady and the Minister of Education and Sports, the Government secured the certificate of title for the property donated to John Akii-Bua in 1972. The details of the property are as follows: The district is Mengo, the county is Kibuga, the block number is 29, the plots are 1708 and 1709. Therefore, this land title was handed over to the administrator of the estate during the President’s recognition of the Ugandan athletes in October this year at State House. The second question came from Hon. Ephraim Biraaro, Member of Parliament Buhweju West. He says that Buhweju, like other districts in Uganda, is endowed with several minerals, most prominently gold. That our people have been rendered vulnerable to ill health as a result of chemicals used by commercial gold miners. It is said that these gold miners who use industrial scale methods and technology apply mercury in the running streams, in order to compress the gold powder for their benefit, which mercury is known as a hazardous chemical to humans, animals and all aquatic life. Water, which flows from gold mines in Njeru, Ngaju, Kagorogoro, Bihanga, Nyakitaraka and several other places, is shared by the communities downstream to their detriment. The big commercial gold miners seem to have no regard for property rights of the natives. They enter and excavate any piece of land at will. His prayers: 1. That the ministries in charge of minerals and environment should go on ground in Buhweju to assess the dangers posed by chemicals, and take appropriate action. 2. The ministry in charge of licensing commercial miners should go on the ground and tame the impact on the population by their agents. 3. The Committee on Natural Resources, which is within your powers, Madam Speaker, should make a visit to Buhweju and assess the impact of the mining activities on the community. Madam Speaker, the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development has instituted policies, reviewed and enacted laws to guide the development of the sector, for instance, the recently assented to Mining and Mineral Act, 2022. This will ensure sustainable socio- economic transformation of the country. The ministry is continuously engaging with all stakeholders including Ministries, Departments and Agencies and local governments to ensure compliance to the Mining and Minerals Act. Honourable colleagues, the ministry together with the National Environmental Management Authority is committed to the implementation of the Minamata Convention on Mercury, where Uganda is a signatory. The Convention on Mercury is the most recent global agreement on environment and health, adopted in 2013. One of the objectives of the convention is to protect human health and the environment from pollutants and releases of mercury and its compounds. Government is promoting the use of environmentally-friendly alternatives to mercury such as the use of borax in processing of gold. Madam Speaker and colleagues, the law provides penalties for the use of mercury and other hazardous chemicals in the mining sector. Like I said when I was starting, I request you to allow the Committee on Natural Resources to conduct an oversight visit as per the Member’s request. Hon. Veronica Nanyondo, Bukomansimbi district woman MP. She said, “I rise on a matter concerning the readiness by Government to implement the new lower secondary school curriculum. Recently, Government, through Ministry of Education and Sports and the National Curriculum Development Centre, introduced a new thematic-based lower secondary school curriculum that will be implemented when schools reopen in January, 2023.”

Thank you, Madam Speaker. During my interaction with the people of Buhweju during the recess, I have come to realise that whereas learners in candidate classes started final exams and others are yet start, Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE) starts on the 8 th and ends on 9 th of this month. The Senior Four examinations started on October 17 th and will end on November 18 th . Senior Six exams will be in November up to 9 th December. What is disturbing is that many candidates were stopped from sitting examinations because they have not completed fees payment. I am perturbed that more candidates will be stopped at primary seven and senior four levels. Somebody studies for four years, they are completing and they have a balance of only Shs 200,000, but they cannot be allowed to do exams. This is disturbing and my prayers are: (i) The Ministry of Education and Sports directs that our candidates be permitted to sit exams because it is unfair that one will study all these years only to be denied exams because of fees arrears. (ii) The Ministry of Education and Sports directs that all students and parents be tasked to clear their arrears before they get their results. I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. I stand on a matter of national importance. In the recent weeks in Ibanda District, we have had torrential rains; storms affecting many of our areas, especially the hilly areas, which border Buhweju. Houses have been razed, gardens swept, animals and banana plantations washed away. The rains have also swept our roads and bridges. In town –

Is the Member of Parliament from Buhweju in order to tell lies that I, Matia Kasaija Rwabyamuhito – (Laughter) – have not talked to NAADS? I was with NAADS and UCDA yesterday. What are you talking about? Is he in order? (Laughter)

Of course, we are. I am only disappointed with him. The Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development knows that his role is limited to availability of money and committing Government to pay but the role of implementing and distribution is for the agriculture ministry with agencies like UCDA and NAADS. What is happening now is that the finance ministry wants to go into distribution. They want to decide the modalities, which are limited to agriculture. That is why the agriculture minister is saying, “If they are talking about SACCOs, then it is not us.” Secondly, Mr Speaker, I speak for Buhweju. The agriculture minister did a verification report about how many seedlings we have and how many farmers want them; they have a report. They wrote to finance ministry and he has a copy. One wonders why he wants to begin afresh, at the end of a process. I really do not want to go that way. Mr Speaker, as I conclude –(Member timed out.)

Thank you, Mr Speaker. About eight years ago, the road to Buhweju was surveyed for purposes of tarmacking it; through Buhweju, Ibanda, Kitagwenda, and some parts of Kamwenge, up to Rubirizi District. People’s buildings were marked. It is now over eight years and people cannot sell their buildings or develop them. They are stuck and do not know what to do. I ask the Prime Minister to update us on what the people whose buildings were marked following that process can do, because they are stuck.

Mr Speaker, I was in Buhweju this year. The bad experience I got there forced me to cause a meeting with UNRA and the Ministry of Works and Transport. That is a priority road. We are only trying to get financing so that the road can be worked on; it is a priority road for this Government. Thank you.

I am still making my statement. There are two things that we need to do, and one of them is on the question of ensuring that what one says he has supplied is what he has supplied. There is a problem of monitoring. We are working out how this will be monitored. Colleagues – I can see my colleague from Buhweju – assure the people who have those seedlings that they will definitely be asked to go and supply them to the – (Interjection)- The rain? Yes, we appreciate it. It is not going to take a long time – so that we do not lose the seedlings and the farmers do not miss out. By the end of next week, Mr Speaker, I should be able to come back here and tell you the exact decision that will have been taken as to when we should begin this process.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. Before I came here, I talked to the Director NAADS. We are being told about consultation and he says they are waiting, but have heard nothing. They even heard that Cabinet had sat, but they have not been consulted. So, you ask, “Who are you consulting with?” In Buhweju, verification was done for tea by the agriculture ministry. There is a report by NAADS. You are not talking to NAADS and then, you ask: Whom are you consulting? Consultation is taking three weeks. Do you need two or three weeks to sit down, as the three agencies, to agree on how to give out tea seedlings? People have been waiting for seedlings - I think you remember - since March. Now, you want another month of consultation. Please, on Wednesday, I hope it will be the last day, because you remember you were here some time back and said, “I have already drafted the letter. Let me go and sign it.” You have never signed it. (Laughter) You were here. You said that, “on Buhweju, I have already drafted the letter.” It is on the Hansard record. I hope on Wednesday, you will not change your mind.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. I bring a matter of national importance and concern. In Buhweju, over the last few days, there has been a lot of rain - and all over the country- and Buhweju is hilly. So, on Sunday and yesterday, there was heavy rain and the most affected subcounty is Rubengye subcounty and other subcounties are equally affected. Bridges and culverts were broken and washed away, especially in areas of Rubengye Trading Centre, Katerera, Nkyomerwa, Kirende, Kitojo and others.

5661 THE ELEVENTH PARLIAMENT OF UGANDA TUESDAY, 20 SEPTEMBER 2022 My prayers, Mr Speaker, are that you provide emergency restoration of these culverts so that commercial vehicles and service delivery vehicles can cross. Number two is that the Government should patch up these roads so that they are open to commercial activities and transport and service delivery. Thirdly, I would like to request the Office of the Prime Minister to put Buhweju on their list of disaster-prone areas in every rainy season. I submit.

Thank you. Honourable minister, these artisanal miners are connected, wherever they are. Some come from Mubende and Buhweju. It is usually a network of a few who are being used because I remember the last time we went to Buhweju to meet artisanal miners, someone who was mining was quarrelling and said he had never seen gold. “There are many corners, you see that building, I dig the soil stocks -” then I asked him that if you have never seen gold, what are you quarrelling for? It is a network of people; they pick artisanal miners from this mine, and they are driven to another. Also, honourable colleagues who go to the field, you are going to bring us Ebola. We will meet with the Minister of Health, as the leadership of the House, to see measures we can put here. It may even mean restricting visitors; but that will depend on the guidance of the Ministry of Health, for which I am going to request the Clerk.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. On Tuesday, I raised a matter with respect to the disconnection of Buhweju and the neighbouring districts, due to the heavy rains. The bridges were washed away, roads were cut off and we cannot go to Ibanda, Sheema and Buhweju. We are really stuck; we are now landlocked like I said the other day. Whereas I am supposed to go to Buhweju tomorrow, I cannot go. I have to remain here. It is an emergency for which I needed their attention. I have been communicating with the Prime Minister, and I need assurance that I can go to Buhweju tomorrow or something be done urgently.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. A lot has been said but I would like to add my voice on behalf of the people of Buhweju to support this motion. Mr Speaker, when people become “big” many of them develop a sense of entitlement. They want to show that they are powerful, with a lot of money and authority; but we are talking about a humble human being, very powerful but humble. Other people would want to show you who they are. They tell you how they are Generals who can fight, imprison you, beat you and they can do anything to you; they have a lot of money, they even splash it in public. I would like to thank her for living an exemplary and humble life. May her soul rest in peace. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. My matter is also connected to what is being discussed. The situation in Buhweju is worrying. Currently, Buhweju is now landlocked. One cannot connect to Ibanda from Buhweju and neither to Sheema or Mbarara. The bridge at Nyakambwe that connects Mbarara, Buhweju and Sheema - and Hon. Itungo would bear me witness - was washed away and it had even cracked a few months ago. The bridge at Kabera was washed. We have bridges in Bisha Subcounty at Mushasha, schools have been destroyed. We grow food crops in the hills; the millet and beans gardens, and the banana plantations were washed away. Therefore, whereas we are talking about waiting to see how to deal with the law, there is an emergency that needs immediate attention in respect to the crops and the bridges that have been washed away, and now, how we connect - I had whispered to the minister and I said that as he plans to visit the districts, people can’t move from Buhweju to other districts. What do we do? The UNRA roads are now impassable, the district roads - first of all, the district has no money, but now, the roads are impassable. How do we move, Mr Speaker?

Thank you, Mr Speaker. The committee conducted field activities in the following districts: Pader, Agago, Alebtong, Kole, Napak, Ngora, Kaliro, Sheema, Buhweju, Mitooma, Bushenyi and Ibanda - that is on page 5. We are going to the findings, observations and recommendations. These are the areas that we were looking at during our visit to those districts. However, before we went to those districts, we had a meeting with the Minister of State for Education and the management of Higher Education Students Financing Board. At a later stage, I will also come with that report and read it as it is included in this report. Therefore, I would like this House to know what we did and the observations we made. So, the following key findings, observations and recommendations have been identified for immediate action for various programmes under affirmative actions and other equalisation programmes to be implemented in the short to medium terms. Mr Speaker, the status of equal opportunities in the education sector; and the attainment of equality and inclusivity in development, is significantly predicated on the state of wellbeing, skills and competitiveness of the various categories of individuals and groups in society, as cited with the Sustainable Development Goal for quality education. While, wellbeing is dependent on the quality of healthcare services. Considering that Government of Uganda has over the past decades made significant gains in education through, inter alia, universalising primary and secondary education, according to the recently released results, the performance of Primary Leaving Examination (PLE) in northern Uganda and northern subregions, for instance, is below the national average. Therefore, the committee noted the average distance travelled by students or pupils to reach their respective schools; majority of the districts visited reported that students cover a distance of more than five kilometres. And, learners complained about long distance travel from home to school. They reported that this was associated with the challenges of rape, late reporting to school, early departure and inability to complete school homework due to fatigue or late arrival at school. Therefore, regarding access to the school environment, especially for visually impaired learners, members observed that most of them could not easily reach school since they lacked landmarks. While, wheelchair users also find it very difficult to access educational facilities in these districts. Mr Speaker, the distance to the nearest facility influences access to education services. The Ministry of Education and Sports standard is that every parish should have a primary school; and there should be a secondary school in every subcounty. So, this policy would make education accessible at that level. The committee findings also revealed that, secondary and tertiary institutions were far and inadequate in many parts of the sampled areas. This made it very hard for most of the children from hard-to-reach areas to progress to secondary level. Other children keep repeating primary seven because of no access to secondary education. Sustainable Development Goals will be evaluated in the next nine years, yet districts are performing badly with only one secondary school in each district. Teenage pregnancy has also increased due to the lockdown. The committee further observed that the cost of education services is a determinant in access to education, and many people pay highly for education in private schools. And, those who did not pay any money to schools meet the cost of scholastic materials, between Shs100 to Shs150, which is very costly for the rural people. However, in private schools, especially in urban areas, the cost is much higher compared to Government-aided education facilities. The committee also observed that the dropout rate is very high. For instance, in Napak District it is at 84 percent. The committee visited special

I will now go to works and transport. The committee could not easily move from Ibanda to Buhweju districts due to the bad road network. We had to travel back to Mbarara in order to connect to Buhweju. Roads in such areas with very poor road network should be improved. This is something that we have complained about before. In Ngora District, the road to Pallisa is also a menace. It is not accessible due to the bad state of the bridges that need upgrading. In Napak District, the roads are also very bad, and are worse during the rainy season because they become impassable. This hindered our oversight visit to those districts. We, therefore, recommend that: 1. The Ministry of Works and Transport should evaluate the state of all the major roads and establish a redevelopment strategy so as to improve accessibility and livelihood; and 2. Government should devote resources to the improvement of roads in the mentioned districts. This is a pre-condition for the movement of people, goods and services and meaningful engagement in production. The Water and Environment Sector The committee observed that other areas in the country lack clean water. Access to clean water is not easy in Buhweju District, where women move long distances to access clean water. In Napak District, there is need to dig deep wells, because access to clean water is a major problem in that area. We realised that water distribution is not balanced in all the communities, such as in Apac where 146 villages do not have any water sources. They obtain their water from ponds, and it is not very clean; and they move very long distances to access this water. The committee further observed that latrine coverage in Napak was at 37 per cent and most of the community members still practice open defaecation and the district has very high levels of poverty. Recommendations 1. The Ministry of Water and Environment should make a detailed assessment of the water scarcity in hard-to-areas and provide possible solutions to that effect; and 2. The Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries should support the marginalised groups with improved seedlings and farming tools. The Youth Livelihood Programme This is a programme we also considered as affirmative action given to the communities. Our findings and observations are on page 17. It was noted that there were no funds under the Youth Livelihood Fund at the district STANDING COMMITTEE REPORT [Mr Alyek]

4984 MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION started primary One. Where did the rest of the students go? I think the Ministry of Education and Sports should carry out a thorough research and find out why, such that a solution can be sought. On the transport issue, I would like the Ministry of Works and Transport to carry out a deliberate research on the road network in the hard-to-reach areas. For example, they talked about Buhweju – there is a very big problem in Buhweju because of its topography. Construction of roads in Buhweju is not easy and it becomes very expensive for Government. So, a deliberate effort should be made by Government to construct roads –(Member timed out.)