Pakwach District

462 TRIBUTE TO THE LATE GEN. (RTD) MOSES ALI Ibaale and me, as timekeepers. One day, he caught us - we were timekeepers, but we never used to sign the book because we thought we were important. One day he asked us, “Show your names in this timekeeping register.” We were not there. He taught us humility that even if you are a leader, you must be accountable to the people. Finally, to those in the military who are serving, particularly in West Nile: yesterday, the army’s Fisheries Protection Unit spent the majority of the day burning boats in Pakwach. You have to serve with humility. We should not serve in the military by burning people’s boats and making people hate the uniform. I thank Gen. Moses Ali for protecting his people when we went into exile and when we came back. To this House, thank you for having our father here and respecting him even when he looked frail and sickly. People used to look at him with honour and respect. On behalf of West Nile, I want to thank you so much, honourable Members, for honouring him.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. On behalf of the people of Pakwach, allow me to extend my heartfelt condolences to the President, to you, the Speaker of Parliament, and the family of the late Gen. (Rtd) Moses Ali. I stand here to testify about the late Gen. Moses Ali as a peace builder. In 1986, I was a young girl; one morning, three vehicles appeared and parked in our compound. Soldiers jumped out, and my late father was seated under a tree. Out of the car, a towering tall soldier emerged - who was our late elder. I started beckoning to my father because I was bringing something to him. He whispered to me and said, “Run away.” All the girls and women ran away and why was that? Because it was well known that soldiers were very good at raping women. That is why my dad asked us to run away, although later on, we were all called back. He had been sent to go and talk to my father, who was a prominent opinion leader, to mobilise the people of Jonam to welcome the NRA with green leaves. Indeed, today, as people of West Nile, we have lost a general who fought to see that there is peace in West Nile and saw to it that women are no longer raped by the current UPDF. For that, we thank him. Mr Speaker, somebody here stated, “We should not pay tribute by just talking but rather with action.” The President mentioned two of our critical roads, both of which are of economic value. The Nebbi-Vurra road and Panyimur– Wadelai–Obongi road - (Member timed out.)

Yeah. Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. Marshall Godfrey Alenyo from Pakwach. I represent the Jonam people who border the Democratic Republic of Congo in Dei sub- county, the uppermost part of Jonam County. The people of Pakwach have suffered a lot during this Ebola pandemic. MINISTERIAL STATEMENT

That sounds good. Honourable members, in the VIP gallery this afternoon, we have the Rt Rev. Constantine Rupiny, Bishop of Nebbi Catholic Diocese. (Applause) He is the main celebrant at today’s Feast of St Thomas More. He is accompanied by a delegation of the following: 1. Fr Ponsian Kaweesa, Chaplain of the Parliamentary Catholic Chaplaincy here; 2. Fr Camillus Chandini; 3. Fr Norbert Azale; 4. Fr Charles Lwanga; 5. Fr Joseph Musoke; 6. Fr Deo Ssengendo; 7. Fr Stephen Oribdhogu, the Chancellor Nebbi Diocese; 8. Fr John Mary Muzei Kibirige; and 9. Sr Alice Jacan. Please join me in welcoming them and make them feel welcome. (Applause) The leaders of the four districts, namely Nebbi, Zombo, Pakwach and Madi-Okollo, please stand up for recognition so they can see your faces. The elder, Hon. Catherine Akumu Mavenjina, Hon. Jane Pacuto, Hon. Emmanuel Ongiertho, Hon. Martin Drito, Hon. Topista Achamfua, Hon. Marshall Alenyo, Hon. Isaac Otimgiw, Hon. Gabriel Okumu, Minister Phiona Nyamu-something (Nyamutoro) - (Laughter) - Hon. Grace Freedom Kwiyucwiny, Hon. Joan Aniku and Hon. Ali Ogama Hon. Joseph Ssewungu is a member of the Catholic - he was an altar boy who wanted to be a priest but - on this note, Rt Rev. Constantine Rupiny is the first Catholic bishop to come to this new term of Parliament -(Applause)- and I was blessed - this morning at 10:00 a.m., he came, prayed for me and blessed me. I am very blessed now. (Laughter) Honourable members, we shall have to release the Members from Greater Nebbi; the four districts, when time comes, and - let us process this. Hon. Annet Pamela Kirungi, the MP for Kabarole - is she here? Can you raise your issue in one minute?

Thank you very much. Mr Speaker, I also rise to thank the President for the State-of-the- Nation Address. Two areas from the address caught my attention, and my comments will be based on that. Number one, I would also like to thank the Government for the income-generation initiatives, particularly aiming at improving household incomes. But every time such initiatives come up, I feel there is one group of people that is left out. In all our villages, we have village savings and loans associations. When those initiatives come up, they do not target them. I am asking, if possible, particularly the ministry responsible for cooperatives, they can look at the possibility of working with these savings groups in the villages to support the individual households. That is one area. The second is the area of human capital development and specifically for the health sector. Nebbi Municipality, where I come from, houses the hospital of Nebbi. That hospital has become a referral hospital for Zombo, Nebbi, Pakwach and Madi-Okollo districts, leaving the municipality with three divisions without any health facility. When you go to the district hospital, you find their focus is mainly on the people who have been referred there from distant places, leaving out the local population. Mr Speaker, one thing that amazed me was: I discovered that some years back, 15 staff members were recruited to start one health centre III in one of the divisions. Unfortunately, because there was no construction, the health workers, some of whom were absorbed into the district, and five of them have remained unabsorbed. They are there; they continue to draw salaries from the Government, but after a certain period, they were stopped. Some of them are now thinking of taking the Government to court, which to me is unfair – (Member timed out.)

where Uganda has been, where Uganda is, and where we are going. It also demonstrates that for the last 40 years, the NRM Government has shown the way. The President highlights three specific issues: 1. Wealth creation. 2. Human capital development. 3. Infrastructure development. The PDM programme, which is our flagship programme, has been inclusive, including even the last man at the village level. I stand to support the motion to appreciate His Excellency for such a wonderful State-of-the- Nation Address. In the area of infrastructure, we have a road that runs from Pakwach all the way to Difule, the border between Uganda and Sudan. The President emphasised that our infrastructure development supports wealth creation and trade. We remind the Government about tarmacking the road from Pakwach through Madi-Okollo, through Moyo and Obongi up to South Sudan. Thank you.

Hon. Marshall and then the honourable member from Kibale. MR MARSHALL ALENYO (Independent, Jonam County, Pakwach: Thank you. Mr Speaker, Opak Rwot Charles, Abok-Pabok, Ature Brian today are at Hon. Nyamutoro’s constituency in a hospital, caused by the crocodiles, which attacked them yesterday. Rt Hon. Prime Minister, we were supposed to have a boundary opening exercise with the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), but it has not taken place up to now. There is a big dispute over the boundary between Jonam County and the park, and it is causing a lot of issues. Even today, the crocodiles are attacking our constituents. I want the Prime Minister to comment on that exercise and the compensation. PRIME MINISTER’S TIME

Thank you, Mr Speaker. Three villages in Madi-Okollo have been submerged with floods since 2022/2023 when the Government constructed an irrigation plant in the neighbouring Pakwach District. Flooding in the three villages affected hundreds of acres of land and the district wrote a disaster report during that time. The affected persons have been waiting for compensation; they already opened bank accounts. For four years, they have not had access to the land because it is completely submerged. During elections, people swam across the same village just to reach their polling stations. When are those people going to be compensated?

Mr Speaker, I know that problem. I was in Wadelai Irrigation Scheme, and yes, those people are suffering. Can you write to me so that I get the action taken? Those people have really suffered for quite some time. I was in Wadelai in Pakwach District, myself. We shall act.

Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. I join all the other colleagues in congratulating you upon your election. I rise on the issue of the land of the Jonam, east of Pakwach. The other day I again rose on this matter, but just yesterday, there was a team trying to survey the land at Gotafoyo Parish, which is in Nwoya District. The Jonam are there; yesterday they were locked out, and they did not eat. I want the honourable Minister of Local Government, my brother Hon. Balaam, to look at this matter because it involves local government officials. Thank you very much.

140 THE BUDGET SPEECH, 2026 a) Agro-industrialisation; b) Tourism development; c) Mineral-based industrial development including oil and gas; d) Science, technology, and innovations including ICT and the creative arts. These sectors are deliberately selected because they represent Uganda’s strongest comparative advantages and possess the greatest potential to generate exports, jobs, incomes and investment. Together, they form the engine of the Tenfold Growth Strategy. The objective is simple: To convert Uganda’s natural resources, human capital and innovation into wealth, jobs and prosperity. I would now like to detail each. Agro-industrialisation Mr Speaker, agriculture remains the backbone of Uganda’s economy. It employs millions of Ugandans, supplies raw materials to industry, produces exports and sustains livelihoods across the country. However, Uganda’s future prosperity will not come from producing more raw commodities alone. It will come from increasing productivity, expanding value addition, strengthening agro- processing and improving market access. The Government, therefore, continues to invest strategically across the entire agricultural value chain. Agricultural research and innovation Mr Speaker, agricultural transformation begins with science. This year, the Government made significant advances in agricultural research and genetics. The anti-tick vaccine facility at the National Livestock Resources Research Institute in Nakyesasa was completed and is now operational, producing about 36 million doses, serving 18 million livestock in the first year. The Government also produced Foot-and- Mouth Disease vaccines and continued to advance research on disease resistant crops and livestock breeds. These investments will reduce production losses, raise productivity and increase farmer incomes. Water for production and irrigation Climate change continues to expose farmers to significant weather-related risks. The Government is, therefore, accelerating investment in irrigation and water for production infrastructure to reduce dependence on rainfall. Progress was registered on several major irrigation projects including Kabuyanda Dam in Isingiro District, Atari in Bulambuli District, Wadelai in Pakwach District, Acomai in Bukedea District, Namaitsu in Bududa District, Chembombai in Bukwo District and Sipi Irrigation Scheme in Bulambuli District. Solar-powered irrigation schemes are also being rolled out across the country. These investments will support all-year-round production, increase resilience and improve agricultural productivity. Mechanisation and animal health The Government continued developing Regional Agricultural Mechanisation Centres and Animal Disease Control Centres to improve efficiency and productivity in the agriculture sector. Progress was registered in Kiruhura, Mbale, Kiryandongo, Bunyangabu, Nakaseke, Katine and several other districts. These facilities are improving access to modern agricultural equipment, veterinary services and disease surveillance systems. Expanding commercial coffee production Mr Speaker, coffee remains one of Uganda’s most important export commodities. The Government has, therefore, expanded coffee cultivation into northern and eastern Uganda. During the year, two coffee mother gardens were established and over 1.4 million coffee seedlings distributed to 7,532 farmers in

Thank you, Mr Speaker. I stand to support the loan, basing on the following: Firstly, it resonates with the Tenfold growth agenda very well because it is going to boost production and exports, which will improve our balance of payment through foreign exchange. Mr Speaker, this loan is going to spread throughout the districts, including mine – Pakwach – where coffee has been minimally grown. I, therefore, support it because it is going to create employment for our young people and promote crops that other areas of Uganda have limited knowledge about or have not been growing. I beg to submit.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. I want to congratulate the Vice- President. In support of the nomination of the Prime Minister, I am Hon. Marshall Alenyo. I represent the people of Jonam County in Pakwach and I am an Independent. Mr Speaker, if you go into your office, when the people of Jonam were sent away from their Palango land across the eastern part of

Pakwach, they lost their land. Up to now, all those women you see running with fish and onang-nang used to stay across Pakwach. The then Prime Minister, the late Rt Hon. Prof. Apolo Nsibambi wrote a directive about the people of Jonam going back to their land. I want you, in your next term, as the Prime Minister of this beautiful country, to look at that directive. I support your nomination. Thank you very much. I beg to move.

2 ADMINISTRATION OF OATHS 6. Abeja Susan Jolly District Woman Representative Otuke NRM 7. Abigaba Cuthbert Mirembe Kibale County Kamwenge NRM 8. Acamfua Topista District Woman Representative Zombo Independent 9. Acan Joyce Okeny PWD Representative N/A NRM 10. Achayo Juliet Lodou Ngora County Ngora NRM 11. Achia Lokiru Gabriel Jie County Kotido NRM 12. Achola Catherine District Woman Representative Pallisa NRM 13. Aber Lillian District Woman Representative Kitgum NRM 14. Acom Alobo Joan City Woman Representative Soroti FDC 15. Aayoo Joyce Makamoe District Woman Representative Abim Independent 16. Acon Julius Bua Otuke East County Otuke NRM 17. Adeke Anna Ebaju District Woman Representative Soroti FDC 18. Adidwa Abdu Bukooli South County Namayingo Independent 19. Agaba Gilbert Workers Representative N/A Independent 20. Agaba Peter Ibanda Municipality Ibanda NRM 21. Ahebwa Wilber Manyisa Nakaseke North County Nakaseke NRM 22. Akello Beatrice Akori District Woman Representative Agago NRM 23. Aine Godfrey Kaguta Mawogola North County Ssembabule NRM 24. Akello Lucy District Woman Representative Amuru FDC 25. Akello Rose Lilly District Woman Representative Karenga NRM 26. Akol Anthony Kilak North County Amuru NRM 27. Akorikin Francis Kapelebyong County Kapelebyon NRM 28. Aguti Sarah District Woman Representative Dokolo UPC 29. Akugizibwe Aled Ronald Buruli County Masindi NRM 30. Akumu Catherine Mavenjina Older Persons Representative Northern NRM 31. Alenyo Marshall Godfrey Jonam County Pakwach Independent 32. Alioni Yorke Odria Aringa South County Yumbe NRM 33. Among Anita Annet District Woman Representative Bukedea NRM 34. Magogo Moses Hassim Budiope East County Buyende NRM 35. Opolot Isiagi Patrick Kachumbala County Bukedea NRM 36. Okwere David Beecham Bukedea County Bukedea NRM 37. Namulondo Sarah District Woman Representative Buyende NRM 38. Pedun Josephine District Woman Representative Ngora NRM 39. Aeku Patrick Soroti County Soroti NRM 40. Alyela Denis Omodi Lira East Division Lira City NRM 41. Akifeza Grace Ngabirano District Woman Representative Kisoro NRM 42. Akugizibwe Lawrence Mwenge County North Kyenjojo NRM 43. Amanya Cohen Kyampene Igara County West Bushenyi NRM 44. Achia Cathy District Woman Representative Kaabong NRM 45. Acom Esther District Woman Representative Serere Independent 46. Amaniyo Draville Sheilah District Woman Representative Mukono NUP 47. Aceng Jane Ruth District Woman Representative Lira City NRM 48. Ajilo Maria Gorretti Elogu District Woman Representative Kalaki NRM 49. Adome Francis Lorika Moroto Municipality Moroto NRM 50. Ameede Agnes District Woman Representative Butebo NRM 51. Amongin Jane Frances Okili District Woman Representative Kaberamaido NRM 52. Angura Fredrick Tororo South County Tororo NRM 53. Angwech Colline Kioga County Amolatar UPC 54. Anifa Bangirana Mawogola West County Ssembabule NRM 55. Anyakun Esther Davinia District Woman Representative Nakapiripirit NRM 56. Acheng Sandra District Woman Representative Kole NRM

3 THE TWELFTH PARLIAMENT OF UGANDA WEDNESDAY, 13 MAY 2026 57. Alum Santa Sandra Ogwang District Woman Representative Oyam UPC 58. Akoth Angella Nzokire District Woman Representative Tororo Independent 59. Alero Tom Aza West Moyo County Moyo NRM 60. Anywar Ricky Richard Agago West County Agago NRM 61. Aogon Silas Kumi Municipality Kumi Independent 62. Aol Betty Ocan City Woman Representative Gulu City PFF 63. Arinaitwe Jeniva District Woman Representative Rubirizi NRM 64. Arinaitwe Rwakajara Katambuka Workers Representative N/A NRM 65. Aseera Stephen Buhaguzi East County Kikuube NRM 66. Asiimwe Florence Akiiki District Woman Representative Masindi NRM 67. Attan Okia Moses Soroti East County Soroti City FDC 68. Kiconco Katabaazi Patrick Rukiga County Rukiga NRM 69. Atuhwereire Arthur Kazoora Ruhinda South County Mitooma NRM 70. Atukunda Rebecca Mubangizi District Woman Representative Kassanda NRM 71. Atuto Jacinta District Woman Representative Kapelebyong NRM 72. Atwijukire Boaz Katerera County Rubirizi Independent 73. Alupo Jessica Rose Epel District Woman Representative Katakwi NRM 74. Atwijukire Dan Kimosho Kazo County Kazo NRM 75. Acora Nancy Odonga District Woman Representative Lamwo NRM 76. Atyang Stella District Woman Representative Moroto NRM 77. Auma Janet District Woman Representative Amolatar UPC 78. Auma Kenny District Woman Representative Kwania UPC 79. Avako Melsa Naima Gule District Woman Representative Yumbe NRM 80. Anyango Janet Hope District Woman Representative Busia NRM 81. Ayagalachi Jamali Bukooli County Bugiri NUP 82. Achia Remigio Pian County Nabilatuk NRM 83. Ayepa Michael Labwor County Abim NRM 84. Ayoo Janeth Phoebe Obol District Woman Representative Gulu NRM 85. Apolot Christine District Woman Representative Kumi Independent 86. Ayume Charles Koboko Municipality Koboko NRM 87. Avur Jane Pacuto District Woman Representative Pakwach NRM 88. Atugonza Allan Buliisa County Buliisa NRM 89. Baatom Ben Koryang Dodoth West County Karenga NRM 90. Babirye Kityo Sarah Bukoto County East Masaka NRM 91. Babirye Milly Babalanda Budiope West County Buyende NRM 92. Ariko Herbert Edmund Okworo Gweri County Soroti NRM 93. Kakooza James Older Persons Representative Central NRM 94. Awor Betty Engola District Woman Representative Apac NRM 95. Engola Sam Erute County South Lira NRM 96. Baryomunsi Chris Kinkizi County East Kanungu NRM 97. Nabbanja Robinah District Woman Representative Kakumiro NRM (The House was suspended at 11.38 a.m.) (On resumption at 1.29 p.m., the Clerk presiding.) 98. Auma Linda Agnes District Woman Representative Lira NRM 99. Babanga Wilfred Erima Terego East County Terego NRM 100. Babula Noel Kataike Matilda District Woman Representative Budaka NRM 101. Bahireira Sylivia Tumwekwase District Woman Representative Kamwenge NRM 102. Bakireke Nambooze Betty Mukono Municipality Mukono NUP

18636 CONSIDERATION OF THE BUDGET ESTIMATES FOR FY 2026/2027 Madam Speaker, we have just passed an amendment on the copyright law. We strongly recommend that this money be provided to open up this facility. Office of the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) Madam Speaker, despite the recent recruitment of 125 state attorneys for which the department is grateful, the Directorate of Public Prosecutions staffing stands at 759 against the approved 1,734, which represents 43 per cent staffing level. There is still a critical need for recruitment of both legal prosecutors and administrative staff to expand the scope of reach of criminal prosecution services. The office of the DPP requires an additional funding of Shs 10 billion for the recruitment of both legal prosecutors and administration. The committee notes that with the improved staffing, state attorneys will reduce the current workload and improve the perusal of case files. The committee finds this requirement critical and recommends an additional Shs 20 billion, instead of Shs 10 billion requested for, be provided to the Office of the DPP during the Financial Year 2026/2027 to facilitate the recruitment of staff to close the prosecutor- case ratio and increase the scope of criminal prosecution services across the country. Honourable colleagues, there is a need for a prosecutor for every magistrate at the district courts. This is because you find one prosecutor serving three magistrates. Therefore, you cannot have the proceedings continue unless this prosecutor has moved from this court to another, hence, the justification for an increase from the requested Shs 10 billion to Shs 20 billion. Establishment and operationalisation of offices in 32 districts The Office of the DPP is not present in 32 districts and more than 100 outer courts with Grade 1 Magistrates. This has affected the delivery of prosecution services. In order to establish and operationalise a Resident State Attorney station, the Office of the DPP requires an additional Shs 8 billion to establish a Resident State Attorney Station in each of these districts at a unit cost of Shs 250 million. The committee deems this requirement very important and, therefore, recommends that the Office of the DPP be provided with Shs 8 billion to implement the construction of these stations. Construction of offices and residential premises in hard-to-reach and hard-to-stay areas As part of strengthening criminal prosecution service delivery, the Office of the DPP has established 148 offices, both at the regional and district levels. However, officers fail to find decent offices and residences for accommodation in some of these areas. The Office of the DPP requires Shs 20 billion for the construction of offices and residential premises to attract officers to serve in the hard-to-reach and hard-to-stay areas. The committee makes a recommendation that Shs 20 billion be provided for the development budget of the Office of the DPP during this financial year to construct their own up-country offices and residential premises. Transport Equipment The committee observed that the Office of the DPP requires Shs 18 billion for the procurement of 72 vehicles to support the movement of officers to and from courts to avoid sharing public transport facilities with suspects, relatives and their accomplices while in prosecution of case files and other sensitive documents. Officers who serve hard-to-reach and stay areas of Bukwo, Yumbe, Pakwach, Maracha, Kalangala, Kotido, Koboko, Bwera, among others; including supervision by management. The committee recommends that Shs 18 billion be provided to the Office of the DPP during this financial year to provide transport equipment for those areas.

Thank you. Madam Speaker, on the project on Industrial Parks Electrification Phase II, the intended project is to construct substations and power lines to supply power to industrial parks. This will include the Sukulu Hills in Tororo, Mbale Industrial Park, Kapeeka Park in Nakaseke, the Wobulenzi Park in Luwero, and Nakasongola-Kaweweta Defense Industrial Park, amongst others. Under the Kampala Metropolitan Transmission System Improvement Project, we intend to have an upgrade of the Kawaala, Mutundwe, Mukono, and Buloba-related infrastructure. Madam Speaker, the planned area of benefit is Kampala, Wakiso, and Mukono environs. Madam Speaker, there is the ORIO Mini Hydro and Rural Electrification Project. The ministry intends to undertake construction of the mini hydro infrastructure, 288-kilometre distribution network, and 71,081 last-mile connections, particularly intended for areas in Hoima, Nchweera, Igassa, and Nsongya. Forgive my pronunciation due to cultural challenges. On the Kiba Hydropower Project, the ministry is undertaking a feasibility study, the environmental sustainability impact assessment, and access works and stakeholder engagement for this mini project, which is intended to be constructed in Nwoya and Kiryandongo districts. The Oriang Hydropower Project is still the same, and it is intended to be located in Nwoya and Oyam districts. On the Ayago Hydropower Project, preparatory studies are to be undertaken, as well as stakeholder management activities. The same is in Nwoya and Kiryandongo areas. Under the Buyende Nuclear Power Plant site evaluation is going to be undertaken, including meteorological tower installation, seismic and groundwater monitoring, and a resettlement action plan finalisation. This project will be located in Buyanja Subcounty in Buyende District. Madam Speaker, on the geothermal development, there is an intention to undertake deep exploration and drilling, as well as undertake surface studies. This project will be in Kibiro in Hoima, in Panyimur in Pakwach, in Okidi in Amuru, Karungu in Rubanda, Ihimbo in Rukungiri, and Kabuga in Kasese. The electricity access scale-up project

18213 THE ELEVENTH PARLIAMENT OF UGANDA TUESDAY, 2 DECEMBER 2025 This schedule was meant for Vote 016: Ministry of Works and Transport, in order to fix various roads. Aware that there were about seven suspended projects amounting to 395 kilometres. Projects such as Moroto- Lokitanyala of about 42 kilometres, Najjanankumbi-Busabala Road, 36.5 kilometres, Mityana-Mubende Road, about 100 kilometres and Kampala-Jinja Expressway of about 72 kilometres had been suspended due to lack of funding. 11 projects were under reduced progress. There was a go-slow coming to around 533 kilometres. They include roads like Olwiyo- Pakwach, Kisubi-Nakawuka and Kasanje- Mpigi - that one, after you approve the money, work will be progressing. About nine bridges projects were affected by the constraint in financing. The likes of Katonga Bridge and Ssezibwa all went at a go- slow. Colleagues, the details of this are attached in annexes 2 and 3. Madam Speaker, I do not know whether it will be important –

18027 THE E LEVENTH P A R LIAMENT OF UGANDA W E DNESDAY , 17 SEPTEMBER 2025 sufficiently using energy. I thought it would be in a way of sensitising Ugandans that when you leave your cooker or fridge on, you are incurring an unnecessary cost rather than coming up with a penalty. Mr Speaker, other than that, it looks like this law is targeting our traders, probably not importing certain kind of equipment like cookers or fridges. What will happen if we pass this law this week and tomorrow it comes into effect? What will the traders that have these cookers and fridges in their stores or for some of us with these cookers and fridges in our houses, what will happen? What is the Government going to do with their provision for compensation? Two, like what Hon. Okeyoh said, some of our districts or parts of our districts have no electricity. For example, in Obongi District, the people there have never even seen an electricity pole. So, how are you passing a law that every Ugandan will have to use or benefit or work against them and yet you have not reached every area of Uganda? Even where you have reached in Pakwach, half of the district has no electricity. Why don’t we do the first things first and then come up with other things later? Again, the minister needs to clarify as they harmonise because the minority report clearly spelled out the concern about driving costs. We, the people of Uganda, are struggling with whatever kind of business and there is no law that we should pass in this House that will drive the cost up. Rather, we should bring it down so that our private sector can thrive beyond the Ugandan economy. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. On behalf of Ker Kwaro Jonam - that is from Pakwach, I want to congratulate the people of Tooro as they celebrate today. On the issue of rhinos, Pakwach is a neighbour to Madi-Okollo where there are plans by the Ministry for Tourism to transfer a number of rhinos to Ajai Reserve National Park. As the Ministry for Tourism plans, I would like to implore the Government that in planning, there should be synergies whereby different ministries work together. Even us locals, if we wanted to promote domestic tourism, we are unable to as people of West Nile and as people of Uganda. Why? The roads are so bad. If you went now and moved on the road from Panyimur, Pakwach, Wadelai, that takes you to Ajai Game Reserve. I would like to request the Minister of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities together with the Ministry of Works and Transport that as they plan to take the rhinos, how will people go to the park to look at the rhinos?

17919 THE ELEVENTH PARLIAMENT OF UGANDA WEDNESDAY, 10 SEPTEMBER 2025 Besides, the area has no power. Nobody wants to go to such a place and you just stop looking at the rhinos. You may decide to stay overnight. You may need to charge a phone. Really, in planning and allocation of resources, and looking at what our cash cow is, I think tourism is next to coffee or even more than coffee now in Uganda. Therefore, we cannot understaff the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities with resources, together with the Ministry of Works and Transport. We need perfect roads for tourism to thrive in every part of Uganda. I, therefore, want to plead to the Government - we, the people of West Nile, the people of Madi-Okollo and Pakwach are eagerly waiting to see road equipment as the rhinos pass through our villages. Thank you.

Honourable minister, mine is similar to what the people of Elgon are talking about; the boundary. You realise that Pakwach borders the park but there is a water body that separates them. Many times, our fishermen are arrested by rangers on the water yet there is no clear boundary. There is no effort by the Government to put a clear boundary as to where fishermen can stop. As I speak – I shared with you already – two of our people, Brian and Boniface, were arrested in May this year. We have looked for them in all police cells but we cannot find them yet they were arrested by rangers on the water while fishing. We also need boundaries on water bodies that border national parks so that there is no – this time it is not even a human- animal conflict but a human-to-human conflict. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Before I make my contribution as per this loan, I would like to stand here on behalf of the people of Pakwach District who requested me to heartily congratulate you for that high office that you have risen to. [ Hon. Opendi rose]

Let me first receive my congratulations. The people of Pakwach are watching.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I would like to appreciate the Government for the effort they have put into the road sector. The new districts have received equipment, but it is incomplete. Therefore, we have to seek from the region. The region for Northern Uganda is in Gulu. West Nile is very far from Gulu. I would like to implore the minister to have special consideration for West Nile. Can we have equipment there? West Nile should be a region of its own. The people of West Nile love the people of Gulu and Lango, but we do not want to always be bundled up. Please have consideration for the people of the West Nile. Number two, there is a road which His Excellency – I am in possession of a copy of a written directive to your ministry, honourable minister, directing for not tarmacking but high- grade marram from Pakwach, Rhino Camp up to Difule. This is from 2023, 2024; we are now almost reaching 2026. Please, let us have the high-grade marram as we wait for tarmac. I thank you.

17692 MINISTERIAL STATEMENT Madam Speaker, regarding the Pakwach- Adwili-Rhino Camp Road, this road is going to be done because there is a lot of pressure from the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife, and Antiquities since they are going to relocate rhinos into the Rhino Camp. (Applause) We are working with the tourism ministry to ensure this road is done.

17706 MINISTERIAL STATEMENT own resources. The challenge, of course as I said, is resources but we know the roads. Masindi-Gulu potholes were filled by our people. For Masindi-Biso, we owe the contractor, China Railway No.7, Shs 111 billion. It was in my report. Therefore, we need to pay the contractor so that they can finish the road. Regarding Koboko-Yume-Moyo, I have talked to the Minister of Internal Affairs and I think that will be addressed. Laropi Ferry and Laropi Bridge. We have finished the design for Laropi Bridge and it has been approved by an independent consultant and the bank is willing to fund it. We are now in the final negotiations to fund the Laropi Bridge and then we shall remove the ferry. Possibly, we will take it down to Obongi where we have a challenge with its ferry. Talking about the ferries, we are actually in advanced stages of doing a detailed and comprehensive rehabilitation of the ferries. Most of them are not doing very well but we are going to rehabilitate them. This will answer the Bussi Ferry which has been doing some work under the Pakwach Bridge which was being threatened by the floating island. We had to take the Bussi ferry there. I am in talks with the Bussi team and we are soon finalising the landing site, and the ferry will come back. On the Katine-Ochero Road, we had moved to the final stage but then we got a whistle-blower. Now, when a whistle-blower comes in, the bank stops everything. The company that had been selected had issues and the bank stopped the process and advised that we re-advertise and get new contractors which has been done. We are going to the selection process. Madam Speaker, the bank has a system that for every stage, they must get a no objection from their headquarters, which has been delayed but I think it is now on the right course. Therefore, the Katine-Ochero Road will soon be completed. Regarding compensation for Nyakambu- Nyakabirizi-Nsika at Kabwohe, the compensation of these people has not yet been done and we need about Shs 29 billion. This is what I told the Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development; that if we get Shs 29 billion, we can start the compensation so we can acquire some land for the contractor to start as we get more money. As I said in my report, compensation is one of the biggest challenges we face on the project. I have already answered Atiak. On maritime, we are keeping an eye on maritime transport. We are not neglecting it. We have rehabilitated MV Pamba and it is now plying between Port Bell, Mwanza and Kisumu. MV Kawa, which was also grounded, is now about 85 per cent ready. We hope that by September, it will be back sailing. Madam Speaker, there is a private player who has also put a big ferry on the waters of Lake Victoria called Mpungu, which can take 20 trailers. It is a drive-on and drive-off. You can put on 20 trailers of cargo and it moves up to the other side. We are cognisant of the fact that Tanzania is aggressively developing the standard gauge and very soon, it will be in Mwanza. Therefore, traders may be moving towards using that corridor. So, we must be able to evacuate the cargo if dropped at Mwanza. We are developing that capacity within the Uganda Railways Corporation (URC). Of course, URC is still challenged with no funding; they are just struggling. We have a project under the African Development Bank moving slowly but we will be moving. The Busongora—Nyakalingijo Road is a national road. We cannot tarmac it as of now. However, I will make sure we maintain it. Madam Speaker, Kumi-Serere-Kagwara Road project is under the Islamic Development Bank and mostly everything has been done. The Islamic Development Bank is in talks with the finance ministry to finalise the financing terms. One of the new issues that the bank is bringing up is that they want to pay everything, including land compensation so that we do not

Thank you, Hon. Kateshumbwa. We will have another secondment from Hon. Avur Jane Pacuto, the district woman MP of Pakwach.

The PAPs need Shs 380 billion. a) Alwii-Nebbi Road is about to be completed, but again, the progress is slow; we need to – b) Matugga-Semuto-Kapeeka. Abubaker, who is a local contractor and demands about Shs 44 billion. c) Karuma-Pakwach Road is progressing. The contractor, China Railway 7, together with NEC, demands about Shs 20 billion. d) Busunju-Kiboga-Hoima Road is under reconstruction again by Abubaker, who is demanding another Shs 30 billion on this particular road. e) Karuma-Olwiyo and Olwiyo-Pakwach sections are being addressed, and very soon, they will be finished. Additionally, key bridge projects remain under construction but are constrained because of funding, and it would be better if we had a reliable fund release. a) Katonga Bridge, including Lweera and Kalandazi swamp crossings along Masaka; and b) Then the upper Katonga Bridge, that’s Kabulasoke-Villa Maria Road and Ssezibwa Bridge on Kayunga-Mukono Road. The cumulative effects of these suspensions and delays have led to slow absorption of project resources, exposure to financial claims, risk of asset deterioration, and reputational concerns. If not urgently addressed, these disruptions will compromise Uganda’s ability to deliver critical national infrastructure and maintenance of the existing network. Impact of inadequate funding The funding shortfall of Shs 2.472 trillion in this financial year has had far-reaching consequences on the implementation of the National Roads Programme. These impacts manifest across land acquisition, ongoing project performance, the paved road network, and maintenance of gravel roads. Impact on land acquisition and project commencement Land acquisition remains a prerequisite, and this is in the Constitution of the Republic of Uganda, Article 26, for access to the site and commencement of physical works. The delay or absence of funds for land composition has constrained progress on both the Government of Uganda projects and externally funded projects. The lack of access to the site has: a. Prevented contractors from mobilising, leading to suspension of activities; and b. Triggered claims for idle equipment - because it is in the law that if you cannot give the contractor access to land, then we charge you for idle equipment.

This afternoon, I am sorry. Madam Speaker, I agree with the Chairperson of the Committee on Physical Infrastructure on the issue of Central Government roads. We did rationalise UNRA here painfully - We even now bear more pain as Members of Parliament. Madam Speaker, you mentioned that you moved on a number of roads, mainly in Western Uganda, but how I wish you had moved on the roads in Northern Uganda. Start with the road from Karuma to Pakwach. You cannot believe what is on the road. The grass has grown taller than I am, and the potholes - Madam Speaker, in Pakwach District, on the road from Panyimur-Pakwach-Wadelai, we have lost people within this period of time. We reallocated money to the Ministry of Works and Transport almost four months ago, but nobody has taken the time to explain to Ugandans why UNRA roads are not being worked on. What could be the gaps? What is more painful is that it is we, Members of Parliament, who carried the cross during the primaries.

17519 THE ELEVENTH PARLIAMENT OF UGANDA THURSDAY, 12 JNUE 2025 Agro-Industrialisation Madam Speaker, the interventions in agro- industrialisation this financial year and next financial year have prioritised research, an increase in productivity, commercialisation, and value addition in agriculture. Madam Speaker, some of the key achievements in this financial year include: 1. Research and genetic development of selected value chains. The National Animal Genetic Resources Centre and Databank has introduced superior animal genetic resources for breeding, multiplication and distribution to farming households under PDM. NARO has completed the manufacturing facility for anti-tick vaccines at Nakyesasa in Wakiso District with the capacity to produce over 20 million doses of the anti-tick vaccine per year. NARO has also developed agricultural technologies that increase productivity such as water-saving cultivation technology, drought-resistant varieties, and integrated pest, disease and weed control technologies, among others. Research in coffee by NaCORI has contributed to increased national coffee production, productivity and export earnings. 2. Increasing agricultural production and productivity. The capacity of water for irrigation has increased to 54.76 million cubic metres. This is on account of Government investment in small and large irrigation systems, including solar-powered irrigation. In particular, seven large-scale irrigation schemes have been completed. These include Ngenge in Kween District; Rwengaaju in Kabarole; Tochi in Oyam; Mubuku II in Kasese; Olweny in Lira; Doho II in Butaleja; and Wadelai in Pakwach. Another three irrigation schemes are currently under construction. These are: Acomai in Bukedea District; Atari in Kween/ Bulambuli Districts; and Namatala, covering Budaka, Mbale and Butaleja Districts. Madam Speaker, another 145 solar-powered irrigation and water supply schemes have been completed across the country. In addition, 157 solar-powered irrigation and water supply schemes are under construction. Furthermore, 4,300 micro- scale irrigation facilities were constructed in 135 districts across the country and have benefitted smallholder farmers of less than 2.5 acres. Madam Speaker, in addition, the Government completed Usake Dam in Kaabong, and Ongunga Dam in Katakwi for livestock, irrigation and fish farming. In addition, 5,251 small- and medium- scale irrigation schemes were established in 135 districts. Madam Speaker, the Government established five zonal agricultural mechanisation centres in Namalere, Buwama, Bungokho, Agwata and Sanga to support equipment access and tractor hire services; procured and distributed 260 assorted four-wheeled tractors and implements to farmer groups in 60 districts countrywide, 750 power tillers (single-axle tractors and implements), and two pieces of dredging equipment for water hyacinth and weed control; and trained 2,150 youth and women as operators, artisans and mechanics for tractors and implements. Beginning this financial year, the Government introduced the large-scale commercial farmer interest-free credit facility of Shs 175 billion. This facility will help to increase production and productivity for improved food security and exports. The loan facility can be accessed through Government-owned banks, namely Post Bank, Housing Finance Bank, and Pride Bank Limited. 3. Agricultural value addition and marketing. NARO completed setting up an Aflasafe facility at Namulonge with capacity to eliminate aflatoxin contamination in grains. The facility has capacity to clean five tons of produce per hour. This will save the country an estimated $38 million per year, which is lost in export rejections due to aflatoxins and, most importantly, save the lives of Ugandans. Madam Speaker, to add value to agricultural produce, the Government constructed 11 agro- processing and storage facilities to increase opportunities for value-addition and access to high value markets. These include Rwimi Rice Processing Facility in Bunyangabu; Kasina Maize

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.

17497 THE ELEVENTH PARLIAMENT OF UGANDA THURSDAY, 5 JUNE 2025 Ssembabule-Mateete-Mbiriizi with a branch to Kibinge-Kyabakuza; Myanzi-Kasanda-Kiboga – abantu bange abe Kassanda akalulu mukatereeze; Kikagate Kitwe-Mirama Hill – Mama was about to kill me on this one here. Kati mponye; Kabiingo-Rugaaga-Magabi-Rakai; Luweero-Butalangwa-Ngoma-Bulyamusenyi- Masindi; Kayunga-Bbale-Galiraya. I am going to get additional money for these roads because we have been talking about them for a long time. These will be in addition to the completion of the following roads: 92km Muyembe- Nakapiripirit and 25 kilometres of service roads; 21km Kira-Matugga Road and improvement of five junctions, 26 kilometres of Tororo-Busia Road and Mayuge and Busia Town Roads, 6.6 kilometres of Kawuku-Bwerenga Road, the 100-kilometre Apac-Lira-Puranga road – these are already being worked on. They are going to be finished – and 1.6 kilometres to Namugonde-Bugiri fuel tank reservoir. The roads for maintenance or reconstruction include – 1. Kampala-Jinja Highway – 72 kilometres; 2. Busunju-Kiboga-Hoima – 145 kilometres; 3. Mityana-Mubende Road – 86 kilometres; and Mubende-Kyenjojo Road, 95 kilometres; 4. Mityana Town roads – 14 kilometres – ab’eMityana mutereze akalulu banange. Buno obuli eyo tebulina kyebukola, butabula. Muleta obusajjasajja – 5. Alwii-Nebbi Road – 33 kilometres – this is in West Nile - Pakwach and Nebbi Town roads; 6. Olwiyo-Pakwach Road – 62 kilometres; 7. Matugga-Semuto-Kapeeka – 41 kilome - tres – (Applause) Waliyo akasajja eyo e’Nakaseke. Abantu bange, mutereze ebigambo ebyo, obusajja obwo bugende bukole ebirala. 8. Tororo-Mbale-Soroti. This is a long one. 9. Soroti-Dokolo-Lira-Kamdini Road – 189 kilometres. These are ongoing already. 10. Karuma-Olwiyo – 43 kilometres; 11. Masaka-Kyotera-Mutukula Road – 89 kilometres; 12. Nyendo-Villa Maria Road – 11 kilometres; 13. Access Roads – 7 kilometres and rehabilitation of 166 kilometres equivalent of national roads that have reached their service life. What they call “service life” is zikadiye . The strategic bridges to be prioritised – there is a road in Mpigi, Kasanje – aka’town akalala bakayita batya? Kisubi. Waliwo aka town eyo munda akalala; Nakawuka. Elyo sirilabye wano. Tulina okuriteekako nalyo. Naye abantu batereze obululu banange. The strategic bridges - so I will have to add that road. I thought we had started on it. The strategic bridges to be prioritised in the next financial year include the Sezibwa Bridge along Kalagi-Kayunga Road, Katonga Bridge, Lwera Swamp, and Kalandazi Swamp. Electricity In 1986, the whole country had only one hydropower plant; Nalubaale, formerly called Owen Falls Dam, built by the British in 1954, and commissioned by our late auntie, Queen Elizabeth, with the maximum capacity of 150 megawatts of hydroelectricity. There are now four large hydropower plants at Nalubaale, Kiira, Isimba and Karuma, with a combined generation capacity of 1,163 megawatts. Other sources such as Kigwabya and XsaboKonge Solar Power in Mubende have added another 888 megawatts. This brings the total installed electricity generation capacity to 2,052 megawatts. However, given the growing electricity demand arising from the new manufacturers, this is very inadequate and the available capacity will run out in about five years from now. When people talk of surplus, there is no surplus. It will very soon be overtaken.

Madam Speaker, this honourable House yesterday instructed me to come up with a statement on our national roads and the accidents that have continued to claim lives. I beg to proceed as follows; This is the statement on the state of our national roads, the increasing number of accidents across the country and the available funding for them in the Financial Year 2025/2026 budget. Madam Speaker, as I give this report, I am aware of the stage at which we are in our budget process- I hope it is uploaded. Madam Speaker, let me start by addressing the tragic accidents that have occurred on the road network this month, including the bus accident on Kisoga-Nyenga Road, the bus collision along the Pakwach–Arua Road, and the accident at the Busabala flyover. I extend heartfelt condolences to the families affected by these unfortunate events. The Government has commenced investigations into the accidents and will provide a comprehensive report. As these matters are still under investigation, I will refrain from delving into the specific details at this time. However, I would like to assure honourable members that every effort is being made to identify the causes properly, the acts of the accidents and to prevent this loss of lives on our roads in the future. On the state of the national roads in the country, there is indeed a cause for concern. As of the Financial Year 2024/2025, 1,880 kilometres of paved roads require periodic maintenance, while 615 kilometres have already deteriorated to the level of requiring full rehabilitation. This backlog is a result of consistent underfunding for maintenance activities over the years. The National Roads Development Programme faces a severe funding deficit in the Financial Year 2025/2026. The current budgetary allocations are far below the resources required for the timely completion of critical road development, rehabilitation and maintenance projects. The consequences of this deficit will affect Government programmes. This statement gives an overview of the status of funding, including the potential impact of not allocating the necessary resources. Let me start with the status of funding for National Roads. In the Financial Year 2025/2026, the total budget allocated to national roads is Shs 682 billion against a total requirement of Shs 3.15 trillion, resulting in a funding gap of Shs 2.472 trillion. Annex 1, that I have provided here, shows the detailed breakdown of the required funds. Shs 3.15 trillion is required to cover. Domestic arrears of Shs 1 trillion, which continue to accrue interest daily. Land acquisition for both ongoing and new road development projects, including projects that are externally financed. Urgent maintenance, rehabilitation, reconstruction, and upgrading of key road links across the country. Bridge and ferry development projects, including emergency works on bridges affected by adverse weather in the last two years. Honourable members, there has been a reduction in budgetary allocation to the development and maintenance of roads over the last three years as compared to the funding envelope required to implement the roads programme in the National Development Plan III (NDPIII). Allocations have sharply fallen from 90 per cent of the expected allocation of Financial Year 2022/2023 to only 20 per cent in the Financial Year 2025/2026. A summary of the allocation per financial year is shown in what I have described as Annex 2 here. This reduction in budgetary allocation is the main cause of increasing domestic arrears. Unless there is an urgent intervention that I beg Parliament to gather with us, the domestic arrears could further escalate and the next financial years will have adverse impacts. My ministry has prepared a work plan in line with the planned transport infrastructure interventions required in NDPIV and the spill-

17249 THE ELEVENTH PARLIAMENT OF UGANDA W EDNESDAY, 14 MAY 2025 cost, compared to waiting until the road requires full rehabilitation later on down the road. If no periodic maintenance activities are done on the national road network in the Financial Year 2025/2026, projections indicate that, in addition, 500 kilometres of paved roads, currently in fair condition, will degrade to the point of requiring full rehabilitation. This loss in asset value, Madam Speaker, has been estimated at around Shs 1.007 trillion over that financial year, that is, 2025/2026. My prayer, Madam Speaker, is that, together, the challenges I have described require urgent intervention to mitigate the adverse effects of the current funding shortfalls. I propose the following strategy to help mitigate this, and we have shared this with the different committees: 1. Provide additional resources to enable contractors on the ongoing projects such as Mityana-Mubende, Kampala-Jinja, Karuma- Pakwach, Najjanankumbi-Busabala, Kira- Matugga, Tororo-Busia, to complete them on schedule; 2. Providing funds for land acquisition and counterpart funding for ongoing externally financed projects to ensure the external resources are not left lying idle. For example, Rwekunye-Apac, Lira-Puranga, Muyembe-Nakapiripirit, Kiruhura-Kamwenge, Namagumba-Budadiri, just to mention but a few; 3. Provide funds for key maintenance projects such as in Mbarara-Ishaka, Nebbi-Arua, Mubende-Kyenjojo, et cetera, and emergency bridge repairs; 4. Provide funds for payment of outstanding arrears to reduce the accumulation of interest and maintain the service providers’ confidence in the Government’s commitment to pay for works done; 5. Prioritisation of funding for maintenance and ensuring funds are released in a predictable manner to enable proper planning for maintenance activities. Assurances Madam Speaker, the Ministry of Works and Transport commits to conducting road safety inspections at all work zones to ensure that adequate warnings in the form of signage and other safety devices are installed. The ministry will also continue to conduct inspections of black spots across the road network to install mitigation measures to ensure that the safety of our road users is guaranteed. Madam Speaker, I would like to assure you and all the honourable members that the Ministry of Works and Transport is committed to utilising the allocated resources in the most effective manner possible for reliable and safe works, transportation infrastructure and services. I beg to submit.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. Compliance with the law All the ministerial policy statements under the committee’s purview complied with the requisite laws and regulation. Therefore, it is in order that the honourable member peruses through some of those annexes. I invite Members to focus on Vote 016: Ministry of Works and Transport, as I give observations and recommendations. Unpaid certificates Delayed payment to contractors has been and continues to be one of the major factors negatively affecting the construction industry in the works and transport sector. Long outstanding payables are an indication of poor budgeting and cause a risk of litigation and payment of penalties for delayed periods. Consequently, contractors lose the properties they use as collateral to acquire loans to execute government projects. Commercial banks, who are the main financiers of the industry, are losing confidence in government- funded projects, making these projects less competitive. The committee noted that the proposed budget for the Financial Year 2025/2026 has a budgetary requirement of Shs 1,735 billion, that is Shs 1.7 trillion towards areas and unpaid certificates for the National Roads Department, and yet only Shs 150 billion has been allocated, leaving a funding gap of Shs 1.5 trillion. The committee, therefore, recommends and urges the Government to provide additional resources to a tune of Shs 1.5 trillion to clear the outstanding debt, in order to avoid paying interest, which creates an additional financial burden to the taxpayers. Rehabilitation of the Tororo-Gulu Railway Line The committee was informed that on 13 April, 2023, the Government of Uganda, through the Ministry of Works and Transport and the Uganda Railways Corporation, as the implementing agency, signed a contract with the China Roads and Bridge Corporation to rehabilitate the 382 kilometres of Tororo-Gulu Metre Gauge Railway at a cost of Shs 199 billion. This project is fully funded by the Government of Uganda and was supposed to take a period of two years, with the completion date set at July 2025. The metre gauge railway will support the Government’s efforts to increase stock and quality of strategic infrastructure in order to accelerate Uganda’s competitiveness. The committee noted that while the ministry had budgeted for Shs 90 billion towards compensation, rehabilitation and supervision of civil works along the Tororo-Gulu Metre Gauge Railway, only Shs 46 billion was provided, leaving a funding gap of Shs 44 billion. The committee takes cognisance of the crucial role that the Tororo-Gulu Metre Gauge Railway will unveil for northern Uganda and Uganda as a whole, upon completion, in terms of boosting economic growth through facilitating trade and transport, connecting the region to global markets and boosting key value chains like agriculture, cement, oil and gas. Therefore, it recommends and urges the Government to provide an additional Shs 44 billion for the metre gauge railway, if it is to be completed by the end of 2025. The committee further recommends that the metre gauge railway to Gulu be extended to Pakwach because the railway line infrastructure originally terminated at Pakwach and is still in existence, although it needs rehabilitation.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. I have read through the report, and as Members of Parliament from West Nile, we have always been presenting the challenges of the road between Nebbi and Arua here. Whenever we talk about this road, what the ministry does is to pick some soil and drop it in the pits. Within a week, it is done. During the dry season, the sand is picked up by the wind and during the rainy season, the soil is washed away by water. This is in addition to the challenges we have had with water cutting off the Pakwach Bridge. I have not seen, in the budget, how to handle these challenges that we have been facing as the people of West Nile. I would like to know what the ministry will do now that we are going into the next financial year with no allocation to rehabilitate the Nebbi-Arua Road. Mr Speaker, we are happy that we pushed for an allocation of Shs 1 billion for roads in local governments. However, this running financial year, the ministry came up with a new guideline, removing the five per cent, which was allocated for administration and oversight. This year, the local governments have been challenged on how to oversee and maintain the roads. I would like to request the ministry to take note that two years down the road, the roads that we were rehabilitating with the Shs 1 billion are getting damaged. They can review the guideline for the use of Shs 1 billion. We can allocate some money for Road Fund to maintain the roads that we have done within the Shs 1 billion. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. The committee makes reference to the term “low-volume roads”. The road from Pakwach-Madi-Okollo to Arua used to be such a road but due to the breakdown of Nebbi-Goli- Arua Road, all traffic, heavy trucks, even many of the MPs in this House have passed through Pakwach-Madi-Okollo-Arua. That road, which was a low-volume road, has been completely destroyed by these heavy trucks and so my question - and part of this road was a presidential directive to the ministry for works that they should work on it using high grade murram. This has never happened and there is a lot of patch-up work. This road is now in a sorry state. Ministry of Works, what is the plan? His Excellency has said the Government will look for tarmac for these roads, but in the meantime, he has said, why can’t we put high-grade murram on these roads? What is the plan? This was pledged in the 2023/2024 budget, but nothing happened. In 2024/2025, we waited, but still nothing. What is happening in 2025/2026 on this road? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr Speaker, for the opportunity. I also join others in thanking the committee for the good report. My observation is that the extension of the meter-gauge railway from Gulu to Pakwach is a very good idea. But I will implore the committee to extend this railway to Arua City because we have a value-addition facility there that needs raw materials from the Acholi Subregion and Teso. That will serve the value- addition facility with raw materials.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. First, I would like to find out from the Minister of Works and Transport: when the Uganda Road Fund was an entity on its own, the Government was not giving them the money that was due to them as Uganda Road Fund. I would like to find out how easy that is going to be now that it is a department within the Ministry of Works and Transport. Secondly, the road that my sister, Hon. Joan, talked about, from Pakwach to Rhino Camp, that road actually starts from Panyimur. Honourable minister, you know about it. It starts from Panyimur, and as we speak, if any heavier rains come, that road is going to be cut off completely. Therefore, honourable minister, you need to look into that. Thirdly, committee chairperson, you mentioned the meter-gauge railway from Gulu to Pakwach as a by-the-way because the initial issue you talked about was that railway line from Tororo to Gulu. Pakwach was now mentioned as a by- the-way. I would like to appeal that the one from Gulu to Pakwach does not become a by- the-way; it should become something that is looked at more seriously. Finally, Mr Speaker, I said it here one time that we are in an election period - for the Nebbi subregion - from Pakwach up to Zombo - that road, even if repeatedly, we are going to talk about it; the one from Nebbi to Goli and Zombo, and whatever. That road for us in the Nebbi subregion – (Member timed out.)

Thank you, Mr Speaker. I would also like to thank the committee for a good report and for mentioning Nebbi in regard to refugees. Also relating to the fact that you are suggesting that there should be some kind of policy to guide how people coming from outside are supported in the health service - Mr Speaker, when you mention Nebbi, I would like to take you to greater Nebbi, which covers Pakwach, Nebbi and Zombo. You know that we border Congo, and on the other side of Congo, we have the same Alur people. I would like to tell you that

17024 APPROVAL OF BUDGET ESTIMATES FOR FY 2025/2026 in some cases, they also have national IDs for Uganda. That means that the policy needs to be crafted carefully to make sure that such people are taken care of. To us, our people from Congo are like brothers and sisters, and that is why nobody talks about Nebbi in terms of refugees yet they are there, and because they come in as brothers and sisters, we do not look at them as foreigners. Secondly, Mr Speaker, Nebbi General Hospital is the hospital that is taking care of all referrals from Zombo to Pakwach to greater Nebbi. Unfortunately, that has squeezed out the population within Nebbi Municipality because the main focus is on persons referred from Zombo, Pakwach or the other parts of Nebbi, leaving out the people within Nebbi Municipality. I urge our ministry to look at Nebbi Municipality because we have Thatha Division, Abindu Division, and actually, they even have land for health centre IIIs. If that can also be looked at, we will be very happy so that we know that within Nebbi Municipality, where our regional referral hospital is, the ordinary people within the municipality are taken care of. Thank you very much.

16835 THE ELEVENTH PARLIAMENT OF UGANDA WEDNESDAY, 9 APRIL 2025 On the overall performance of the budget under the UPF, we recommend reallocating funds from the assistance to Uganda Police Force projects to critical UPF areas. Uganda Police Force must create a comprehensive successor project for nationwide investments. The second recommendation is that the Uganda Police Force should expedite the preparation and approval processes of the CCTV Phase III Project to ensure its inclusion in the national plan budget. We reviewed the traffic and road safety and, therefore, recommend as follows: 1. An additional Shs 7.577 billion for transport equipment be provided; 2. Shs 1 billion for an IOV inspection lane and certification centre to be provided; 3. Shs 18 billion for 10 mobile inspection stations for IOV to be provided; 4. Uganda Police Force should link the EPS to the NIRA database; and 5. Uganda’s driver licensing system should be adjusted to capture details of foreigners who commit traffic offences. On police accommodation and the ongoing construction projects, we note that 74 per cent of the police officers lack institutional accommodation. However, the Uganda Police Force is working on a police accommodation project. This project is excluded from PIP. The Ministry of Internal Affairs plans to build 69,000 housing units for the Uganda Police Force and Uganda Prisons Service, and the DCIC, through a PPP arrangement. We, therefore, recommend that the Uganda Police Force accelerates the completion of the accommodation project to comprehensively address police accommodation challenges in the year 2025/2026. On the subcounty policing model – this is a flagship security solution to the country, initiated by His Excellency, the President, and it is now under implementation. The model aims to use limited resources in subcounties to improve policing services for communities, including establishing a police station in each area, following: 1. Deployment of a minimum of 18 personnel; 2. Two motorcycles per police station; 3. A counter phone and radio communication; 4. An office; and 5. Staff accommodation for at least 18 personnel. The Uganda Police Force has tested this model in Greater Masaka in the Financial Year 2023/2024, establishing 892, which is 41 per cent of the 2,190 subcounties, nationwide. In the Financial Year 2025/2026, Shs 5 billion is allocated for the construction of 30 model police stations and completing 11 in greater Masaka, along with acquiring 333 motorcycles and communication equipment. However, there is a funding gap of Shs 557 billion. We, therefore, recommend that Shs 587 billion be provided for the nationwide rollout of the subcounty policing model. On crime management, we recommend that Shs 17 billion be provided for CIID investigations and Shs 2.3 billion for crime intelligence in the Financial Year 2025/2026. On the Canine Unit, we see that expanding the Canine units to 36 locations of Budaka, Bukomansimbi, Butambala, Zombo, Adjumani, Madi-Okollo, Pakwach, Vurra, Kaberamaido, Koboko, Terego, Maracha, Moyo, Ayivuni, Buyende, Kaliro, Namutumba, Ngora, Hima, Namisindwa, Kwania, Agago, Nwoya, Amuru, Kyankwanzi, Apac, Kole, aerodromes and border points of Jinja, Soroti, Arua, Mbarara, Kisoro, Mpondwe, Katuna and Mirama Hills nationwide, requires an additional Shs 2.259 billion. The unit faces challenges with unreliable transport for sniffer dogs to crime scenes. Reliable transport is needed at the district stations, requiring Shs 28.44 billion for equipment in 29 regions.

16769 THE ELEVENTH PARLIAMENT OF UGANDA WEDNESDAY, 12 MARCH 2025 Vote 016: Ministry of Works and Transport – Shs 955.812 billion The committee observed that the Ministry of Works and Transport requires Shs 955.812 billion to be provided as follows: 1. Shs 63.512 billion to cover the cost of terminal benefits for staff impacted by RAPEX under UNRA and Uganda Road fund; 2. Shs 61 billion for outstanding obligations on the SGS compensation for the non-tax revenue (NTR) (Shs 15 billion), Soroti Flying School/East African Civil Aviation Academy, Railways, Kalangala, and National Review Board; 3. Shs 500 billion, outstanding debt against the interim payment certificates for the National Roads Projects and the District and Urban Community Access Roads (DUCAR); 4. Shs 40.2 billion for the construction of a steel jetty at Pakwach Bridge and access roads to a cement factory in Karamoja; and 5. Shs 291.1 billion for the preliminary works for the commencement of the Malaba- Kampala SGR project to finance the works under the limited notice to proceed. The committee recommends approval of Shs 955.812 billion to Vote 016. Vote 017: Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development – Shs 928.014 billion The committee observed that the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development requires Shs 928.014 billion for the following: 1. Umeme buyout (Shs 725.42 billion), and Capital Expenditure (CAPEX) Shs 190 billion; 2. Shs 7 billion for the construction of a dedicated power line in Ntungamo, to provide reliable power to the Inspire Africa Coffee Factory and H5 Tin Factory. The line will pick its supply from the Mirama Hills substation and will be completed in six months; and 3. Shs 5.59 billion reimbursement of funds utilised from the electricity transmission infrastructure project which were used to pay for outstanding thermal power capacity charges. The committee recommends the approval of Shs 928.014 billion to Vote 017. Vote 018: Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development – Shs 8.53 billion The committee observed that the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development required: a. Shs 4.6 billion for the national celebrations - Women’s Day, Youth Day, Day for Older Persons and People with Disabilities and Labour Day; and b. Shs 3.88 billion to support Masuulita Remand Home. The committee recommends approval of Shs 8.53 billion to vote 018. Vote 022: Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities – Shs 3.24 billion The committee observed that the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities requires Shs 3.24 billion for additional NTR. The committee was informed that the NTR collected by the Uganda Hotel and Tourism Training Institute in Jinja from school fees and hotel revenue is to be used for the payment of contractual gratuity, training, and operationalisation of the new administration block. The committee recommends approval of Shs 3.24 billion to Vote 022.

Mr Speaker, I got a written question from: 1.Hon. Afidra Olema Ronald (MP, Lower Madi County) “Rt Hon. Prime Minister, aware that RAPEX affected the different agencies including UNRA Ferry Services, Rhino Camp to Amuru Ferry was to be commissioned on 3lst December 2024 by UNRA and a new ferry was supposed to be provided by Government. Prayer 1 When will the Commission and provision of ferry services be done to enhance water transport for the people of West Nile and Amuru on River Nile?” Response Mr Speaker, progress of Phase 1 of the vessel assembly is currently at (85) per cent, pending the installation of the engine’s Civil Component. Similarly, progress of construction of ferry landing sites at Rhino camp (Yikuriku) in Madi Oko1lo and Amoor in Amuru district is at 72 per cent and operations will commence very soon. Prayer II “Last year on 1l to 13 Aprll 2024 during H.E. the President’s tour of West Nile, he directed to consider Security/ Tourism Road from Panyimur-Pakwach- Rhino-Camp Obongi and Difule to be upgraded to tarmac. Works on Kia-Kai and Aringa bridges, Olionga to Ewanga swamps and Achaa Swamp have all stalled. When will these projects be upgraded, as directed by His Excellency the President?” Mr Speaker, upgrading of the Panyimur- Pakwach-Rhino Camp-Difule Road (200km) has been considered in the NDP IV and will be worked on soon. The second question came from Hon. Lawrence Songa, Ora County, Zombo District. His prayers are: i. “Does the Government have any plan to build a district hospital in the border district of Zombo and what is the progress? ii. In the meantime, as we wait for the district hospital, can the Government provide full financial, personnel and infrastructural support to the Holy Family Missionary Hospital of Nyapea? iii. Why can’t the Government make Nebbi General Hospital a regional referral hospital to serve the greater Nebbi?” Mr Speaker, I wish to respond as follows: i. On the progress of a new hospital construction, the Government has recognised the need for a district hospital

16533 THE ELEVENTH PARLIAMENT OF UGANDA THURSDAY, 27 FEBRUARY 2025 they occupy, the asset inventory for the PAPs on public land in Nakawa East Constituency was updated and new valuation reports were compiled. The review of these reports is being finalised for submission to the Chief Government Valuer by the end of this month. After approval by the Chief Government Valuer, the values will be disclosed to the affected persons. The second question came from Hon. Lawrence Songa, MP for Ora County, Zombo. The 120-kilometre Nebbi-Goli-Paidha-Padea- Zombo-Zeu-Warr-Vurra-Lia-Adramacaku Economic, Revenue Generating and Border Security Road appeared in NDP II, NDP III and the NRM manifesto. Why is it still appearing to be at the feasibility stage in the NDP IV, yet the final detailed engineering design for tarmacking was completed in March 2018? Madam Speaker, the feasibility studies and detailed designs for the upgrading of the Goli- Paidha-Zombo-Zeu-Warr-Vurra (l00km) and Arua-Lia (15km) was completed in March 2018. The Ministry of Works and Transport is in touch with the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development to ensure commencement of the procurement of the civil works contractor. Civil works are expected to commence in the Financial Year 2025/2026. His second prayer was: What is the progress of seeking funding from BADEA, African Development Bank and others for prioritising the tarmacking of this road in NDPIV? My response, is that BADEA carried out an appraisal for the upgrading of Nebbi-Goli (16km) during the period 26 February to 4 March 2024 and are currently in discussions with the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development for the financing of this road. His prayer number three was: why is the construction of bridges, including Adoka, Umol, Aniza, Ora, Nyagak and Ayuda, moving slowly? My response is that for the bridges; Adoka (Odrua), Omolo (Umol), Aniza, Ora, Nyagak and Ayuda along Nebbi-Paidha-Padea-Zombo- Zeu-Warr-Vurra-Lia, only Odrua Bridge is under construction with the bridge structure complete and the construction of access roads ongoing. Umol, Aniza, Ora, Nyagak and Ayuda are in fair condition, although they are single lane. They will be upgraded during the upgrading of Vurra-Goli-Nebbi Road. The contractor is already on site. His prayer number four was: Can Dei- Panyimur-Pakwach-Wadelai-Rhino Camp- Obongi-Laropi-Dufile economic, tourism and security road be included and fast-tracked as an oil road, since it is in the oil belt? My response is that oil roads are those meant to facilitate the exploitation and transportation of oil. The Ministry of Works and Transport will engage the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development to assess and advise whether the stated are oil roads. Feasibility studies and detailed designs will be carried out in the medium-term, as resources may permit. Question number three came from Hon. Shartsi Kutesa Musherure, the MP, Mawogola County. Her first prayer was: With the successful launch of Electricity Access Scale-Up Project, could the Prime Minister explain why there has been a delay in the project’s implementation? My response is that the Electricity Access Scale-up Project (EASP) was designed to increase consumer connections in the country by targeting over one million new connections. Connections commenced in March 2024 and over 100,000 new consumers have so far been connected. The connections are limited to no- pole and one-pole service, on a first come, first served basis. The connections programme is, therefore, ongoing. Her prayer number two was: furthermore, could there be clarification as to whether the project prioritises grid extension or service connections for the beneficiaries, and what timelines are in place for its roll-out?

16468 MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION Secondly, on the heat waves, Madam Speaker, you are right to say that because of climate change, the heat waves are increasing and they will come with a lot of health issues. Yesterday, at a football pitch in Pakwach, a Senior Two student who was watching football –a morale booster – collapsed and died. The heat wave is so strong that one needs to be hydrated – (Interruption)

Thank you so much, Mr Speaker. We will not be scared to do the right thing. One, I know my brother is aware that Pakwach is moving in. This money we are appropriating is going to help us cross to West Nile. If we do not – of course he who mourns should understand why he is mourning more than the bereaved. We have a challenge in West Nile; we can no longer cross. Very soon, Pakwach will move in. We are getting accidents from Karuma to Pakwach. You can imagine; you want to hold us here in Kampala. This is a serious issue; it is so critical. (Interjection) I need your protection, Mr Speaker.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. I appreciate the fact that you have apologised and also guided on the matter. However, I am seeking further guidance. When a committee like the one of trade has sat, made a report and brought it to Parliament and it has been referred, like it has been referred now, and we, the representatives of the people that have felt that we would add value by making a contribution on the Floor – because some of these monuments, for instance, are there in our districts – how would you guide us on how we can proceed now that we are not going to debate? How can we present the views, recommendations and desires of our people? That is the guidance I seek. I had really prepared myself to contribute to the committee’s report because I have several monuments in Pakwach District; some developed, some not developed, some not even marketed at all. Therefore, Mr Speaker, I seek your guidance. I thank you.

Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. I must thank the committee for the good report. I would like to draw the attention of this House, also alluding to what the minister stated, that not all wild animals live in the park. Some of these animals live in the water bodies of Uganda, for example, the Albert Nile. We have many crocodiles and the people of Pakwach have suffered several times. I did ask the Minister of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities here - I think a year ago – on what plans the Government has to put electric fences at the landing sites at least. We have one of the landing sites where there are hippos and crocodiles. My people have suffered so much with crocodiles. They move as far as Pakwach Secondary School and

15904 THE NATIONAL BUDGET FRAMEWORK PAPER FOR THE FY 2025/2026 - 2029/2030 [Mr Ongiertho] border to border with tarmac. However, we have two border points within Greater Nebbi which are very essential to us. That is Goli and Padea. They are not connected. I am bringing this point specifically for Goli, because recently, when the President was in Nebbi, he promised that at least the section from Nebbi town to Goli would be looked at. We have been talking about this road from Nebbi to Goli, to Paidha, to Zombo, up to Vurra, but for this one section, which is from Nebbi town to Goli, at least the President talked about it and I would have expected that in this budget, it would be there; it is not there. Finally, speaking about the free primary and secondary education, we have been battling with the issue of capitation grants for these schools. In primary, it is about Shs 6,000 per child per term. You can imagine, we are now talking about the free primary – What are we talking about? If we are not going to be providing or increasing capitation grants to schools per child, what does it mean? We have also started talking about feeding. Members, we are also already hearing cycles about feeding in schools. What do we mean? If we are not going to be providing budgets for this, we should not be talking about this. At one point, I even told the minister that this issue of free primary and secondary education, do not cross Pakwach with it because parents have started getting used to making a little bit of contribution and for us we are seeing the results. If now we are saying it has to be free and you are not increasing capitation grant, please, we need to be serious about what we are talking about. Thank you, Mr Speaker.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. The committee reported that we continue to pay commitment fees on loans that we borrow. From the time we joined this Parliament, especially us the first-timers, this has been reported, and the question that has been asked i: “Why do we borrow when we are not ready to utilise the money?” Instead, we are continuing to spend on some monies that we have borrowed. I think the Minister will explain to us why this is happening and why it is continuing to happen. I am from one of the remnant districts, that is Arua District. Until now, my headquarters staff are sitting at the city centre. Last year, the Government allocated a small amount of money to the remnant districts. We started putting some foundation and latrines to see that we could move. However, this financial year – the logic was that they are giving some small money and they will continue adding some money every financial year but this time around, there is no allocation for the remnant districts. The people of Arua District cannot continue to move far to the city to access services. Therefore, let the ministry take priority on this so that money is allocated for the remnant districts to help them move to their location. I think there is a correlation between the fact that the commercial banks are not giving enough money to the private sector; and the private sector is affected by the domestic arrears. I think there is a correlation there. That means internally, we are killing our private sector. It is reported here that the amounts that the commercial banks give to our business people are reducing. It is because our local business persons are affected by the domestic arrears that they are not getting. If we cannot balance that, then we are going to kill the local businesses that we have in this country. I urge the ministry to have coordinated budgeting. We have stalled projects. These universities – let me give an example of universities – have projects that started 10 years ago, probably they are on the first floor or second floor, but we go ahead to allocate new structures to other institutions without finishing or completing the ongoing ones as if we do not have a record of where we started and where we are going. If we cannot fast-track and have coordinated planning, we are just deceiving ourselves. For 10 years, a structure is there and you are allocating money to start new structures? Also roads, Mr Speaker, we have been crying here as West-Nilers on our road. The road between Pakwach and Nebbi was supposed to be constructed within two years. It is almost four years. Now Nebbi-Arua; we are here crying over it when that stretch is not yet even completed yet we are jumping to allocate for other roads when these are not completed. Let us have coordinated planning and, I think that way, we shall have quality delivery and have the trust of the people in us who are appropriating. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. I thank the Attorney-General for the report laid. Mr Speaker, during the sitting in Gulu City, it was also pointed out clearly during the report, as to why West Nile Subregion was not considered during the compensation of the war claimants. People who lived during those days remember vividly how all the media were awash with the wreckage of the buses that were burnt during the Kony times, along Karuma-Pakwach Road. It came as a surprise to so many in the West Nile Subregion that the subregions of Teso, Lango, Acholi were the only ones considered. We expected a good explanation for that, but nothing has been said in the statement as to why the West Nile Subregion was not considered. Mr Speaker, there are cases in court from West Nile. A case, for example, which the Attorney- General is well aware of – because I visited his office a couple of times on this matter – is the case of Samuel Ongeri and 39 others who lost a lot of property during the Kony war. The case has existed since 2016. It went through the Commission of Equal Opportunities as well.

Mr Speaker, I am continuing with my point about West Nile, and I would like to bring in a unique case for the people of Pakwach—the Jonam people. The other cases for West Nile have been presented very well, and I want to thank my colleagues. However, for the Jonam people, most of our land is actually in Nwoya and Amuru districts. Every time the Government conducted an operation against Lakwena, they told our people, “First leave; we are doing an operation,” and people went to the other side of West Nile. What happened, and this is unique, is that as people moved to the other side and the Government continued its operations, some individuals would be eyeing the land that was left behind. As we speak today, the Jonam people have been chased away from their land, and they are suffering because some individuals from the operations against the rebels took advantage – saw the land – and decided to grab it from the Jonam people. I know that the issues are in court. We may not go far, but the Government needs to look at it. I am bringing it because it is also an aspect of compensation. If our people had not been moved because of the operations against the Lord’s Resistance Army, probably their land would not have been grabbed. We have lost boats, canoes and fishing nets out of that, so, I think we need to do a little more as the Government.

Thank you, Mr Speaker, for the opportunity. I thank the committee for the report. I have stood to back the position of the committee that the Government needs to come up with a comprehensive compensation policy. When you look at how the Government is operating - just as Hon. Mudimi had noticed - others have been compensated because they went to court, yet the statement from the Attorney-General says that some are supposed to wait for a Cabinet memo. What about others? When we talk about the loss of property to war, West Nile suffered the most. Actually, in 1980, during the liberation war, when they were chasing Idi Amin, the whole of West Nile was raised to dust. Some people ran to South Sudan, while others ran to Congo. That was in 1979, but the actual war was around 1980. In the 1990s, people started coming back, and that is when the West Nile Bank Front was also formed. People were raided. I wish Gen. Katumba Wamala was here. We are talking about the loss of cows; people lost a lot of cows. There was a situation where the rebels had looted a lot of cows, gathered in a place called Nyori-cheku, and were celebrating. By then, Gen. Katumba Wamala was a colonel and he was overseeing the operations. A number of them were killed. Hence, a lot of cows were lost. Members have just talked about the loss of property. Indeed, during the Kony war, whereas we had the West Nile Bank Front at home in West Nile, the distance from Pakwach to Karuma was a death trap. If you were travelling from Kampala, it was not until you had crossed Pakwach that you would say, “Thank you, God”. When you were coming from West Nile, it was not until you reached Karuma that you would say, “Thank you, God”. People lost a lot of property. Mr Speaker, you were here in the 10 th Parliament. The list of people who lost lorries and buses, including the Nile Coach Buses and others, was presented here. The Government had agreed to compensate all these people, but along the way, this has been swept under the rug. We are talking about Acholi, Lango, and Teso, which is okay. I think the Government should set minimum service delivery standards so that when we offer services, everybody is on board. Some Members have also talked about tobacco here. In the 10 th Parliament, when they talked about compensation for tobacco - because all the West Nilers who were tobacco farmers and the people in Bunyoro lost their tobacco to masterminds. The compensation had taken root for the two groups of people. When it came to compensation, Bunyoro was considered but the people of West Nile were abandoned and we are still struggling. Though, right now, we are saying the money is there. As the Government, I think we should set a standard of service delivery. There are very many cases where items are distributed, but when you go on the ground and look at where these items have gone, you realise that most of them end up in the constituencies of ministers, not Members of Parliament. Personally, I have stood to support the position of the committee that when it comes to service delivery, we should have minimum service standards. That must - (Member timed out.)

Thank you, Mr Speaker. I think leaving out West Nile was an oversight. I remember this day vividly, March 8 th 1996 , I was supposed to travel to Koboko, but for some strange reason or by an act of God, I did not travel, and the Lord’s Resistance Army did what it did best; there was an ambush on the Karuma Pakwach Road, where 130 people died and 70 vehicles were burnt. Therefore, I would like to join my colleagues in supporting the fact that there should be a level of compensation to West Nile much as the LRA insurgency did not occur in the subregion but there are many people who were in transit who lost their lives and also the businessmen like Nile Star and Gateway - not the Gateway of Koboko, but the Gateway Bus Service - were always being burnt. To this date, they have not been compensated. Mr Speaker and colleagues, I would also want to join the colleagues in support of a policy on compensation, and my question to the House and colleagues would be, is monetary compensation enough, or should we look at things beyond the monetary compensation to service delivery, recognition and so forth? No issues like the Northern Uganda Social Action Fund (NUSAF), I would like to ask the colleagues from Northern Uganda to push forward so that NUSAF can come back because it was a social action fund for Northern Uganda. It may not necessarily distribute finances to an individual, but the social services that come with such a fund should not go unrecognised. Mr Speaker, I would like to rest my case, and I pray that these resolutions are considered. Thank you.

15847 THE E LEVENTH PARLIAMENT OF UGANDA WEDNESDAY , 29 JANUARY 2025 taking responsibility to compensate people who suffered during this war. Three, I also asked about West Nile’s position because I talked about the several casualties that happened on Karuma-Pakwach Road in 1996. To the extent that we were using Lake Albert, we could not pass through Karuma- Pakwach. I want to agree with the committee and the Attorney-General that we need to fast-track this policy because it is the one which is going to address all this mix of issues. If you follow our debate now, we have brought many issues right from even before independence. We need to address that in the comprehensive policy, so that the issue of compensation can be handled once and for all. Finally, if you read the book of Deuteronomy 24:16 says that no son must suffer for the sins of the parents. We are not blaming the Karamojong for cattle rustling. We are not saying that the Acholi sat under a tree and said, “Joseph Kony or Alice Lakwena, go to the bush.” Therefore, let us not mix those issues and never use phrases such as, “if so and so is in power and then another Government changes, you should destroy what is on the ground.” That should never happen again in Uganda. That is my position. Thank you. TH DEPUTY SPEAKER: Thank you. Hon. Ruyonga, Hon. Christine, Hon. Mapenduzi and Hon. Namugga.

15673 THE ELEVENTH PARLIAMENT OF UGANDA WEDNESDAY, 22 JANUARY 2025 We also have improvements in the road infrastructure, although we are not satisfied. There were governments here – For instance, the Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) Government was in power twice; it did not tarmac the road from Karuma-Arua to Koboko. It was later tarmacked by the NRM government. The same UPC Government that was in power twice did not connect West Nile to the national grid. We were connected to national grid just the other day. Therefore, when we are celebrating 39 years in power, we have a right to celebrate. However, we have the following concerns; I disagree with the minister on the issue of a smooth ride from Kampala to Koboko because between Olwiyo and Pakwach, the road is depleted; Nebbi and Arua, the road is depleted. These roads were done 200-

Thank you, Madam Speaker. The Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) has two major mandatory roles, that of inspection and that of market surveillance. However, even with the recent recruitment that the former board member mentioned, they are still grappling with the challenge of huge staffing gaps and I know that the minister should be aware. Myself-because I am very common at the border, I was there together with the Hon. Angura during a pre-shipment challenge. We compared and contrasted the staff between the ones of Kenya and Uganda. Uganda has a skeleton staff of below five. The other place is almost three times. The other one is corruption; in this particular agency, they have perpetrated a culture of impunity. They take bribes in broad daylight and allow such counterfeits like the one the Honourable Member of Pakwach mentioned. COMMUNICATION FROM THE CHAIR [Mr Olema]

Honourable members, I welcome you to this afternoon’s sitting. The nation is currently experiencing a lot of rainfall, which is causing a lot of disasters and flooding in various parts of the country. Yesterday we highlighted the situation that was unfolding at Pakwach Bridge. I am reliably informed that the taxi that was trapped amidst the flood was successfully retrieved, and the passengers are safe. (Applause) However, on a sad note, in the process of the rescue, we lost one of the engineers of the Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA). That was really a very tragic incident. We must take note that the floods are all over the country. When you go to the east, the floods are there. I am informed that Nabuyonga Bridge, at the entrance into Mbale, is off; you cannot enter. You cannot cross the road between Mbale and Soroti. Tirinyi Road has the same problem. Bulambuli – and, last night Hon. Ssasaga sent me pictures of people who had died in the floods. That is what is happening in the country, specifically the landslides.

Thank you very much, Madam Speaker. I want to thank you for your communication. I remember yesterday, when I was in the House, you asked the Government to respond immediately to the crisis on Pakwach Bridge. Madam Speaker, you referred to us having lost an engineer from UNRA. It is sad, indeed. Our condolences to the family and to the Government that has lost such an experienced person. Madam Speaker, we recently rationalised UNRA. From my experience, whenever we would have a crisis, we had a number of phone numbers to call. If you could not reach the director in Kampala, you would call the regional managers and a number of other engineers, from UNRA, to come and respond to the crisis, particularly in our respective constituencies. The rationalisation meant that it is now the commissioner – is it the engineer- in-chief? Who is in charge of coordination and receiving our calls? You will agree with me that it is very difficult for him to receive phone calls from the number of constituencies that we have in this country. Therefore, we ask the Minister of Works and Transport to provide lines that we can call so that they can respond to various crises that are going or happening in our respective constituencies. The roads which the Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) used to work on have been washed away by the rains. Some bridges have been washed away and we are stuck. We are on the Floor and there is no minister from the Ministry of Works and Transport. Even if I got out to call that engineer, the whole day, I would not be able to talk to him. We are like hitting a dead end. I would like to use this opportunity, Madam Speaker, since you have mentioned UNRA which was politely abolished due to rationalisation to state that we need those help lines. . I beg to submit.

The procedural issue I am raising is, would it not be procedurally right for the Prime Minister to instruct the minister to come up with a comprehensive plan and strategy for the challenge of the different roads and bridges across the country that have been washed away? In reference to my constituency, Madi-Okolo, three UNRA roads have completely been cut off. From Pakwach to Arua, you cannot cross. From Arua to Madi- Okolo, you cannot cross. The information I can share is that the Ministry of Works and Transport said they cannot repair these roads until the rains are done, but people need to move. Emergencies need to be responded to. Would it be procedurally right for the Prime Minister to come up with a comprehensive measure to respond to all these challenges as far as the road sector in this country is concerned and we have it once and for all?

Madam Speaker, we are in a state of emergency which requires the Government’s urgent intervention. As we talk now, we know the heavy rains have led to the cutting off of the crossing at Pakwach Bridge, and many people who are trying to intervene to offer help are also getting swept away. We, therefore, need a serious emergency response from the Government so that the volunteers who are helping with the situation can also be helped. That might require – maybe you have helicopters -

Tell us what happened. The river banks at Pakwach Bridge have burst and cost lives.

Thank you. Representing 77 per cent of the budget released. To that effect, Shs 446 billion remained unutilised and hence was returned to the Consolidated Fund as a result of the failure to absorb the resources. Madam Speaker, the absorption of funds by the local government was affected by a number of factors, including late release of funds, delays in procurement, delayed accessing of civil servants onto the payroll, change in design of construction works, among the cases cited. Notably, the local governments with the least absorptive capacities or those that returned huge sum of funds were Kitgum Municipal Council at 43 per cent, returning Shs 15 billion; Oyam District Local Government performed at 57 per cent thus returning Shs 25 billion; Pakwach District Local Government performed at 58 per cent returning Shs 14.5 billion; Agago District Local Government absorbed 60 per cent of the funds, returning Shs 17.6 billion; Lira District Local Government absorbed 54 per cent of the funds released to it returning Shs 17.6 billion and Arua City absorbed 74 per cent released to it, returning Shs 17.6 billion. Madam Speaker, on the other hand, the local governments that absorbed to near target were Gulu District Local Government (DLG) posting 100 per cent utilisation of all funds released to it, Arua DLG 94 per cent, Mityana DLG absorbed 96 per cent of the funds released to it and Mityana Municipal Council performed at 89 per cent, Moyo DLG at 87 per cent, and Yumbe DLG at 87 per cent. Those are among the best performing local governments. Madam Speaker, as I stated earlier, these are just samples we picked. The main reports are in this book. The Members will pick interest and look at their district one by one; how they performed in the Financial Year 2022/2023. Committee observation The committee observed that: i. Local governments were unable to carry out the planned activities because they did not get all the funds from the approved budget; ii. The unspent balance was attributed to a number of factors including failure to recruit, delayed deployment of teachers [Mr Olanya] STANDING COMMITTEE REPORT

15093 THE ELEVENTH PARLIAMENT OF UGANDA WEDNESDAY, 23 OCTOBER 2024 by the Ministry of Education and Sports, failure to procure contractors under the Uganda Support to Municipal Infrastructure Development (USMID) programme and the delayed completion of projects under the Uganda Intergovernmental Fiscal Transfers (UgIFT) programme, among others; iii. The Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, in some instances, released funds to the entities over and above what was requested for by the entities. Some entities did not have information about such releases by the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development which found them ill prepared for the money hence some being swept back to the Consolidated Fund; iv. The Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, in some cases, released funds late to entities. Several entities informed the committee that funds were received at the end of the last quarter of the financial year, which made absorption of the same almost impossible. Committee recommendation The committee recommends that: i. The Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development should explain why funds were not released to the local governments as budgeted and in a timely manner as well as those released over and above requests made by the entities. ii. Accounting officers under the supervision of local governments who failed to utilise funds released to them without justifiable reasons should be held personally liable. iii. Relevant entities should streamline their budget performance and ensure timely recruitment and placement, procurement timelines and follow-up on timely releases in order to improve funds absorption. iv. Accounting officers should follow up with the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development on the budget shortfalls affecting service delivery. 2. Local Revenue Performance The 56 local government entities had an approved local revenue budget of Shs 121.39 billion, out of which Shs 86.4 billion was allocated and released back to the local government, hence, a revenue collection of 71 per cent of the approved budget. A sum of Shs 34.98 billion remains uncollected at the end of the financial year. The warrant releases are based on what the local governments collect and is deposited with the Consolidated Fund as per the requirements of Section 29(2) of the Public Finance Management Act, 2015. The under-collection undermines service delivery as councils greatly rely on local revenue for support, supervision and facilitation of the council’s settings. Thus, improvement in its administration is required to improve service delivery. A number of local governments under review posted good performance, led by Butambala District Local Government at 278 per cent, Koboko Municipal Council at 232 per cent, Yumbe District Local Government at 131 per cent, and Koboko District Local Government at 128 per cent, while the lowest performance was registered by Lira District Local Government that realised only 11 per cent of its approved local revenue budget, Apac Municipal Council at only 23 per cent, Adjumani District Local Government at 35 per cent, and Pakwach District Local Government at 48 per cent, as per the budget performance annex 1. The accounting officers, with a good revenue performance, informed the committee that they had been enrolled on the Integrated Revenue Administration System (IRAS), which has enhanced revenue collection. Madam Speaker, additionally, accounting officers informed the committee that they had developed revenue enhancement plans, and

15094 THE NATIONAL COFFEE (AMENDMENT) BILL, 2024 they were optimistic that this would improve their revenue collection. For example, districts such as Wakiso District Local Government and Pakwach District Local Government reported and submitted to the committee their revenue enhancement plan. Committee observation The committee observed that: i. Under-collection undermines service delivery, as councils greatly rely on local revenue for support, supervision and council sittings. ii. Under-collection of local revenue denies the entities resources for implementation of the planned activities. iii. Some entities did not have robust revenue collection mechanisms, which explains the low local revenue collections. iv. The entities that performed well set revenue targets that were below their revenue potentials, and this explains the over-performance. Committee recommendations The committee recommends that: i. The accounting officers should strengthen local revenue collection efforts to ensure the availability of adequate funds for service delivery, for instance, by conducting in-land benchmarks with the best performing local governments. ii. The accounting officers should conduct revenue enumerations and assessment exercises to inform revenue planning and enforcement. iii. The accounting officers should put in place revenue enhancement plans to increase local revenue to match the entity’s revenue potential. iv. Owing to the positive feedback regarding IRAS, the Government should consider rolling out the system to all entities that have not started using the system. v. Accounting officers should strengthen capacity building for parish chiefs and town clerks, charged with the duty of revenue collections. Madam Speaker, we are looking at the performance of government warrants. The Auditor-General noted that most entities received less than what they budgeted for, thereby affecting service delivery. For instance, Lira City budgeted to receive Shs 68,046,036,451, out of which Shs 47,554,468,848 was warranted, resulting in a shortfall of Shs 20,491,840,032 representing 70 per cent performance. Nebbi District Local Government budgeted to receive Shs 46,692,271,928 out of which Shs 41,427,847,639 was warranted, resulting in a shortfall of Shs 5.264 billion, representing 89 per cent performance. Buikwe District Local Government budgeted to receive Shs 53.915 billion, out of which Shs 35.836 billion was warranted, resulting in a shortfall of Shs 18,793,000,000, representing 66 per cent performance. The auditor, however, noted that the realisation of budget funds to finance work plans is always impacted by the limited resource envelope resulting from the persistent budget cuts. The accounting officers explained that they had no control over warrants and cash limits but continuously engaged the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development to provide funds for the affected activities. Additionally, the accounting officers from some entities informed the committee that they received funds over and above what they had requested, for which they could not absorb. For instance, the accounting officer of Butambala District Local Government [Mr Olanya] STANDING COMMITTEE REPORT

Madam Speaker, I had the opportunity to visit West Nile last week. Particularly, I went to Pakwach, where there is a very big cotton factory. And I want to say -

He should know that I have a very close relationship with the Wadri family that is resident around there; he is aware. So, I am only speaking the truth. And the people around the area, people who grow coffee - (Interjections) - Cotton. I beg your pardon. People who grow cotton and produce and live on cotton have no confidence in the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries to market their cotton. The organisation is not charged with the production. It goes beyond production, quality and marketing and for the external market. That is export. Our people, and inclusive of myself, have no confidence at all in the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries as a marketing agency. They can only do agriculture very well. That one I know. But they cannot do marketing because there is nothing they have been able to market. For that reason, Madam Speaker, while voicing out the voice of the people that grow cotton in Pakwach, where I was and interacted with the people, I persuade this House to stand with the people and withhold the Coffee Development Organisation –(Interjections) - I mean, substitute “cotton” wherever it appears and put “coffee.” I grow coffee, that is what I understand best but I interacted with people that grow cotton. Madam Speaker, I speak on behalf of the people of the West Nile, where I was last week and interacted with them. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. You are spot on, and I would like to commend you for being a good and listening leader to the women of this country. Madam Speaker, I agree with you that not only from my district, Pakwach - I have consulted several women leaders here. The GROW project is intended to benefit women entrepreneurs of all classes, including those who already have ongoing businesses. However, most women have complained that when they go to the banks where these funds have been directed, they are asked for IN THE PARLIAMENT OF UGANDA Official Report of the Proceedings of Parliament FOURTH SESSION - 25TH SITTING - FIRST MEETING Parliament met at 1.58 p.m. in Parliament House, Kampala. PRAYERS (The Speaker, Ms Anita Among, in the Chair.) The House was called to order. COMMUNICATION FROM THE CHAIR

14756 STANDING COMMITTEE REPORT [Ms Pacuto] COMMUNICATION FROM THE CHAIR collateral in the form of land, including telling them that there should be building on that land. They must produce evidence that they own land. Other than that, some of them are being asked to take photos together with their husbands. We are wondering whether GROW is meant for only legally married women, yet there are very many women out there who are not married. Madam Speaker, the women are saying that there are no guidelines in the districts. I tried to find out from the focal person in Pakwach District and the women leaders and they are saying there are no guidelines. If the focal persons do not have guidelines, where did the banks get these guidelines? We need to have these guidelines given not only to us leaders but also to the focal persons in the districts. As you have guided, we need an updated report per district on how the GROW project is being implemented, and where possible, we need to be re-trained because we do not know how to promote GROW in our different areas. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. On the same GROW program. The GROW project is a response to multiple hindrances faced by women entrepreneurs. However, not to repeat what my colleague has already said, the GROW project is not favouring the rural women who are work in the village markets. When they go to the bank and request for say, Shs 5 million - I have my women who travel from Nwoya to Pakwach in a place called - that big market - to do trading there but when they request for Shs 5 million, they are sent back and told to reduce the loan amount. They also say that they want requirements - collateral for the bank - I know the national ID is for identifying whether someone is a Ugandan or a resident of a particular place – and when they ask for cash flows, they want to see how these women businesses are operating. However, if the aim of the GROW project is to respond to multiple hindering factors, then we are not responding to those factors by asking the rural woman to reduce the loan amount. Someone requests for Shs 1 million but you tell them to reduce it to Shs 500,000.

Madam Speaker, as you are all aware, the old Karuma Bridge was constructed in the early 50s. We are trying to rehabilitate it so that its lifespan can extend, as we put a new one, financed by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Due to that rehabilitation or repair, the Government stopped vehicles from using that bridge. So, there are alternative roads: i. Through Hoima-Buliisa-Para up to Pakwach; and ii. Through Murchison Falls National Park. He talked of a very complicated name – Kiko -

That road is from Masindi to Kikomanyombo gate. It goes to Para and exits at Tangi to Pakwach.

Mr Speaker, today, I had a meeting with officials from the Ministry of Works and Transport and that issue came up. They told me that the ferry had a mechanical problem and that they had to go and fix some parts that were lacking. They wanted to give them a spare ferry for any eventualities, but that spare ferry is currently in Pakwach – because Pakwach got a weed that covered the bridge. After removing that weed from the bridge, they will bring - because some

Mr Speaker, I need to give more information. Before I came here, I was in the Education Service Commission and I was in charge of Bunyoro and West Nile. You would traverse those schools and get the people there. There has been ping-pong between the Education Service Commission and the ministry. The ministry uses these headteachers to build and, afterwards, they say: “Let it be open.” That is why the committee is of the view that, for the current headteachers, even if the acting ones are on Government payroll, go on-site and interview them because they are the ones who know the conditions of that place. That is what we think is going to solve the problem, but there has been ping-pong. Education Service Commission has no problem. However, they say it is the policy, yet they are using them to compile lists of the teachers who are there. For the time being – like we were in Pakwach – money is returned. Why don’t we just have one position that for the operational schools, the Education Service Commission should go and interview on site? It would solve all these problems.

14299 Wednesday, 18 September 2024 We have known leaders in this country but you are one of such great leaders that Mitooma has blessed this country with. (Applause) And I say this from the bottom of my heart. Many people will deceive you and want to say good things when you are dead but I tell you the people of Pakwach never lie. Yesterday I was disturbed because the banks of River Nile burst - (Laughter) - and there are very many young pupils like these from Pakwach who are not able to access schools. There are teachers who have rebelled because they want motorised boats from the Office of the Prime Minister because they can no longer manage to cross on small canoes. Since we are blessed with such great leaders like you from Mitooma, I plead with you because young Ugandans from Mitooma like you and the ones who have come here today are not accessing education, moreover, at a time so critical because in just a few weeks, primary seven pupils are beginning examinations. I thought I should make this comment. Thank you. (Laughter)

Honourable Government Chief Whip, we have a memorandum of cooperation between Pakwach and Mitooma districts - (Laughter)- I really cannot fend for Mitooma alone yet we have a cooperation agreement. The people of Pakwach need help from the Office of the Prime Minister. They need boats for the children to cross the river - and also want to come to Parliament and see - IN THE PARLIAMENT OF UGANDA Official Report of the Proceedings of Parliament FOURTH SESSION - 17TH SITTING - 1ST MEETING Parliament met at 2.15 p.m. in Parliament House, Kampala. PRAYERS (The Deputy Speaker, Mr Thomas Tayebwa, in the Chair.) The House was called to order. COMMUNICATION FROM THE CHAIR

Thank you, Mr Speaker, for giving the people of Pakwach an opportunity to comment on your communication today.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. I hope that out of the “learning by rumour” we do not have “MPs of rumour” also. (Laughter) The point I want to bring here is that we are talking about Kyambogo University, but this problem is in all universities. I do not think there is another time when we are going to be talking about Muni University, Gulu University and others. I think we should talk about all these universities now. (Applause) By the way, the 30 per cent teaching staff in Kyambogo is even better than in some other universities, particularly the fairly new ones. For the fairly new ones, the majority are at 25 per cent in terms of the teaching staff. In that case, if we are going to take a decision on whether to do an audit, particularly the way you guided, Mr Speaker, it has to be done for all public universities. Mr Speaker, there is one thing that I have also noticed. It is not only the universities, but the other higher institutions of learning also have similar problems. We have a Uganda College of Commerce (UCC) in Pakwach, and it has a similar problem. Some years back, actually, they were using the part-time. To me, this is to perpetrate even dictatorship in these universities. You have to be very submissive; you should not even be reasoning. And, immediately you start to argue with the university, even on the right things, you are sent away. That is because there are many others out there, who want to come in.

Mr Speaker, I beg to proceed. We have the minutes and I think I will tender them in. The report of the Sectoral Committee on Education and Sports on the State of Selected Public Universities, Tertiary Institutions, Seed Schools, and Public Sports Facilities in Northern Uganda. Introduction The Committee on Education and Sports was among the committees selected by the Rt Hon. Speaker to undertake an oversight visit to the Northern Region to assess projects under their jurisdiction. The Northern Region is composed of sub regions of Acholi, Karamoja, Lango and West Nile. The Government of Uganda attaches great importance to education and sports, as it plays a vital role in ensuring attainment of both social and economic transformation as envisaged in the Uganda Vision 2040, NDP III, and the NRM Manifesto. There are notable changes in the sector with the Universal Primary Education and Universal Secondary Education in addition to higher learning institutions under BTVET and universities all considerably supported by Government and supplemented by other non- state actors countrywide. The committee therefore visited some selected primary schools, secondary schools, tertiary institutions, and public universities in the districts of Arua, Pakwach, Nebbi, and Madi- Okollo in West Nile sub region. Gulu District in Acholi sub region, Abim District in Karamoja sub region, and finally Lira, Dokolo, Otuke Districts in Lango sub region. 2.0 Objectives of the Field visit. The main objective of the visit was to ascertain the existence and status of development projects in selected Traditional and Seed schools, Tertiary Institutions, and Public Universities in the Northern region. 2.1 The specific objectives include: i. To ascertain the status of implementation and progress of the UgIFT projects in selected schools.

Background - I think that one is highlighted. We can skip that. Okay, we can go to: 1.0 Findings, Observations, and Recommendations 1.1 West Nile Subregion. In the West Nile Subregion of Northern Uganda, the committee visited districts of Pakwach, Nebbi, Madi-Okollo, and Arua districts, and inspected the following institutions and schools. 1.1.1 Muni University in the Arua district Muni University is one of the public universities in Uganda, which was established by the Uganda Government by Statutory Instrument No. 31, 2013, in accordance with the University’s and other Tertiary Institutions Act. The university has an established governance structure comprising a fully-fledged council, Senate, and Committees to run its affairs. Mr Speaker, let us go to the findings because most people are eagerly waiting for the findings. But before findings, I think we should also look at the observations. In Arua or Muni University, there are two buildings that have stalled for so many years. One of them is the delayed completion of the Health Science Laboratory building and administration block. The committee observed that the contract for the completion of the construction of the Health Science Lab Building was signed between Muni University and Kisinga Construction Company Limited on the l3th March 2019. The ground-breaking ceremony and site handover were done on 25 March 2019, and the actual work started on 3 May 2019 but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the implementation of the project was delayed and thus construction elapsed on 25 March 2022. However, the completion date was later revised by two years up to 24 March 2024 but this was not attained, and yet the work executed is only at 67 per cent. The Administration Block Annex: the committee observed that this construction project commenced on 11 April 2022 and is expected to be completed on 11 October 2024 and yet the work executed is just at 55.5 per cent. The committee observed that the capacity building centre facility has some structural problems requiring immediate attention like

Thank you. I was concluding on Muni University. before the Hon. Muzaale intervened. We were saying that the committee recommends that the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development (MoFPED) considers availing funds for the completion of the Health Science Block and Administration Block Annex construction in order to create space for faculties in the existing administrative block and lecture space. Mr Speaker, after Muni University, we went to Alwi Secondary School in Pakwach and the committee had those observations. Generally, I can attest that Alwi Seed Secondary School is one of the best-constructed schools in that region. Observations: The committee observed that after the construction of Alwi Secondary School, the population surged. The committee observed that the school has inadequate teaching and learning materials such as learners’ books, internet access and others. The committee further observed that staff accommodation is grossly insufficient. That was as far as Alwi Secondary School is concerned. Recommendations for Alwi: The Ministry of Education and Sports should provide additional staff to address the untenable 1:100 teacher-learner ratio and meet the acceptable standard of 1:50, to improve teaching effectiveness and curriculum execution. The Ministry of Education and Sports should provide additional essential educational resources, such as learners’ books. The Government should consider connecting Alwi Seed Secondary School to the national grid and enhance internet access because they are just using solar.

What we discovered was that, generally, there is lack of enough human resource in these regions and you get districts returning money. Pakwach returned Shs 1.5 billion, Arua returned Shs 800 million and Nebbi returned Shs 900 million – for recruitment. The committee, in its wisdom, proposes that this money has no right to come back to the source. Let the Ministry of Education and Sports and even the Education Service Commission be facilitated to go and do recruitment on site because there is money and so that the people there are recruited. On the issue of banning recruitment - I think that was done. So conclusively, Mr Speaker, the field visits revealed critical challenges in educational infrastructure and resource management in the Northern region. There is a general problem of contractors under Uganda Intergovernmental Fiscal Transfers (UgIFT) projects taking on more than three seed schools, which are more than they can handle. This constrains them in performing effectively under the project. The committee noted that across the districts, money allocated for the wage bill was returned to the Consolidated Fund because of the ban on recruitment.

Much obliged, Mr Speaker. As guided, pursuant to rules 159(c) and 189(e) of the Rules of Procedure, the Sectoral Committee on Tourism, Trade and Industry, between the 13 th and 15 August 2024, conducted a field activity to appraise the state of the following tourism sites and to consider related matters: The first is Kabalega and Mwanga Monumental Site in Dokolo District. The others are Barlonyo Massacre Site in Lira District; Mary Mother of the Church Shrine in Iceme, Oyam District; Aboke Massacre Site in Oyam District; Sir Samuel Baker`s Fort, Patiko, Gulu District; and Amuru Hot Springs in Amuru District. The committee also acknowledges and prioritises, for subsequent oversights, the heritage sites in Gulu-Gulu Hills in Amuro; Napak Fossil Site in Napak; Emin Pasha Fort Site in Wadelai in Pakwach; Karamoja Museum in Moroto; Dufile Heritage Site in Moyo; Tien Olum footprints site in Ibuja-Kokoro in Lango; Palabek in Lamwo; Lototoro in Lamwo; Agoro Hills in Acholi; Abiyam Memorial Site in Lango; Nziri Tomb in West Nile; Winam Old Palace in West Nile; and Arua Museum in West Nile. Those are 19 sites in total. The terms of references, I already indicated. To save time, I will go straight to the methodology. But okay, I will also not go through it, but it is important to mention that the committee conducted a desk review on a comparative analysis of investment sites in three East African community countries. One, the committee noted that for the management and administration of museums and monuments in Uganda, we are guided by the Museums and Monuments Act of 2023. Mr Speaker, Uganda also has a tourism policy of 2015, which prioritises four areas, national parks, cultural heritage sites, Lake Victoria, mountains, and community-based tourism. The focus of this report is on cultural heritage sites. We also compared the tourist visits to museums and monuments in East Africa. We noted that in

14201 THE ELEVENTH PARLIAMENT OF UGANDA FRIDAY, 30 AUGUST 2024 for their findings and recommendations. My concern is on the safety and who is charged with maintaining these cultural sites. For example, a few days ago, I visited Pakwach – that is where I come from, originally. I also visited the Eclipse Point. The structure is good, but the site has been abandoned and left to wild animals. Villagers also, sometimes, access and use it as their latrine. Hon. Avur here can testify. Therefore, the question is: who is in charge of maintaining these sites? This is because many of them are abandoned. In terms of safety, for example, when you go on top of the Nile or Murchison Falls in the national park, you find that the barriers that were erected many years ago have rusted, and, for some of them, algae have grown on them and they are slippery. The size of the metal used cannot provide any safety anymore. Therefore, I call upon the committee or wildlife to also, at least, replace the barriers so that our tourists are protected instead of falling into the Nile. Thank you, Mr Speaker.

Thank you. The second one is Pakwach. Madam Speaker, Pakwach has a challenge that we have also identified. When we were doing the Tangi Road from Masindi, the engineering tampered with the topography of that place and for that reason, each time it rains, there is flooding around the bridge that is compounded by the floating island. As we speak, the teams that are doing drenching have already arrived in Pakwach. They arrived two days ago but started work seriously yesterday. I do not want honourable colleagues to think that this work was started because the issues were raised here. It was already something that we had intended to do and it is being done to make sure that the floating island is removed so that the bridge does not give way. That will happen with the rest of the region. The last one is Nebbi-Arua. While we are working on a permanent rehabilitation, we have also directed the company to do forward maintenance. I would like to assure my honourable colleagues that we will do some forward maintenance so that Nebbi- Arua becomes motorable. Right now, we acknowledge that it is bad, but I want to assure this Parliament that a comprehensive report will be presented to it so that we can capture all that has been stated, including issues of

Your Excellency, as you guided in Cabinet, work on the Malaba-Soroti- Lira-Gulu Railway metre gauge is on. We have reached Kumi so far. There was a small technicality between us, the office, and the team working, which we have also resolved after consulting you and Mzee Matia Kasaija. So, they have resumed. The first phase will bring the metre gauge up to Gulu here. Then the second phase will be from Gulu to Pakwach.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. First of all, this is a very important issue that should be handled with all the gentility it requires. There are many stakeholders in this and, if it is not properly handled, these stakeholders may start their own action, which may not be nice for us as a country. Secondly, I go back to the Latin origin of “ex gratia”. Fortunately, I studied Latin. “Ex gratia” means “out of goodwill”. “Compensation” comes from the Latin word “ compensare” , which means “restoring the gains and the losses”. While compensation is legal, ex gratia is voluntary. While compensation is to restore to the original position, ex gratia is just goodwill. While compensation is taxable, ex gratia is tax-free. If I inherit the office of Member of Parliament of Ora County, I need to take responsibility and carry on what I got on the ground. It is an obligation that I feel I should work towards fulfilling. When you look at the history, the events and the people who suffered the impact of these catastrophes – if you look at 1996, for example, when NRA burnt about 16 vehicles on Karuma-Pakwach Road, it was the people of West Nile who suffered. So, first of all, I need clarification from the Attorney-General: why are you calling it “ex gratia”, and not “compensation”? I think it is for the Attorney-General and the minister for justice. Secondly, the people who suffered in this are not restricted to Acholi, Lango and Teso only. So, what is the position of the people of West Nile? Thank you very much. (Applause)

Madam Speaker, I am Emmanuel Ongiertho Obonyo Jor, the MP for Jonam in Pakwach District. I am a member of the FDC Party in abeyance.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. My name is Avur Jane Pacuto. I am the Woman Member of Parliament for Pakwach District. Madam Speaker, I humbly beg that the proposed sitting in the middle of Kampala Road be taken to Pakwach District, along the Nile so that our economy can as well improve, like the one of Gulu. Thank you.

Madam Speaker, in accordance with Article 90 of the Constitution of the Republic of Uganda and rules 159(c), (d), (e), (f) and 189 of the Rules of Procedure of Parliament of Uganda, the Parliamentary Committee on Physical Infrastructure is mandated to exercise oversight and ensure effective utilisation of resources and implementation of policies related to physical infrastructure development. In fulfilment of this mandate, the committee embarked on a field visit to Northern Uganda from the 4 th to 10 th August 2024, to assess the status of roads, bridges, aerodromes and railways in the region. The visit aimed to evaluate the condition, usage and maintenance of transport infrastructure, with a focus on roads, bridges, aerodromes and the railway. The committee sought to gather fast-hand information on the progress of the ongoing projects, identify challenges and determine necessary interventions to improve the region’s infrastructure. This report presents the findings and recommendations of the committee aligning with its oversight role and contributing to informed decision making for the development of Northern Uganda transport infrastructure. The committee visited the following sites: a) Karuma Bridge; b) Pakwach Bridge; c) Masindi Port Bridge; d) Karuma-Olwiyo-Pakwach Road; e) Rwenkunye-Apac-Lira-Puranga-Acholi Bur Road; f) Tororo-Mbale-Soroti-Lira-Kamdini Road; g) Tororo-Gulu Railway Line; h) The Regional Mechanical Workshop and Logistics; and i) Moroto Road. Madam Speaker, this report presents a critical opportunity for lawmakers to address the transportation challenges in Northern Uganda. The committee’s field visit focused on evaluating the current state of integrated transport infrastructure and services, identifying key bottlenecks, and engaging with local stakeholders to understand their experiences and perspectives.

14042 SECTORAL COMMITTEE REPORT through the National Park during the period when emergency restoration works are being undertaken on Karuma Bridge. Construction of the new bridge at Karuma The committee was informed by URRA of plans to construct a new bridge over the River Nile at Karuma. The commencement date for a new bridge is expected to be September 2026, after feasibility studies are completed among others. The current Karuma Bridge was constructed in 1962 with a design lifespan of 50 years. The ongoing repair works are expected to increase the service life of the bridge by a further two to five years. Therefore, it is imperative that the Government of Uganda considers a long-term solution to the movement of traffic at Karuma and construction of the new bridge - It is an ideal proposal by the committee. The committee recommends that UNRA should expedite the completion of the necessary processes, including feasibility studies, designs, acquisition of land and sourcing of funding in order to ensure that construction of a new bridge at Karuma can commence as planned in September 2026. Impact of temporary closure of the bridge The committee observed that due to temporary closure of the bridge, travellers are experiencing delays in reaching their destinations, and movement of goods and services has been significantly affected. Despite Karuma Bridge being a crucial artery for commerce in West Nile and Northern Uganda areas, it facilitates the movement of goods and services between regions and supporting numerous businesses. Currently, heavy goods vehicles have been diverted to alternative routes, including through Murchison Falls National Park and through Eastern Uganda - through Masindi port, and via Eastern Uganda, therefore increasing the travel time, cost of transportation, and inconveniences to road users. The committee observed that alternative route through Masindi port is overwhelmed by increased traffic and negatively affected by floods. In addition, the public facilities at Karuma and Kamdini such as toilets have been strained due to increased numbers of passengers on either sides of the bridge as they await transportation using smaller vehicles across the bridge. The committee received a memorandum written by the Uganda National Chamber of Commerce, Lira Branch (UNCCI), to execute a directive of the UNRA on the 3 August 2024, expressing concern about the significant bottlenecks to the transportation of the goods. The committee further recommends that UNRA should expeditiously undertake emergency repairs on Nakasongola-Zengebe Road to enable interim transportation of people, goods, services, while repair works at Karuma Bridge are ongoing. UNRA should immediately deploy another bigger ferry at Masindi port and increase the working hours of the ferries due to the significant increase in diverted traffic that the committee witnessed at Kungu Landing Site. UNRA should expedite the repair works so that normal traffic flow is restored over Karuma Bridge. Madam Speaker, another elephant in the room is Pakwach Bridge Assessment of Pakwach Bridge The committee noted that the bridge was commissioned in 1969 and has been in existence for over 55 years with minimal maintenance. The committee observed that there were structural cracks on the abutments, expansion joints had failed, and embankments on the western bank of the river had weakened with visible erosion. In addition, there was floating vegetation underneath the bridge surrounding the structure

14043 THE ELEVENTH PARLIAMENT OF UGANDA WEDNESDAY, 28 AUGUST 2024 and impeding the river flow. This vegetation resulted in a dump lot around the bridge including the abutments and other structural elements. The committee was informed that UNRA undertakes various types of assessment on its bridges, including periodic, special, and routine inspections. These inspections enable UNRA to determine the integrity and serviceability of the structure, including the various elements thereon. The committee noted with concern that Pakwach Bridge had evident structural cracks on the abutments and failed expansion joints. This poses challenges to the performance of the bridge and may result into sudden failure unless possible defects are comprehensively established and corrected early. Madam Speaker, the committee was informed that the flooding at Pakwach Bridge is due to the wrong designs at Tangi Bridge. The committee, therefore, recommends the following: UNRA should undertake an immediate special inspection of the bridge to assess its performance and correct any likely anomalies thereon. UNRA should urgently design and source funding for a new bridge over the Albert Nile at Pakwach to replace the existing one. The design should be cognizant of the unique environmental challenges faced by the existing bridge, including floating vegetation and soil instability. We recommend that Ministry of Works and Transport should review the designs of Tangi Bridge so as to manage the water flow at Pakwach Bridge. The floating vegetation on the bridge The committee observed with concern that there was a floating vegetation surrounding the bridge elements within the water, thereby impeding the river flow and creating other challenges. It was noted that this vegetation is likely to lead to dump loads on the bridge structural elements, which will result in increased risk of flooding and weakening of the bridge over time. It was also reported that another piece of floating vegetation had been spotted downstream and was likely to arrive at the bridge in three days, posing a risk to the structure’s stability. The committee noted with concern, Madam Speaker, that the Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) has only one dredger that is used across the country which affects its timely intervention when more than one bridge needs its services at the time. The committee recommends, Madam Speaker, that: i) UNRA should institute a debris removal system and increase the frequency of dredger operations at the site. In addition, the local community should be mobilised to engage in a maintenance program for clearing the debris and floating vegetation on a routine basis. ii) UNRA should immediately return the dredger that was transferred to Zengebe to Pakwach Bridge, so that it can be used to clear the floating vegetation. iii) Due to the persistency of the flooding vegetation, UNRA should procure more dredgers to facilitate timely interventions on the various bridges and landing sites in the country. Degradation of the embankment of the western bank of Pakwach Bridge The committee observed that the embankment on the western river bank had eroded and was weakening as a consequence. There were visible signs of failure and the situation was expected to get worse as there was no intervention taken to protect it from erosion.

14044 SECTORAL COMMITTEE REPORT Therefore, the structural integrity of the bridge would be affected over time if the embankment was not protected. The committee recommends that UNRA should urgently build a retaining wall and undertake sheet piling at the exposed embankment in order to protect it from further deterioration and likelihood of catastrophic failure. Masindi Port Bridge Delayed construction of the Masindi Port Bridge Madam Speaker, the Masindi Port Bridge is expected to be completed under Phase 4 of the Rwekunye-Masindi Port-Apac-Lira- Puranga-Acholi Bur Road Project. It should be appreciated that the bridge is under procurement and, therefore, the commencement date is yet to be established. UNRA informed the committee that Islamic Development Bank, who are financing the road projects, has committed to funding the bridge works at Masindi Port. The committee noted that the construction of this bridge is a long-time Presidential pledge, and therefore, delays in the commencements of works on the Masindi Port Bridge are expected to affect the optimisation and the under- construction of Rwekunye-Masindi Port-Apac- Lira-Puranga Road. Madam Speaker, this is because upon completion of the road, there will be diverted traffic on the road, leading to an increase in the number of vehicles using the newly constructed road. Consequently, the delays will be longer, since more vehicles will be using the new road, and yet only a single ferry remains being used at the crossing point. Madam Speaker, further, the committee observed that the temporary closure of Karuma Bridge has increased traffic at Masindi Port Bridge. The committee was informed that the Masindi Port ferry broke down due to a lot of work. The committee, therefore, recommends that: i) UNRA provides a bigger ferry to manage the situation. ii) The Government should expedite the sourcing of funding and identification of a contractor to undertake construction of the Masindi Port Bridge. The National Roads Karuma-Olwiyo-Pakwach Road The committee was informed that rehabilitation of the Karuma-Pakwach Road is currently ongoing under two separate lots, namely; Lot 1: Karuma-Olwiyo, which is 43.5 kilometres, then Lot 2 is Olwiyo-Pakwach, which is 62.5 kilometres. The works on the two lots are being undertaken in separate contracts, but the same contractor. The previous works on the road were completed in 2007, with a design lifespan of 15 years. The scope of the works for Lot 1 constitutes rehabilitation works, mainly comprised of provision of an asphalt concrete overlay on the entire section to replace the existing double bituminous surface treatment. These works are to ensure that the service life of the existing road is extended by at least seven years. For Lot 2, the road is to be reconstructed and the whole road to be widened with benched, earthworks and gravel fields. The final road conforms to the design class II paved standard with asphalt and concrete surface. I invite the honourable colleagues to refer to Table 3 and 4: Works Construct Details for the Rehabilitation of the Olwiyo-Pakwach Road is therein. Madam Speaker, the committee also examined issues of the delayed payments to contractors. The committee noted with concern that the contractors were demanding money for unpaid works since Interim Payment Certificate (IPC) remained outstanding. The total value of the unpaid IPCs was Shs 15 billion, that is to say, Shs 2 billion on Lot 1 and Shs 13 billion on Lot 2. The works contract

14045 THE ELEVENTH PARLIAMENT OF UGANDA WEDNESDAY, 28 AUGUST 2024 contains provisions permitting the contractor to claim for interest payments on any outstanding IPCs, as well as an option to stop execution of works until payment are effected. The committee recommends that: i) The Government provides adequate funding to enable UNRA immediately pay the outstanding payment of Shs 15 billion to the contractors in order to curtail further accumulation of the interest and enable works proceed as per the approved work plan. ii) UNRA should ensure contractors are paid for any completed works in the future, as per agreed time frame in the works contract. Delays in completion of the works The committee noted with concern that the works on the road project are behind schedule and are unlikely to be completed on time. Karuma-Olwiyo section works are supposed to be completed on 30 November 2024, yet physical progress was at only 16.7 per cent, and those for Olwiyo-Pakwach section are to be completed by 25 May 2025 but physical progress is only at 28.8 per cent as at July 2024. UNRA attributed the delays to a late commencement by the contractor on Lot 1, the riots in Kenya that affected the supply chains of imported construction materials such as bitumen. Despite concerns by the committee, UNRA reported that the contractor had deployed adequate resources on Lot 1: Karuma to ensure completion of the project within the remaining time frame, including machinery to apply 500 metres full-width asphalt concrete surfacing. The committee recommends that in order to ensure the timely completion of the project, UNRA should effectively monitor and enforce the contract to ensure compliance with the contract terms and project timeliness. The structural damage and block access to property The committee met with the individuals whose property was damaged due to the ongoing works and were demanding for compensation. These individuals were located in Agung along the Olwiyo-Pakwach section. UNRA reported that it was aware and committed to compensating the affected individuals since the project insurers are liable for meeting such eventualities, which is usually done once after establishment of all affected persons is completed. In addition, Madam Speaker, the committee noted that some project-affected persons had access to their property cut off due to embankments built higher than the existing roads. The road elevation in Puranga had been raised, leaving nearby shops in a lower- lying area, making accessibility challenging for locals. This alteration will lead to floods destroying businesses of the community. Madam Speaker, the committee recommendations: i) UNRA should immediately maintain open and transparent communication with the affected individuals, providing regular updates of the compensation process and timeliness; ii) UNRA and the contractors should expedite compiling a detailed list of project affected persons and consider to timely compensating them. iii) UNRA should implement measures to mitigate the negative impact on business and surrounding communities such as providing alternative access to roads, to routes or rams and implementing temporary drainage solutions to prevent water accumulating during construction. iv) UNRA and the contractors should reinstate the utility lines. Madam Speaker, Rwenkunye–Apac-Lira– Puranga-Acholi Bur Road project is for upgrading of Apac-Lira-Puranga Road-Acholi Bur. Details are summarised in Table 5. I invite the honourable colleagues to get to Table 5.

Exactly, Madam Speaker. Go to the public investment plan and look at it and find out which w road was captured in it, whether it was budgeted for and the resource allocated. Unless we do that, Madam Speaker, we are glossing over this and other areas where these issues are not captured will get swept away year in and year out. Therefore, Madam Speaker, I request the committees, especially the infrastructure committee - we thank you for this report - but go in-depth, look at the public investment plan, the National Development Plan, and resource allocation. Sometimes we allocate resources for roads, and it is diverted year in and year out. Madam Speaker, the committee established a very fundamental legal glitch but they did not recommend remedial legal disciplinary action. For example, the committee said, on Pakwach Bridge, the matter was about the design but the committee did not recommend disciplinary action and sanctions, which is provided for in the Public Finance Act –

As of now, the committee has done a good job. If the committee is talking about Pakwach, Pakwach Road would not be worked on if it was not in NDP III. If it is talking about Karuma, it would not be worked on if it was not under NDP III. Most of the issues that the committee has raised are on delays, non-compensation of Project Affected Persons (PAPs) and failure to release the monies. However, I want to find out from the minister for finance, much as the committee is excited about the Shs 1 billion, have you released the money to all the districts?

I have the following, Madam Speaker, to highlight. We have a strategic security and tourism road from Panyimur, Pakwach, Rhino Camp, Obongi, up to Difule, that for the last 15 years has been highlighted in both the party manifesto as well as the NDP III. It has not been mentioned. The same applies to the road that comes from Arua City through Obongi, Adjumani to Elegwen International Road. Lastly, under transport, water transport is very important, Madam Speaker. In the 1940s, 50s, and 60s, West Nile was served by steam ships that plied from Nimule to Namasagali. In our strategic plan, there has been a highlight about reintroduction of water transport system that would reduce the cost of movement of people and goods. I pray that the Committee on Physical Infrastructure as well as the Ministry of Works and Transport take interest in investing in water transport as an alternative means of transport to improve the movement of goods and people. I thank you so much, Madam Speaker.

Thank you very much, Madam Speaker. I want to commend the Committee on Physical Infrastructure for their observations on Karuma Bridge and Pakwach Bridge, and I am going to address my mind to the issue of bridges. Whereas the committee rightly observed that Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) should stick to the specified period for the maintenance work on Karuma, and that UNRA should ensure funding is secured, I am aware that UNRA stops at planning and budgeting, and the approval is done by Parliament, and the release is then done by the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development. I, therefore, want to implore this august House to send a strong signal to the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development to ensure that Government expenditures on critical projects like bridges and roads are addressed with immediate effect. Madam Speaker, if we are supposed to yield the high returns that we expect from this infrastructure - leaving it to UNRA may not solve the issue because the releases are not done by UNRA. Constant movement of goods and services both domestically and internationally is key if we are supposed to compete comparatively within the region and outside our country and for our goods to earn the requisite foreign exchange that we badly desire. I, therefore, want to pray that the works on Karuma Bridge and Pakwach Bridge be expedited sooner than later. Madam Speaker, about the floating vegetation in Pakwach, indeed I want to commend the committee because I was at home just yesterday; the floating vegetation is very close to the bridge now and this is impeding the fishing activities on the Albert Nile and even killing our fish, which is really our cash cow in the district. I pray that we move fast to clear them.

Madam Speaker, I want to disagree with the committee, calling upon my people to come and support in clearing the floating vegetation. Aware that the fisheries operations on both Lake Albert and Albert Nile have left 90 per cent of our boats not only destroyed but burned, then how possible is it that our people are going to help in supporting UNRA to clear this vegetation without having boats in place? I, therefore, want to call upon this House to emphasise to Government that whereas we are ready as people of Pakwach and beyond to adhere to the new fishing policy, we need to be supported. I thank you.

Madam Speaker, by good chance, as I was going to phone my permanent secretary, I met two people who said, “Minister, do not waste your time. Money has been sent.” I quote Nebbi District; this money is sent quarterly. So, in the first quarter Nebbi has got Shs 250 million, Pakwach District has got Shs 250 million also. Even Kibale and Gulu, is now being told. I think that I have answered the question.

The main bridges like Karuma and Pakwach; that one again, because as I said, these small details at times I do not catch them.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I want to thank the committee for a very good report. I have the following observations. One, inadequacy in pro- activeness. Karuma Bridge has stayed for 62 years now and we are still doing emergencies. The Pakwach Bridge is now for over 55 years. This calls for pro-activeness so that we avoid death threatening issues. I want to talk about the Uganda Support Municipal Development Infrastructure (USMID) roads. I want to thank the government but I request the Ministry of Works and Transport and Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development to go to Adjumani because we are very far from finishing the Town Council roads under USMID. Madam Speaker, the issue of flooding around Pakwach Bridge is not only in Pakwach

Madam Speaker, thank you for the opportunity. I thank the committee, particularly on the recommendation of a review at Tangi Bridge that has been causing the flooding of that stretch. Two weeks ago, we had a meeting with UNRA and they told us that they were doing an addendum design for that work, but that design does not have the money. It is important that the minister takes note that to resolve the floods at Pakwach, we need additional money to implement that design. Two; the Nebbi - Arua Road, 76 KMs. Madam Speaker, God forbid, you will lose a member on that road very soon. The potholes on that road are now gullies.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. In addition to what has been submitted, mine is the issue of value for money. Some of these roads, like Karuma-Pakwach were completed in 2007. You heard that the lifespan was 15 years but as somebody who comes from the region, by 2016, the road had become un-motorable. My humble request to the Government, in particular, Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA), and the Minister of Works and Transport, is that we get value for money on most of these roads, at least a bare minimum of 20 years. We are going to accrue loans, our children will come, and we are taking more loans to repair the roads. Two, on the road that has been mentioned, that is Nebbi-Arua, I would like to add my voice to it that it is non-motorable and hopefully, as a matter of urgency, forward maintenance on that particular road should start as soon as yesterday. Finally – (Interruption)

Thank you, my fellow colleague on that matter, for giving way. Madam Speaker, the road of Nebbi-Arua commences all the way from Pakwach to Nebbi. You are very well aware that they are still working on it. However, the problem of unpaid certificates causing problems which have been captured by the Committee on Physical Infrastructure is the same. That road from Pakwach to Nebbi was supposed to have been finished last year but the same issue of delayed payments is causing the problem. If there are delays right now, from Pakwach to Nebbi, the same delay continues further from Nebbi to Arua. I hope that the ministry pays up the certificate so that we do not have delays on the construction of those roads which are already proceeding.

14062 SECTORAL COMMITTEE REPORT us road equipment as a new district. However, some of the components of road equipment are missing. The ministry should do something so that those components that are missing should be submitted to the district for easy road maintenance and improvement of the road connectivity in the district. Madam Speaker, year in and year out, after every five years, there is a critical road that whenever His Excellency the President of Uganda is campaigning in Obongi, speaks about. And that is Pakwach-Rhino Camp-Obongi-Wadlai up to Moyo District, proceeding to South Sudan. He calls it a security road but the road always features nowhere. I urge those who are drafting the manifesto of NRM, this year, to help us leaders of Obongi, Pakwach, Madi-Okollo and Moyo; not to indicate that road in the manifesto because it has over featured but the Government is not doing something about it. Thank you.

There is a Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) checkpoint there. They have to spend the night there and yet there are no facilities or hotels and you find mothers and children suffering - all our people. After spending the whole night there, when they are cleared to go the following morning, the vehicles have to go at a very slow speed of between 20 and 30 kilometres per hour. By the time you get to Pakwach, you will be very exhausted, after spending the whole night there. I think there is another disaster looming there. Our people will soon begin getting cholera and all sorts of diseases because the hygiene of the food, which is sold there, cannot be relied on. My appeal to the Government, through the ministry for wildlife, is to increase the speed, at least from 20 to about 60 kilometres per hour. Thank you.

Madam Speaker, the challenge is: how can the presidential pledges translate into action beyond National Development Plan III that we are implementing on ground? Some of these pledges were made in the past term - the 10 th Parliament. I would like to draw attention to the Pakwach- Ochoko-Arua Road. This is the shortest route. It can benefit from the oil and the tourism road that the Government has been talking about, so that when tourists go to Ajai Game Reserve and extend to Adjumani, they can equally be connected and they enjoy those privileges.

Madam Speaker, in accordance with our Rules of Procedure, Rule 189(c), as a committee, we visited Pakwach, Kole and Oyam districts in northern Uganda to assess water for agricultural production facilities. All these projects were under the NDPIII and under Water for Production Interventions. It was a facility that was on demand and the key big schemes that we visited were the Itek Okile Rice Scheme in Lira District, Tochi Rice Scheme in Oyam and Wadelai in Pakwach. These were the mega projects. The committee had other small scale irrigation projects that were also visited through the district leadership of the various districts under Uganda Green Investment Facility (UGIF). This was a project that was supposed to be co-funded by individual farmers to scale up water for production and enhance agriculture commercialization and on time production. I know this report was uploaded and I believe my colleagues are well versed with agriculture. I would like to move straight to our observations and recommendations. Madam Speaker, Wadelai irrigation scheme is located in Pakwach District in the subcounties of Ragem and Wadelai with River Ora as its water source. This irrigation scheme was constructed under FIEFOC-2, which is implemented by the Ministry of Water and Environment. The original contract sum was Shs 54,784,397,918 but it was revised to Shs 61 billion after a change of scope in the design of the project. This project was funded by the World Bank under Nordic Development fund and Government of Uganda (GOU). The contractor was M/S Coil and Nasr General Contracting Company Joint Venture. The consultant was BEC Engineers Ltd, in association with HP Devoc International Civil Engineering Ltd. During the full visit, the committee was only able to interact with the district officials because the attempts to reach the site were frustrated by the bad roads as a result of flooding in Kagolo. Madam Speaker, according to the officials, physical progress of the work is at 93 percent; (a) The completion of upstream and downstream embankment protection works. (b) Construction of the spillway tail race protection works. (c) Repair of the right-side head regulator. (d) Completion of bottom outlet/environmental flow structure. (e) Completion of Secondary canal 4, associated tertiary canal and control structures. (f) Completion of Secondary Canal 5, associated tertiary canal and control. (g) Assess and scheme roads. (h) Scheme buildings and facilities (i) Farm clearing. There were a lot of findings that I do not intend to go through because I know Members have observed this but I would like to note that Wadelai Project had a lot of encumbrances, especially on land acquisition and compensation

14079 THE ELEVENTH PARLIAMENT OF UGANDA WEDNESDAY, 28 AUGUST 2024 Madam Speaker, despite all these, the farms were not levelled. There are other blocks in the scheme that even the irrigation cannot reach because it is not levelled. We were happy with the farmers because they used it for horticulture, especially areas where irrigation could not reach. As I am winding up, the cooperative groups are very organised. They have looked for funding from other sources. They have their plans to be the best rice scheme in the country and that is a very positive thing. It means they are owning their project. On the small-scale irrigation, especially the one in Kole - Leye Valley Dam; this dam was constructed to help in aquaculture and the Government did everything and put this project in place which started in 2006 and ended in 2008. The Ministry of Water and Environment implemented this and it was by then in Apac before Kole. Right now, the observation under this valley dam is not functional yet the Government has put everything in place. The dam is also silted and covered up by weeds, meaning that if we assess the value for money, it is not being utilised as per the investment of the Government. Recommendation The Ministry of Water and Environment should rehabilitate this dam so that it is restored to its original purpose. 2.4 UgIFT Micro-Scale Irrigation Scheme We visited Lira District, some farmers in Oyam and Kole and Pakwach. The general complaint is on the issue of co-funding and the same issue on hybrid. Most of these contracts were given by the ministry but you find one contractor having a lot of contracts that sometimes, they fail to install this equipment to the farmers in time. Madam Speaker, the farmers are very interested and most of the local governments are taking back these funds, especially during the financial year because the farmers in Northern Uganda are poor. This is because a farmer was supposed to co-fund 25 per cent of the project yet the majority could not afford. Even those who have endeavoured to afford, there is a lot of delay in the installation by the contractors and the district has limited effort.

Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. On the 10 th of this month, the road between Karuma, Anaka and Pakwach was blocked after River Tangi, as usual, broke its banks. For the last three years, this has been happening around such a time. We tried to reach the responsible ministers but they were not able to respond to us. Therefore, we have to bring it here. I have three prayers. One, the ministry should be able to update the country. What causes this, every other time, around this time? This is because there is heavy traffic from Malaba, Lira, Karuma and to West Nile through that part. Also, traffic from greater Acholi moves to West Nile through that road. Two, what could be the short-term and long- term solution? We cannot continue to have traffic interruptions just because a river has broken its banks.

LIST OF MEMBERS ON THE COMMITTEE OF NATIONAL ECONOMY NO NAMES CONSTITUENCY SIGNATURE l 1 Hon. Ikojo Chairperson John Bosco, Bukedea County 1 2 Hon. Migadde Robert Ndugwa, Deputy CIP Buyuma Islands \ lc 3 Hon. Tibasiimwa Joram Ruranga Elderly 4 Hon. Opolot Simon Peter 5 Hon. Ayoo Tonny Kwnia County 6 Hon. Katali Loy 7 Hon. Avur Jane Pacuto Pakwach B Hon. Baba James Boliba I I Hon. Mutiwa Geofrey Eric B*^.totg- rNsgl ffi 10 Hon. Chelain Betty Louke \ 11 Hon. Byanyima Nathan Bukanga North t2 Hon. Lolem Micah Akasile UPE 13 Hon. Tlrinomujuni Francis Kazinr &u ll-n+uzt gf&-+ L4 Hon. Bahireira T\rmwekwase Sylvia 15 Hon. Waako Pegry Joy Elderly 16 Hon. Agaba Aisa t7 Hon. Natukunda Medius Rukungiri 1B Hon. Lochap Peterkhen 79 Hon. Were Godfrey Odero 20 Hon" Ayoo Jennifer Nalukwago 2T Hon. Awich Jane Kaberamaido A'*t-,'; 22 Hon. Atyang Stella 23 Hon. Lokwang Hillary IKI 24 Hon. Komol Joseph Midi Dodoth North

13758 MINISTERIAL STATEMENT Phase III Rollout districts. This was at the procurement process for 145 road chokes spread over 487.7 km. It was at contract signing and site handover by then. Mr Speaker, in the third phase, Lira District was part of it but up to now the constructed roads have no bridges. The bridges were done in a shoddy way, and the heavy rain swept the bridges, yet it was stretching, crossing from Lira to Oyama. Substandard and wrong machinery The committee observed that most grantees were small and medium scale, where pilot projects were established at lower local government structures and levels to bring together farmers’ communities to add value to their farm produce. The committee discovered that the machinery at various grantees’ sites was inadequate and out of capacity to process high-value farm produce. The committee further noted that the machinery was devoid of complete design specification requirements to handle farm produce across the complete value chain, thereby rendering some machines meant for value addition idle because of assembling and installation. The machines were also noted to have visible signs of gradual depreciation. The committee was informed by the members of the Oturukuru Produce Dealers and Farmers Association in Kumi District that they had envisaged the installation of machines with complete value chain specifications and therefore expected the machine to hurl, sort, winnow, and package rice to market standard. This was frustrating. The committee was informed by some grantee members in the district that the district focal point person - because the ministry had allocated each focal point person at the district level, was not guiding, and did not support the procurement of the machinery, meaning that they went blindly and some procured machinery beyond their capacity, others did not have knowledge on how to operate it. The committee further observed that there was a general lack of technical support and guidance as stated in the earlier submission, and this was exacerbated by inadequate budget allocation and release for procurement of machines with requisite complete value chain specification. For example, incomplete and poor workmanship was seen in some facilities that we visited in Kalungu and Rakai districts. Two, non-functional facilities due to lack of electricity in Bugweri - three, government issues in Kole District; there were fights. Non-compatibility of machines in Pakwach, Pallisa, and Nebbi District - these all hindered the well-intended objectives of the project. Recommendation The committee recommends that the Government, through the relevant ministry, especially the Ministries of Finance Agriculture, Local Government, Energy, and Mineral Development, should collaborate to offer guidance and support to grantees to procure machinery with a complete value chain of production. Matching Grants Mr Speaker, the committee found out that some of the projects in some districts that had been constructed as a result of the matching grants were complete and functional. The investment items under this component include offices, storage facilities, shelter for hullers, guardhouses, fences, ventilated improved pit latrines, weighing scales, moisture metres, and a power extension. The committee was impressed by some of the successful groups like the Katwaniza Women Farmers’ in Hoima, Abongo Women Group in Pakwach, and Kasaali Farmers’ Cooperative Society in Kyotera, among others. [Ms Auma] SECTORAL COMMITTEE REPORT

13761 THE ELEVENTH PARLIAMENT OF UGANDA WEDNESDAY, 7 AUGUST 2024 Recommendations The committee recommends as follows: i. The Government through the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development and the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries should improve on the selection criteria and capacity of the beneficiaries group to enhance ownership and sustainability; ii. The Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries should sign a Memorandum of Understanding with suppliers to provide maintenance of the machinery and equipment because most of these, on which the Government spent a lot of money, are no longer functioning; and iii. The chairpersons and signatories to the accounts on which the farmers’ associations matching grant was deposited should be held accountable for the funds disbursed. Mr Speaker, the issue of lack of electricity and water connectivity is so much that most of the projects were not connected. The electricity was not connected to this project or factories to operate this machinery. This has made this project a white elephant. On that, the committee recommends that in the future, in case of a similar project, the Government should ensure collaboration between the relevant ministries so that they coordinate well to ensure that the project succeeds. Project monitoring and evaluation had weak linkages, as Members have said. The committee recommends that accounting officers of district local governments, like the focal point person, should arrange for regular capacity building. On the Agriculture Cluster Development Project (ACDP), the monitoring and evaluation unit should provide adequate guidance or a template to the local governments to help in the supervision for effective implementation. The respective local governments should prevail over grantees’ management and institute mechanisms that would ensure regular monitoring. For future projects of a similar nature, the Government should, through relevant Ministries, Departments, and Agencies adequately prepare to offer guidance and support to project beneficiaries to implement the project effectively. The Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries should expedite the process of connecting the projects to the national grid to enable the functionality of this equipment. Road Chokes I would like to go straight to the observations. In Kyotera, 21 road chokes were identified, but only nine were prioritised for rehabilitation. At the time of the committee visit, only two roads under Lot 1; in Kateera-Minziiro, and Kasanvu- Kyakaluuma, had been approved and construction was ongoing. In Ayer that is Kole, that is Ayer-Bala-Akalo Road in Kole District was only 10 per cent completed. The road projects connecting two sub-counties, Ongino-Kanapa in Kumi, were not completed. The rest of them in Nebbi and Pakwach districts were also delayed. The recommendations, I cannot read all, honourable members. The Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries and the Ministry of Local Government should –

lhtnc Ol Dl.trlctr Kakumu'o Krbaale Kagadl Kassanda Mubende hrryandongo Horma lilkuub€ Meslndr Rukrga 168,701,150 Arua 207,900,000 TOTAL l9,8a6,OO?,S49 E .ra s Clurt r Cutluhtlec DlrbEt|cnctrt (uoxl 440,615,386 350,962,7s0 366,240,538 24O,707 342 178,500,000 478,215,000 377,772,464 10 349,4t6,766 345,575,083 574,201,OO0 Bushenln Ntungaeo 91 r,645,600 329,597,S00 lt 261,568,000 s65,750,O00 595,002,833 326,923,833 135,505,O0l Ismgrro Kabale Rubanda Nebbr Pakwach Yumbe 120,801,O0O Maracha L2 N

. Buyanga-Bagwen l,ocal Leaders Cooperauve Socrety/Sub Cou.rt, l,eaders . Abongo Women's Group . Pokwero Cassava Producers Coop.ratrve Socrety Lrmrted a lo l1 Lmoto Fa-rmers' Cooperatrve Socreq Llrnlted Palhsa Dlstnct 3 Mat2e Marze r2 l3 Mukongoro Area Cooperatrve Lrmltcd Oturukuku Produce Dealers and Farmers Assocraton Kumr Drstrrct 5 t4 Dokolo Young O Seed Fa-rmers' Cooperatrve Socrety Llmrted Caasava Cassava Rrce 15 16 AJ€r Jomt Youth Farmers' Cooperatrve Socret]. Lrmrted Bala Young Farmers' Cooperatrve SocGtJ, Lrmrted Dokolo Drstrlct Kolc Drstrrct 7 7 Cassava Cassava t7 r8 Kwatanrza Women Farrners Croup I(krnda Fa-rmers Group l0 Marze Ma,ze 19 20 Horma Orstnct Pakwach Dlstnct t2 Cassava Caasava h"^',' I --+, tr 10

got loat ln the UBA systcm Thrs had drscouraged other potentral farm.rs from gettmg enrolled Thrs sccnano rvas partrcularly cncountered rn Masrndr, Nebbr and Pakwach Drstncts In a meehng held ln Ncbbl Drstnct, the Commlttee was rnformed that govemment had wrthheld co-fundrng par( rnto the e-vouchcr system for eleven months hence redemptron was cut off for some farrnera'money that was locked rn the e-voucher system Fuathermore, there wcrc rcports of mrssrng balances on farmers' e-voucher accounts due to system rnefficrcncy wluch was vcry frustratmg to the allected falmers r[. The Comhrttee recerved compliarnts f-rom some fareers about thc qualty of some of the agrrcultural rnputs supphed thiough the e-voucher system statrng that the products reccrved through the e-voucher system were counterfelt/fake For hstance, rn Kalungu there were complarnts fiom the farmera staung that ttLy had recerved counterfert fertrlLers and scedLngs that drd not gerrnmate The Commlttee also reccrved complalnts from Balkosa Bahbona Brwere Farmers' Cooperaave Growers Umon Ltd rn Bug\r.ien Drstnct of adultcrated fertrLzers Thc same fert rzers were alleged to have becn drstnbutcd out of scason S. The Commlttee recervcd s€t eral complarnts about the pnces of agncultural lnputg that had more (l:ran doubled, makmg lt very expenslve for farmers to adopt the recoamended new technologrcs ln Horma Drstnct, for example, tt was reported that l5 accredrted agro dealers were approved to drstnbute rnputs rn the dlstnct, however, due to mcreased pnces for mputs. only three had remaned actrve Ths wa8 affectrng tmely dehvcry of lnputs 6. Most drstflcts reported late rclcasc of operatlonal funds from MAAIF wtuch allectcd efficrent superugron fl S^-a ,x \,e 13

ROID CI|OXEAT U!&r thb coapoacrt, thcrc l r prrt lor rc6oe.l of .cholc., rlon! irrD/EraLct lccoar rordr. MAAIF report d that rehabfitauve works for road chokcs on communtty access roads aie categonzed mto 3 phascs, Phlrc I: ? Plot dt trlct. . Ongorng rehab rtahon works (254 Kml m the 7 p ot dlstncts at 98 6010 overa.tl physrcal progress Works ln l(alungu, lganga. Buguen. Amum, Nebbr. and Pakwach and 1 contract ln Ntungamo were completed and handed over to the dtstncts for marntenance The contract for thc constructron of a bndge m Nturrgarno was ongomg at 55o/o Phr.c II: 2l rollout dLtdctr . The lvorks ln these dlstncts cover 105 road chokes spread over 376 9 km . lg drstnct slgned cont!'acts of whrch 13 had commenced tvorks These rnclude, Rakal, lslngrro, Bushenyr, Kakumro. and l(abale whrch were procured loca.lly by the dlstncts and Kyotera, Masaka, Bugm, Gulu, N!r.oya, Ruloga, Maracha and Krbale procuied cent ally bI. the Mmlstr)' . The contracts for Madt-Okollo and Mplgr were recommendcd for retendenng by the Mrnrstry Contracts Commrttec and were at redesrgn stagc Phrtc m: 29 Ro[out dlrttlct. . Thc procurement process for 145 road (hokcs sprcad over 487 7km rs at contract 8rgnng and slt hand over stage . 16 contracts had bcen srgncd and wcre rn the process of stte handov.r for t.llc contractors to commence works, except for thc contracts for ButaleJa, and Tororo that were strll under constderatron bJ. MCC "ffir4" N 2....< N F .E .€_ t7

(a) Incomplete and poor worl@anshrp was seen rn soBe facthtres vrslted ln Kalungu and Rakal Drstrrcts (bl Non-funcuonal fac rtres duc to lack of clectncrty rn Bugwen (c) Covernance rssues Kole Dtstnct (d) Non compahb lty of machrncs ln Pakwach, Palrsa and Nebbl Dtstrrcts Corr^mlttcc Rccor,Jr,G d(tlo'^ Thz Commlttac t comr,,nc d,, tha,a Gol,i€,,afilc, toluga d4 thr,o' ghthc r',lclE t l^Lt ic, o, Fanaac€, Pl.I nlng a d, ko^orrdc DctElopr c,^t; Agrlculfr/J,., A^t,,tr4,l l^durtry artd, FTthctlcri toca,l cotrEx,omc t a d E^Gtg! a^d m^G.4l ,,€t,€loprr|Gnt ,ho,tld collobrole to offat gutd.I,,,cc and. aup,ptotT, to GtantacE, to procu?. ,n4,chl^er! ,ltlth coryrletc w,luc chg;l,^ of r,'oduc'lon" 3 frtchtlg Grrtrt!: The Commtttee reports that some of the ProJects m somc dBtncts that had bccn constrlrcted as a result of the matchrng grants were complete and funchonal The rnvcatment ttcms under thrs component rnclude otrrces, storage fac rty, shelter for hullers, guard houaes, fenccs, ventrlated rmproved pr( latnnes (VlPl, wcrghmg scalcs, mot6(ure meters and pow€r extenarona The Commrttce was mpressed by some successful groups Lke Kw^ta za Women Famers Croup rn Horma and Abongo Women Group rn Pakwach and Kasaah Faimers' Cooperatrve Socrety rn Kyotera, among others The Commrttee however notcd q'rth concem that desplte Parhamentaiy approval ln 20 16, of the US $f 50m from thc lntcrnatronal Development Assocratron [tDAl of the World Bank to facrhtate Agnculture Cluster Development ProJect IACDPI, proJect rmplementatron on vanous sltcs wenc noted to be less than 5oolo complete ri,.rth some haung Lmlted space to handle far:m produce rn prepa-.atron for value addrtron procesSes 4. Dchycd dtrbur.Gactrtr of rpDroecd fuadr. The Commrttee alSo recetved submrssrons from some cooperahve socrety members. that desplte reqursrton of funds by vanous fzumer groups, dr-rect drsbursement of funds to fac rtate rmplementatron was as recent as Apr and May 2022 whrch was close to the exprr]' of thc Project For mstance, Bukose Bahbona \ r9

lll. Ttrc crta,l,.pcrsons a d, alg,^a,tor,,cs to t E accou t o utri.chtlc lan E?r' a,EEoclatlo r/@opc'.athr;r ,/,.4.tchlng gra.n,t t,/,as dcposltcd srtould bc,la,/,acc.t tablc tor tElu d,dlsbt "Ecd. t. Ltmttcd Lead Acrcrgc rad FrrEGr Support Thc Commrttee estabhshed that G.antcc membcrshrp werc rcqulred to own at least th-ree acres of land from $,'here Lo cultlvatc produce crops but wlthout assurances of support from Oovemmcnt to boost productrvrtv 9. Lf,ck of clcctdclty rnd wrtcr coEncctlvlty The Commrttec obscrvcd that the ACDP was rmplemented rn arlos wrthout collaboratron among the concerned Mrnrstnes, for example, Mlnlstry of Energ, and Mlncral Dcvclopment, Mlnrstry of Water and Envelopment Mlrustry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatrvcs and Mlnlstry of Works and Transport As a result of these anomahcs, the lmplcmentahon of some projects hke the cassava processrng equrpment that requres a lot of water to operate was affected by lack of power and watcr, maklng the cqurpment none operatronal The Commlttec notcd that such facrlrtres were prone to vandahsm and theft especrally at nrght grvcn that there was no secunty The Commlttcc vrsrted some cassava proccssrng prolects that lncluded, Yesu Dlt Farmcr's Cooperatrve Socrety Lrmlted and Mcrbcr 'A" Cooperatrve Soclety Lrmrted m Nebbr and Abongo Women's Group rn Pakwach Dlstnct Ihese cassava processrng proJects nccd a lot of water but they drd not havc arry aaaured source of ['ater whlch rcndcred the proJects rnactrve moat of the trme The samc prolects had challenges of acccasmg power and therefore uae generators whrch ls very costly The Commlttce observed that most of the cassava processmg facrhtres drd not havc soak plts to contarn watcr rcfusc thcreby allowrng the used water tr' E E -{=1 ,h^.l

!. ,:t|c Ml^(st ! of Agricl4ltwre, A^t na,l l^dtBtry a d Dbrt",tlcs should 24Adltc t E prccess oJ canncc,tl,ng t E p?otcct to t'tw ^atto al gdd ln ordc" to cnab,, lt tcLto .rlttg oI the cqlltprrld, t th4,t rcqul". co rt]z,nt prrEr ln o"dcr to be fully operqtlo'AaL B. ROID CIIOKEA: The Commrttee leamt that the prolect Pas rntended to provlde support to drstflcts to make access roads [t focused on ehmlnaoon of key choke potnts that regularly lmpeded the rnllow and outflow of farm lnputa and produce Such choke pornts rncluded stretches of roads rn swampy areas Selectron of whlch roads was to be worked on was based on connectlons to hlgh productron areas and processrng faclhty and acccsslb lty to markets The Commrttee notes that lf thc rchablhtahon of the roads rs rndeed done as rs spccrfied, lt w l bnng down the cost of transportatlon of produce and generally rnake lfe easrer for the communrtres As reported above several drstncts werc ldcntrfied to benefit from the component by removal of chokcs along farm/market accesa roads MAAIF reported that the road chokes works u,ere ln three phas€s wrth works elther complete, ongorng or conLracts were bcrng srgncd The Mmrstry reported that works rn Kalungu, Iganga, Bugwen Amuru, Nebbr, and Pakwach and one contract rn Ntungamo were complcted ard handed over to thc dlstrlcts for malntenance The contract for thc constructron ofa bndgc rn Ntungamo was ongorng at 55o/o whrle 19 dlstncts had srgned contracts of whrch 13 had commenced works thcsc lncludc, Rakar, Ismgro, Bushenl l, Kakumro, and Kabale whrch were procured tocalty by the dlstrlcts and Kyotera, Masaka. Bugtn, . centrally by the Mlnlstry Gulu, Nwoya, Rukrga, Maracha and Krbale p rocured x M -:h 30

Somc of lta fradtage by thc Commlttcc on thc rord cholcr ecrc rr follow: 4 Kyotcra Dlstnct 21 chokcs wcrc rdentrfied but only 09 were pnorltEcd for rchablhtatlon and thc procurement of the conEactor was done by Mlnlstry of Agrrculture Anmal Industry and Frshenes At t]1e tlmc of the commrttee vrsrt, only two roads undcr lat I i Katecra-Mrnzrrro and Kasanvu-K],akaluuma had bcen approvcd and constructron waa on-gorng u) The 24km Ayer-Bala-Akalo Road m Kolc Drstnct was only at l0olo complctlon Thc road chokes were rntended to faclhtatc hnkage of areas wrth bountrful supphes of farm producc wlth markets The Commrttee was rnformed that funds for constructron of road chokes were pard to the contractora n May 2022 The Commrttee observes that ACDP managcmcnt sl8ned a contract for road chokes on the cve ofclosurc of the project after secunng the no cost cxtenaron from the World Bank ul) The road proJect conncctrng two sub countres of On$no-Karapa m Kumr Drstnct was not completed thercby rsolatrng ltsal lsland rv) Some drstncts reported lack or poor communrcatron bctween road contractors and the dlstnct authontres Thrs was wrtnessed rn Kyotera, Nebbr and Pakwach Drstncts where the contractors were workrng wrthout engaglng thc dlstnct and local leadershrp Thc Commlttee observed that all road chokes were erther poorly constructed or suffered constructlon delavs There was obvrous lack of supervrsron by the responsrblc authontrcs who are, thc Dlstnct, MAATF and Mnlstry of works e In Nebbr Drstnct, for v) a YV --e 31

Mr Speaker, the Office of the Prime Minister has got other ministries. It is the Minister of Northern Uganda that distributes iron sheets. So, those that are going to Koboko and these other districts like Pakwach will get iron sheets. However, permit me to say that we also have iron sheets under Luwero-Rwenzori, Busoga, Karamoja, Bunyoro, and Teso. All these ministries have got an item or an activity to support our vulnerable communities with iron sheets. I will make sure that the iron sheets that are going to those areas are from those ministries; that is Northern Uganda and Teso - because she talked about a district in Teso. You will get the iron sheets. Thank you.

13475 THE ELEVENTH PARLIAMENT OF UGANDA THURSDAY, 13 JUNE 2024 We need low-cost money for the wealth creators, which is already available in the forms of PDM, Emyooga, and Uganda Development Bank loans(UDB). I really want to render irrelevant these money lenders and all these people who suck our people. We shall continue putting money in PDM, Emyooga , and UDB, so that the people who want wealth creation, have soft money; money that is not very expensive. On labour, we have electricity is going to be cheaper. Money for wealth creation will be cheaper. Labour is still not expensive. However - and those are the crucial factors when you are producing a good or a service; the cost of electricity; the cost of the money you borrow; the labour costs or the wages and the salaries, which are being paid to the workers. However, to further handle the issue of the cost of production that renders products and services competitive, correct this in my speech. This should be uncompetitive, we must reactivate rail and water transport for cargo. This is what is missing now. Electricity is being worked on, money for borrowing or production, not for importing - we are not giving you soft money for importing. If you want to import, you go to the moneylenders. You go to these other fellows, the commercial banks. Otherwise, if you are a wealth creator, we have money for you. The cost of labour is still low. But how about the cost of transport? Transport, not for people who are going to nightclubs. Those can pay whatever cost they are charged; it is up to them. If you do not want to pay, you stay home. So, when I say the cost of transport, I am talking about transport of goods and cargo. That is why the railway is our next big target. Railway for the goods and - especially for the goods, even people, but mainly for cargo. We must reactivate rail and water transport for cargo. We have repaired the old metre gauge from Malaba to Kampala, and also from Tororo to Gulu and Pakwach. We are going to start building the Standard Gauge Railway(SGR) from Malaba to Kampala, and from Kampala to Mpondwe in Kasese. Later we are going to expand the SGR to Gulu-Nimule. The railway will transform our capacity to create wealth. ‘Because once the railway is fully operational, then, the transport of goods from here up to Mombasa will be cheaper. From here up to Dar es Salaam, from here up to South Sudan and from here up to the Democratic Republic of Congo, it will be cheaper. It will also save the roads - because this crowding you see on the roads by the heavy trucks is because the railway is not working. When the railway starts taking off the trucks from the road – then the pipeline. We are also making pipelines for petroleum. Now, the passengers are on the road, the cargo is on the road and you also have the petroleum products on the road. That is why the road is under such pressure. The railway and the pipeline for petroleum will solve that problem. That means that only the passengers or light trucks will remain on the road. It will also cause less pollution and consume less fuel. This is because, on the road, you spend a lot of fuel due to slow movement. We are moving forward on the issue of introducing electric cars and electric boda- bodas – as you saw here. Therefore, these are the two additional strategic interventions: the railway and the pipeline for petroleum products. The other strategic intervention, which we need, to stabilise our economy forever, is irrigation for agriculture. The minister talked a bit about it here, but we need to put more emphasis on it. You know we are lucky that we have rains, but sometimes the rains delay and sometimes we have less rains and then we get a crisis of lack of food. So, to remove that occasional disturbance, we must have supplementary agriculture arrangements. Much of the time, we shall have the rains, but if the rains do not come, there should be standby irrigation. With these, plus what I said in the State-of-the-Nation address and what has been said in the budget, there is nothing that will impede us. Remember that in the State-of- the-Nation Address, I addressed the issue of

13390 THE EXCISE DUTY (AMENDMENT) BILL, 2024 feed at the Aquaculture Research and Development Centre in Kajjansi; establish and/or upgrade seed storage, threshing and drying facilities to ensure sustainable supply of quality seed under the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries - Shs 134 billion. Transport infrastructure development The Government plans as follows: 1. Start construction of the SGR and continue implementing preparatory activities for SGR; that is update of feasibility studies for the western and eastern routes, and undertaking environment, social, economic impact assessments; acquisition of right of way for SGR (206 acres) of land are already acquired in seven districts. That is Tororo to Mayuge, among others – Shs 2.221 trillion; 2. Maintenance of 13 aerodromes; that is Arua, Gulu, Pakuba, Masindi, Lira, Kidepo, Moroto, Soroti, Tororo, Jinja, Mbarara, Kasese and Kisoro – Shs 3 billion; 3. Construction and upgrade of national roads and bridges – Shs 1.27 trillion. Some of these include – (Interjections) - colleagues, this is on roads. The Government plans to spend Shs 1.27 trillion and I will mention some of the roads: a) Hoima-Wanseko Road – Shs 141.1 billion; b) Kampala Flyover – Shs 69.8 billion; c) Construction of 66 selected bridges – Shs 54.2 billion; d) Rwenkunye-Apac-Lira-Acholibur Road – Shs 238 billion; e) Kisoro-Mgahinga National Park Headquarters Road – Shs 83.26 billion; f) Moyo-Yumbe-Koboko Road – Shs 180.6 billion; g) Upgrading of Kyenjojo-Kiruhura-Bwizi- Rwamwanja-Kahunge, Mpara-Bwizi – Shs 50 billion; and 4. Upgrading of Jinja-Mbulamuti-Kamuli- Bukungu Road from gravel to paved standard – Shs 34.5 billion. Continuation of the rehabilitation of over 450 kilometres of national roads. Some of those roads include: a) Kampala-Jinja Highway – Shs 20 billion; b) Busunju-Kiboga-Hoima – Shs 25.05 billion; c) Mityana-Mubende Road and Mityana Town Roads inclusive – Shs 42.38 billion; d) Alwii-Nebbi road and upgrading of Pakwach and Nebbi Town Council roads in total – Shs 17 billion; e) Rehabilitation of Karuma-Pakwach Road – Shs 20.05 billion; and f) Reconstruction of Matugga-Semuto- Kapeeka Road – Shs 61.12 billion; 5. Rehabilitation of district, urban and community access roads will continue under the Ministry of Works and Transport. There is Shs 142.3 billion; and 6. Shs 1 billion to each district, city and municipality for road grading, murram and compacting. In total, Shs 176 billion has been allocated for this purpose; Colleagues, in the last financial year, they are roads that the Ministry of Works signed contracts for and work has started. Those ones are worth Shs 33 billion, but they are not yet completed and not even paid. There are those where contracts have been signed but work has not commenced. They are worth Shs 33 billion. There is a whole list in the annex. There are also roads where the contracts have been procured but have not been signed, worth about Shs 13 billion. In the last cash release, the Government gave this particular vote Shs 19 billion, whereas the total requirement is Shs 79 billion. So, the budget at base is Shs 26 billion. We must recommend Shs 34 billion to cover those roads. The list of those roads covers the whole country. 7. The following ferries development/ construction will be undertaken. The total for this ferry is Shs 11.8 billion. That is: a) Substantial completion of two Bukungu- Kagwara-Kaberamaido (BKK) ferries and their landing sites; SECTORAL COMMITTEE REPORT [Mr Achia]

\;. ,, ,- i. }lL tu .,./ l -rfu \, I ffi P d 1 41" i ..- I =+*i: _.1 - / r \ Vote Description Amouat (OOO') 39,r92,9t4 902 Nakaseke District 903 Nakasongola District 3 1,339,971 904 Namayingo District 24,254,473 905 Namisindwa District 3t,27t,520 Namutumba District 33,601,552 906 907 Napak District 18,335,569 908 Nebbi District 3t,604,472 909 Ngora District 22,787,323 910 Ntoroko District 16,176,344 911 Ntungamo District 60,306,t24 9t2 Nwoya District 22,660,361 913 Obongi District L3,625,732 9t4 Omoro District 26,662,006 915 Otuke District 20,1OO,789 9L6 Oyam District 40,233,515 \rz Pader District 30,440,385 I s\a Pakwach District 22,888,O83 919 Pallisa District 36,368,2L1 920 Rakai District 39,855,468 92r Rubanda District 30,627,663 922 Rubirizi District 23,403,496 923 Rukiga District 2t,899,306 924 Rukungiri District 44,4to,975 925 Rwampara District 21,596,061 926 Sembabule District 33,249,O59 - 927 Serere District 35,784,457 928 Sheema District 3t,378,544 929 Sironko District 35,653,624 930 Soroti District 23,844,786 931 Terego District 23,87r,940 932 Tororo District 62,770,477 {7 {-.. 16 ir[

--T1tr- l+- ;,? "t ''i.. ?Y\,L \i. t -fi' --t*;=*" M I t({,,- I i: ij lL I v t1 f t l"=' ti.j Y Amount (OOO'| Vote Descriptlon 7,328,OO8 Manafwa District 886 3,44t,331 Maracha District 887 3,471,050 888 Masaka District 4,882,502 Masindi District 889 6,068,543 890 Mayuge District 6,429,337 Mbale District 891 3,641,820 492 Mbarara District 9,052,297 Mitooma District 893 6,6a2,495 894 Mityana District 1,658,849 895 Moroto District 1,922,2O4 896 Moyo District 3,477,355 897 Mpigi District 6,69L,743 898 Mubende District 3,766,672 899 Mukono District 4,343,422 Nabilatuk District 900 3,OL6,472 901 Nakapiripirit District 5,835,018 902 Nakaseke District 2,548,6t5 903 Nakasongola District 4,536,596 904 Namayingo District 4,9t8,709 Namisindwa District 905 3,981, 161 906 Namutumba District 3,807,O77 907 Napak District 4,970,272 Nebbi District 908 2,906,306 909 Ngora District t,75A,026 Ntoroko District 910 7,940,925 911 Ntungamo District 5,490,899 Nwoya District 9t2 L,649,499 913 Obongi District 2,603,313 9t4 Omoro District 2,577,067 915 Otuke District 6,868,886 9t6 Oyam District 3,127,34r 917 Pader District 2,692,356 918 Pakwach District 4,682,708 9t9 Pallisa District 3,493,436 920 Rakai District 5,950,433 92t Rubanda District 3,4tt,704 922 Rubirizi District ,-i I ,r 4 27 F$*\

Thank you so much, Madam Speaker. I thank you for the concern you have shown for the people in the north and West Nile who are affected by the close or the restrictions on the use of the bridge. I have two key issues that I would like to observe. We thank you for the guidelines that have been provided, but there are two issues that the people of West Nile and the northern region are uncomfortable with. The first is the restrictions on the travel hours from 7.00 am to 7.00 pm. The second is the issue of the escalation of the travel charges, especially by the buses. For example, the proposed bus fare for Obongi to Kampala is going to double from Shs 50,000 to Shs 100,000 which is very prohibitive. Madam Speaker, the other issue is related to a time bomb we are sitting on, which is the Pakwach Bridge that recurrently, in every year, has been cut off. As we speak, there are already fears that as the rains intensify, the bridge is going to be cut off. That means the people of West Nile are going to be cut off. The Laropi Bridge would have been an alternative gateway to West Nile. Madam Speaker, this Parliament passed a loan from the African Development Bank in the 10 th Parliament; to date, the people of West Nile have not gotten an update on what is happening. Where is the money? When is the bridge construction project on Laropi Bridge starting? We pray, that when the minister comes with an update, will be able to talk about the status of procurement of works for the construction of Laropi Bridge as an alternative gateway to West Nile. I submit.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I again rise on your communication regarding the upcoming weather conditions that are within this country. We are going to be faced with, the harsh rains and the Karuma Bridge reconstruction. Allow me to make these three observations. One, Karuma Bridge and Park are the routes to West Nile, which I use very often. Indeed, at this point, I want to give thanks to the Government, that our Government in the few years comes up with alternatives as far as the bridge infrastructure in this country is concerned. If the ministry now decides that Karuma is stopped for large vehicles and an alternative goes through the park, this is coming from the fact that a new bridge has just been constructed across the River Nile, that is in Para. We are glad that this has been opened. However, Madam Speaker, as alluded to earlier on, the Pakwach Bridge connection to Gulu will be faced with these heavy rains once the River Tangi floods again. Why am I saying so? The junction between entry to Nwoya Road going to Gulu will automatically be cut off. We have experienced this earlier on before, and the work done on Nwoya Road is not as to the quality expected when these rains come. My fear is, will the people of Gulu not be cut off if this alternative route is used for them if the rains come? The second issue is; I am grateful to the bus companies we have in the Northern region. The fares I would cite; Nile Star has not increased in fares to use the alternative route. This is crucial for us and I want to urge the bus companies within that they should not take advantage of this calamity that has befallen Karuma so that the travellers can be able to travel through very well. The last one is, Madam Speaker - (Member timed out.)

13195 THE ELEVENTH PARLIAMENT OF UGANDA TUESDAY, 30 APRIL 2024 Vote 903: Nakasongola District – Shs 116,719,304; Vote 904: Namayingo District - Shs 11,900,000; Vote 905: Namisindwa District - Shs 1,118,779,694; Vote 907: Napak District – Shs 716,142,230; Vote 910: Ntoroko District – Shs 200,000,000; Vote 911: Ntungamo District – Shs 1,578,281,727; Vote 914: Omoro District - Shs 945,418,871; Vote 915: Otuke District – Shs 140,384,222; Vote 916: Oyam District – Shs 686,642,360; Vote 918: Pakwach District - Shs 1,194,282,483; Vote 919: Pallisa District - Shs 153,095,758; Vote 920: Rakai District - Shs 2,454,394,511; Vote 922: Rubirizi District – Shs 1,826,796,820; Vote 923: Rukiga District - Shs 147,370,222; Vote 924: Rukungiri District - Shs 885,488,277; Vote 925: Rwampara District – Shs 770,470,627; Vote 927: Serere District - Shs 311,478,920; Vote 928: Sheema District – Shs 1,953,424,896; Vote 932: Tororo District - Shs 91,205,614; Vote 933: Wakiso District – Shs 5,194,470,980; and Vote 935: Zombo District - Shs 819,580,024.

Thank you very much, Madam Speaker. I would like to thank the minister for bringing us to speed with this project that is about to come. I would rather prefer, on behalf of the people of Pakwach and Uganda, that we go with option one. Why? We already have structures in Luzira. Indeed, there is congestion and it is not only in Luzira Prison. There is congestion in almost all prisons and we have High Courts in almost all regions. We would rather opt to expand other prisons, so that other criminals can go and stay there and then report to court. Madam Speaker, tourism is the focus of the NRM Government. Even when we bring

13117 THE ELEVENTH PARLIAMENT OF UGANDA WEDNESDAY, 2 4 APRIL 2 024 budgets here, tourism is one of the main focuses. There is tourism potential all over this country and it is time that we focus on tourist cities in this country and Pakwach offers the best option so far, after Fort Portal. Madam Speaker, we have a mass body of water there; the River Nile and Albert Nile –

Yes, Madam Speaker - (Applause) - so that we decongest this city and take development outside Kampala. This will create opportunities for our farmers, traders and young people who are graduating from all these Government institutions to be employed. We shall also expand the tax base. It is true we need to attract investors in this country, but why concentrate them here and take over prime Government land? The people of Pakwach have told me to tell you and the House today that the time is now to take this investment across there. Thank you.

Hon. Bakkabulindi, we said we are a people-centred Parliament. If we all got into buses today and said we were going to Kiruhura to walk, everybody would be interested to see who these MPs are and people would take your message more seriously. Unlike when I go alone and walk in Bukedea, they will say, “she is looking for votes.” If we got united as Members of Parliament, and said this time we are having a walk in Kiruhura, Ruhama, Pakwach or Nyendo, the whole public will appreciate it. However, if you say that you are walking alone in Kayunga, then you are basically politicking.

Yes, and this will definitely affect the River Nile as well and for some of us from districts neighbouring water bodies, this will cause health issues like waterborne diseases. In districts like Pakwach, we have the challenge of Bilharzia. In the Health budget, I expected to hear more of blood banks being taken to such districts that are affected by bilharzia because we are losing many people and many are sick; vomiting blood every other day and we have to take them to Arua and Gulu. Madam Speaker, if this is not addressed, coupled with the issue of other diseases, we are going to lose young productive Ugandans. We need blood banks in places like Pakwach District.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. I welcome the committee’s report. I do welcome the Shs 27.62 billion that has been offered to the Uganda Tourism Board. I can see you cited Shs 4 billion, which was unfunded, which is meant to promote Uganda’s image abroad. I thought that every marketing that the Uganda Tourism Board does is for promoting Uganda’s image abroad. So, I wonder why this Shs 4 billion is set aside for the promotion of Uganda’s image. Secondly, Shs 1.5 billion has been set to help Uganda’s consulates in Kenya and Tanzania to promote tourism. However, our biggest market is actually in Europe and America. So, I assume that some money allocated to the Uganda Tourism Board should go directly to those consulates because they do operate a lot in trying to promote Uganda. I thank the committee as well for noticing that we have a risk of budget duplication here, whereby $1.34 million was not actually included in the ministerial policy statement, which was meant for electric fencing around our national parks, yet we had also allocated Shs 500 billion. On the fencing, Mr Speaker, I do feel that this is long overdue. It will save us a lot of money in terms of compensation. Wildlife attacks on our communities have increased to over 7,000 cases annually. If most of our national parks are fenced, we shall be avoiding some of these cases. So, I do welcome this money which is going to help in avoiding this. We also need a clear channel for applicants who are requesting compensation because most of them do not know how to properly access this money for compensation and the compensation policy is also very slow. On the issue of Non-Taxable Revenue (NTR), the committee has actually cited that we have some accounting officers who are utilising the NTRs at source, yet we have other entities such as in the health sector that also bring in NTRs and they are not allowed to use any single coin of those NTRs. Why are we having these double standards going on? Lastly, Mr Speaker, we are all aware that passengers traveling to West Nile must still pay while accessing the route from Masindi to Pakwach. That issue has been raised several times here. We know very well that the road from Karuma to Pakwach is still under rehabilitation. As MPs from West Nile, we have raised this on numerous occasions. Let passengers accessing West Nile through the road from Masindi to Pakwach be allowed to access it for free as we wait for that

Thank you. I thought I should say those. Several issues have come up and I will speak to a few. On the issue of advertising, we all agree with what Hon. Kateshumbwa said that the potential of the sector is enormous. Once we invest money in this sector, definitely we will get results and indeed you will not even compare us to oil. Still, the mandate – (Interjections) - yes, this is true and we have said this - is still with you, Members of Parliament. Ours is just to present what we have and within what we can spend. On the issue that has been raised by Members on the access to the road between Masindi to Pakwach, yes, I agree that Members of Parliament, like any other members of the community who pay, are supposed to pay. This road was initially a tourism road different from the one going through Queen Elizabeth in Kasese because through that one would go through without paying. Otherwise, from time immemorial, to access that road, you had to pay a park entry fee and it was specifically built for tourism. That is the reason there is an opposite access route. Sometimes, when there are issues with the main Pakwach Road, we have given clearance and allowed them to go through, but when you say that we stop the collection and let access to this road be like for any other road, it becomes a challenge. The revenues -

I request the Member to tell me who the representative was. This is because what I know is that we, together with you Members of Parliament, agreed that in order to rehabilitate the roads and maintain them, each district was given Shs 1 billion. Then the ministry, for Uganda National Roads Authority roads, or those trunk roads, was also given support. We gave emergency funding. Maybe they heard the emergency funding which we proposed to give the Ministry of Works and Transport, to work on the bridges that were washed away by floods in Mbale, Kigezi, Kasese, and other areas in the country. Remember the districts of Pakwach - I remember that place, and Hoima, Kafu River, and many others. Therefore, Mr Speaker, the Shs 200 billion we talked about in the Cabinet was for the Ministry of Works and Transport for the entire country, and not for Mbale.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. I rise on a matter of national importance regarding the lack of firefighting trucks or equipment, in almost all the police stations in West Nile, heightened by numerous fire outbreaks within the region. On a sad note, an incident occurred yesterday, 14 February 2024, where a Nile Star Company bus was burnt into ashes next to Pakwach Police Station. This incident could not be rescued simply because the police station did not have any firefighting equipment. This is one of the many similar incidents that have happened across the country. My prayer is that: First, since we are in the budgeting process, can the Ministry of Internal Affairs budget for firefighting trucks for upcountry police stations, especially those on highways, so that in such an occurrence, rescue can be handled quickly. Second, can the Directorate of Police, Fire Prevention and Rescue Services be financed to undertake its mandate of prevention of fire through inspection, investigation, education and media campaigns on rescue of life and property?

11749 THE ELEVENTH PARLIAMENT OF UGANDA THURSDAY, 8 FEBRUARY 2024 The second officer is at Pakwach Bridge. This officer is called Second Lieutenant Simon Tibajuka, Commander, Fisheries Protection Unit (FPU), who is extorting Shs 2 million per truck of fish that comes from either Elegu or Panyimur. As I talk now, Mr Speaker, one truck that came from Elegu, and paid Shs 3 million to the other officer, is being demanded Shs 2 million again. Two trucks from Panyimur are all parked at the police station. I received numerous calls from the Resident District Commissioner (RDC) of Pakwach and LCV Chairman. This officer cannot listen to those leaders in that place. Mr Speaker, this officer at Pakwach, has gone to the extent of now picking Shs 100,000 from bus operators. Any bus that comes from West Nile to Kampala, he gets Shs 100,000. Any bus that returns, he gets Shs 100,000. I have received calls from bus operators. My prayers. Before I go to my prayers, Mr Speaker, this act of these officers affects not only the fish traders and transporters but also the Government in terms of revenue loss, because those trucks which remained in South Sudan and these people who are afraid to come are losing a lot of revenue. This money he is asking for is after these traders have cleared taxes with the Uganda Revenue Authority of Shs 25 million per truck. How much money are we losing if he is chasing away traders who are paying taxes to the Government? My prayers –

11668 THE CIVIL AVIATION AUTHORITY (AMENDMENT) BILL, 2023 iii) Zeu -Paidha - 45km; iv) Warr - Paidha – 35km; v) Bukakata - Buwunga – 35km; vi) Pakwach - Ragem -35km; vii) Butoolo – Nsangi - 33km; viii) Bwizibwera - Mbarara -28km; ix) Kiganda - Myanzi -22km; and x) Ndeija - Mbarara – 20km. In partnership with the Administration of Justice Programme, the Service has established online courts/ virtual conferencing facilities in 19 prisons to enhance and mitigate the misalignment challenge. The other recommendation in this respect is that more vehicles should be purchased and provided with sufficient fuel to ensure timely delivery of inmates to courts. The status of vehicles for delivery of prisoners to courts is also elaborated in the table that follows. Buses which are below one year, zero. Those between one year and three years in terms of age are six, those between three and five years of age are six and those above five years are seven. We have a total of only 19 buses in all categories. Minibuses We have zero below one year; 10 between one and three years; five between three; and five years and we have one above five years. The total is Lorries. We have six below one year, 27 between one and three years, 14 between three and five years and we have 38 above five years. The total is 85. Tricycles We have two in the first category, none in the second, two in the third and fourth categories. The total is four. The totals of these vehicles - the heavy ones are eight in the first category, 43 in the second, 27 in the third, 46 in the fourth. The grand total is 124. Only 107 of the 266 prisons have vehicles. Out of the 124 vehicles listed above, 46 are old and this of course translates into maintenance costs. In the Financial Year 2023/2024, the Service requires Shs 21.434 billion for timely delivery of prisoners to courts as reflected below: Fuel for delivery of prisoners to court - amount required is Shs 4.895 billion but amount provided is Shs 2.706 billion; and shortfall is Shs 2.189 billion. Vehicle maintenance - amount required is Shs 5.064 billion but amount provided is Shs 3.600 billion; and the shortfall is Shs 1.464 billion. Escort duties – the amount required Shs 7.550 billion but amount provided is Shs 0.416 billion. The shortfall is Shs 7.134 billion. Subtotal - the amount required is Shs 17.509 billion, but the amount provided is Shs 6.722 billion; and the shortfall is Shs 10.787 billion. Transport equipment – the amount required is Shs 3.925 billion; amount provided is Shs 1.451 billion and the shortfall is Shs 2.474 billion. The total requirement in all the categories is Shs 21.434 billion, but provided is Shs 8.173 billion and the shortfall is Shs 13.261 billion. Another issue raised was land grabbing, and the recommendation is that the Uganda Prisons Service Management should expedite land survey and title acquisition to avoid future encroachment on prison’s land. Our response is the Uganda Prisons Services (UPS) operates 266 prisons, 79 of these are located in the kingdom land; Kingdom of Buganda, 40 on district land and 146 on Central Government land. Prisons cannot survey and title kingdom or district land. Sixty two out of 147 central Prisons land is not surveyed. [Gen. Muhoozi] PRESENTATION OF ACTION -TAKEN REPORTS

Thank you very much, Speaker. I am from Pakwach District which is on the Nile and the issue of fishnets is making it difficult for other people to embrace what is being done yet ordinarily our people had already embraced the recommended net sizes. When they see these illegal nets come in, it is very difficult to convince the ones using the right nets. That is why it is important that it is dealt with this time so that us, as leaders, can explain to our people. I know we are dealing with fishnets, Mr Speaker, but allow me say this: we are on the Nile, whose operation procedures are different from those on the lakes. The standards for the boats operating on the rivers - it is like the sizes for boats operating on the lakes are supposed to be the same for boats operating on the rivers, which to us, is not correct. Even in the Act that we have, the size of the boats that operate on the lakes is different from that for the boats that operate on the rivers. Unfortunately, our colleagues who carry out operations do not respect that. Therefore, we request that as we deal with the issue of the nets, let us also deal with the issue of the boat sizes, particularly for those that are supposed to be operating on the lakes. Thank you, Mr Speaker.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. I rise on a matter of national importance. This is the fifth time I am talking about this issue and today, I will go ahead and lay a document. This is about the policy of linking all our revenue border posts to tarmac roads. This will help to generate a lot of revenue for Uganda, and with that money generated at the border posts, we shall be in a position to do internal roads in Uganda, even if they are of less economic value. The issue is, in my hand, I have the detailed engineering design for tarmacking Nebbi- Goli- Paidha-Zombo-Zeu-Warr-Vurra-Lia- Odramacaku road, which is on the Congo border, covering many districts in West Nile. This very road is generating a lot of money for Uganda, but none of the border posts, with the exception of Vurra, is linked to a tarmac road, yet, we have a high potential of generating money from the Congo market. Mr Speaker, you will recall that when you came to Paidha, we raised this issue and you confirmed that that area is very productive and it should have access to markets. Therefore, the feasibility study and detailed engineering design were done in March 2018 and I have been pursuing this. We are wondering why this road is not prioritised and budgeted for so that we can generate more money for this country. My prayers are: 1. That the Minister of Finance, through the Prime Minister, should update this House on the progress made in pursuing money for tarmacking this road from BADEA, the Arab bank based in Khartoum. 2. The Government should find money, in this budget, so that we can work on that road to generate more money for the country. 3. There were two bridges that were done on the road; Wariki Bridge and another in Vurra. We want the minister for works to come and update this House on why the projects stalled, yet there are seven other bridges to be done. 4. Nebbi-Vurra Road, there is a road from Panyimur to Pakwach, along the Nile, which is a tourism and security road. We pray that it be included as an oil road

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.

11334 MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION [The Speaker] Roads like Karuma-Pakwach, Nebbi-Arua and Gulu-Atiak-Nimule, they are equally very important. When you bring a loan request for the construction of a road on this side, you should also bring one for the construction of a road on the other side for you to balance the equation. Let us balance the ‘boat’ so that we are able to have - yes, I am not saying that we are not going to work on the road, let us work on it because it is overdue but you need to balance; please, balance.

11282 SUPPLEMENTARY SCHEDULE NO.1 FOR FY 2023/2024 Public Debt Portfolio Analysis The committee observed that the preliminary country’s total nominal public debt stock stood at Shs 86.779 trillion as at the end of June 2023. This is equivalent to 46.9 per cent of GDP compared to 48.4 per cent as at June 2022. Of the total public debt stock as at June 2023, external debt constituted 60.2 per cent, which is US$ 14.24 billion while domestic debt constituted 39.8 per cent, which is US$ 9.4 billion. Preliminary findings from the annual debt statistical bulletin indicated that a total of approximately US$ 3.29 billion external debt was committed and remained undisbursed as at 30 June 2023. This debt would increase Uganda’s stock in the medium-term, even without signing any new loans. With the growing level of public debt due to its significance in meeting the country’s huge financing development needs, there is need to pay close attention to the cost of debt and the economic rate of return of projects financed through debt. The committee recommends as follows; (i) Given the existing global uncertainties (lower global growth, persistent high inflation in advanced economies, tight global financial conditions, slow growth in domestic revenue and climate change disruptions), the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development should prudently project and manage the funding mix as well as review its priorities to avoid escalation of debt beyond a sustainable level. (ii) The Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development should fast- track implementation of strategies to enhance domestic revenue generation for the country and reducing or rationalising government expenditure. (iii) Acquisition of additional debt should be targeted towards those sectors that trigger export growth and contribute to domestic revenue mobilisation. Criteria for selection of beneficiary districts The committee was informed that the selection of the beneficiary districts was based on the following; climate change vulnerability of the watersheds, poverty levels of sub-regional level and watershed degradation. The committee, however, notes that some of the districts which met the criteria were omitted. For example; Namayingo, Busia, Masaka, Soroti, Kwania, Lira, Gulu, Rwampara, Ntungamo, Pakwach, Kapchorwa, Mukono, Nabilatuk, Luwero, Kalungu, Kalangala and Buvuma. The committee, therefore, recommends that the districts of Namayingo, Busia, Masaka, Soroti, Kwania, Lira, Gulu, Rwampara, Ntungamo, Pakwach, Kapchorwa, Mukono, Nabilatuk, Luwero, Kalungu, Kalangala and Buvuma should be absorbed on the climate smart project due to the climate change vulnerability of the watersheds, poverty levels of sub-regional level and watershed degradation concerns in these districts. The inclusion of these districts will not alter the value chain in their respective subregions. Conclusion The committee, therefore, recommends that the request by Government to borrow up to US$ 325 million and receive a grant of up to SDR 19.5 million (equivalent to US$ 25 million) from the International Development Association (IDA) of the World Bank Group to finance the Uganda Climate Smart Agricultural Transformation Project be approved subject to these recommendations. I beg to report.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. The other day when my Woman Member of Parliament, Hon. Jane Pacuto Avur, spoke on behalf of the Jonam people - the Pakwach people - I could not say any more. I only want to add that a birthday after giving birth is double sweetness. (Applause) I have learnt something today which I am not sure if I should continue to hold that way; that when people walk out and stay away from Parliament, then it can be termed as political activism; I have learnt it from here. I am saying this because – you remember in FDC we used to have activism. I was in the group of Gen. Muntu that cherished building the party from the grassroots, not talking too much about activism and claiming our win, which we have not claimed up to now. (Laughter) Whichever way people want to describe what has happened, I leave it there. Secondly, I know you have made some pronouncements and I want to go and support my son-in-law, Minister Ogwang. Why should we continue to talk about it? Why don’t we just continue with what we have to do? (Applause) This is because –

Thank you, Madam Speaker. On behalf of the people of Pakwach, I heartily congratulate you upon adding twins to our family. Congratulations to you and Ssalongo . I met the people of Pakwach Town Council and in the three villages I visited, I got information that I thought I would share at the committee level, but now that it has come on the Floor, allow me to share it with the Members of Parliament. We have a moneylender called Hobro operating in Pakwach. They do not take ATM cards, but they instead take National Identity cards from the borrowers. They do not stop at that; if you borrow Shs 1 million, they give you Shs 980,000 and retain Shs 20,000 without a clear – transaction cost – The best practice dictates that you need to disclose to the borrower all the nitty-gritty costs. After taking the loan, you must start repaying it the following day. You can see the difficulties that our people are going through. This is not only limited to Pakwach District. We need the Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development to come out. Much as the minister says it is a relationship between the borrower and the lender, our role is to protect people when something is going wrong. This must be addressed. We have an authority called the Uganda Microfinance Regulatory Authority (UMRA) that should come in quickly and help our people. Madam Speaker, about your communication, I thank Hon. Bahati for spelling out the different areas - and the President for skilling our people. However, we need to study the environment: It should be on a case-by-case basis and we need to know the needs of the youth. Not everybody may be talented in tailoring. When I met the youths in Pakwach, they said that they have a polytechnic school there and some of the courses are not of interest to them.

Yes, very much so, Madam Speaker. I would like to add something about the fishing communities of Pakwach District. The Albert Nile borders Murchison Falls National Park and it has never been clear to the people of Pakwach where the boundary is. When they are fishing on the water, and move a certain distance to the other side of the national park, the UWA officials arrest them saying that they are ferrying people who are going to poach. However, because of the fisheries operation being carried out on the Albert Nile and Lake Albert, when they see the UPDF on the water, some of our young boys, out of fear, jump in the water and their boats are taken and burnt. We passed the Fisheries and Aquaculture Act in this Parliament over eight months ago. It is now a law because the President signed it and this Parliament has been waiting for the regulations to come back here and we debate them so that we know the right fishing gears for each water body. For instance, Pakwach District has two water bodies; Lake Albert and Albert Nile. Our people are already preparing themselves, but up to now, they do not know the right boat to be used on which water body. Madam Speaker, we need the fishing regulations on this Floor so that our people can be brought out of poverty. Many of our students dropped

Thank you, Mr Speaker. I am almost failing to speak because it pains me. When I am campaigning in Jonam, there is one thing I keep telling those people. And maybe I should start by saying that Pakwach is 85 percent NRM, but I am in FDC. When I am finishing my campaigns, I tell the people of Pakwach that; “The day you elect me and I am going to Kampala to work, I will leave my party in the house. I am going as a national leader and not going to be putting on the lens of the FDC or of the Opposition. I am going to be reasoning on issues the way they come before me.” Based on what Professor has stated here, that even from the NRM side, let us try very much – like the Speaker said, we know that we have the numbers, but let us also try to look at issues in the ways they have come. I see that some of us sometimes want to look at issues through the lens of our parties. To me, that will not take us far, and I am appealing – I do not know if my colleagues in the Opposition are seeing – I am appealing that let us to speak to our hearts and the hearts of the issues that brought us here. That we are going to be looking at issues and ensure that we function as a Government. I personally look at myself as being part of this Government. You may say; “He is in the Opposition,” but I am part of this Government because I am here in Parliament. That is the spirit in which we should be looking at issues that come before us. You remember in my first submission today, I stated that sometimes because of orders from above, we push our security personnel into doing things that they even question in their hearts. We also need to be asking ourselves about some of these things. As I come towards the end, I am very proud to have a commissioner here who was my staff. I worked purely with international non- governmental organisations (NGOs) and that is why maybe sometimes my outlook on issues and also politics is totally different. Hon. Solomon Silwany was my staff; he knows exactly who I am, and that is why sometimes when I see him excited, I go and remind him that “I am your boss.” (Laughter) Mr Speaker, I think the joke which you made when we were in Bukedea, you remember you joked and said that, “Emmanuel, now

Thank you. I can see you have guided us very well. Honourable colleagues, in the Public Gallery this afternoon, we have a delegation of district and subcounty speakers and council clerks from Pakwach District Local Government, represented by Hon. Emmanuel Ongiertho and Hon. Jane Avur Pacuto. They have come to observe the proceedings of this House. Please, join me in welcoming them. Thank you. (Applause) Honourable colleagues, we also have pupils and teachers of Joy Dominion Academy from Bunya County West, Mayuge District. They are represented by Hon. Aggrey Bagiire Henry and Rt Hon. Rukia Nakadama Isanga. They have come to observe the proceedings of this House. Please, join me in welcoming them. Thank you. (Applause) We also have students and teachers of Fountain of Hope High School from Ntenjeru County South, Kayunga District. They are represented by Hon. Patrick Nsanja and Hon. Idah Nantaba. They have come to observe the proceedings of this House. Please, join me in welcoming them. (Applause) Thank you. Honourable colleagues, I have a lot of business to handle today, so, no matters of national importance. Hon. Nsereko?

10446 PRIME MINISTER’S TIME By 2031, we expect to produce at least 1,000 Megawatts of nuclear power; but the total capacity for nuclear potential of Uganda is 24,000 Megawatts. The electricity transmission network increased from 2,364 kilometres in 2018/2019 to the current 4,142 kilometres, against the NDP III target of 4,354. This network is expected to increase once the ongoing transmission projects are concluded across the country. For those who go to West Nile, from Karuma, you will see power lines that have passed Pakwach up to Arua and the substations in Nebbi and Arua are almost 95 per completed. That is the national grid and transmission network I am talking about. On the other side where we have Mirama- Kabale, that line is completed. In Kabale District, the land was given to us for –

Thank you, Mr Speaker. I want to thank the minister for the well-summarised report, especially for giving us the potential for energy in this country. Mr Speaker, if I may speak for West Nile and particularly for Pakwach District, the problem we have in Uganda with energy is not about generation, but it is about transmission and distribution. We have a number of mushrooming - upcoming town borders and town councils. We have now injected money into the Parish Development Model (PDM); people are producing. Very soon we shall have a lot of cassava, and maize harvested. However, in the rural countryside, even where there is power, you find a whole town centre without power. Why? Because there is no transformer for them to step down the power to reach the secondary seed schools that we are building, to reach the health centres, and even add value to the crops. Mr Speaker, I am glad that the minister mentioned that the loan that we passed here last November has now matured. How I pray that all subcounties be connected if we are very serious about PDM. That should be fast- tracked. Finally, I was at the border of Malaba just last Thursday. That is our cash cow in terms of revenue mobilisation. But the time that we were there, the number of minutes or hours that power went off, I could not believe, that this country could do that. Mr Speaker, I pray that all the customs points at every border post in this country get a dedicated power line so that there is no time for delay. There are 24 hours in which we can collect revenue to mitigate some of the challenges that we are having. Let me allow my colleague Hon. Kateshumbwa to raise a point of information.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. I join the rest in thanking the committee. For some of us who drive very far, the fluctuating fuel prices have become a nightmare. Indeed, my car has got an engine knock twice from the funny petrol stations we have in this country. This is because when you take off, you can only put a hundred litres and they cannot take me up to Terego. So, you have to fuel on the way and you find the wrong fuel. What is happening to this country? Do we have the right people who take measures to see to it that you Ugandans have value for money? The prices of fuel keep increasing on the way, and by the time you reach Arua, you find a totally different price. If we had a train going up to Terego, even if it stopped in Pakwach, we would be grateful. What is happening? We do not have cable cars. When we go out of this country, we learn nothing, come back with nothing, and we still say that we are capable of running this country. Drastic steps must be taken by this Parliament, to have real value for money. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Speaker, for giving the people of Pakwach an opportunity to comment on this –

Yes, but the people of Pakwach come first before the vice-chairperson of the finance committee. Madam Speaker, you sent the Committee on Finance, Planning and Economic Development to look at the issue of unspent balances. I see a lot of the discussion going to areas of “swept back balances”, “unspent balances” and “delayed releases”. I suggest that either tomorrow or Thursday, we should get space on the Order Paper - A lot of what is coming out is in that report and these issues were well analysed with good observations and recommendations from the different stakeholders that we met. Some of these issues would come out more clearly from our report that we are about to present to the House.

9951 THE ELEVENTH PARLIAMENT OF UGANDA WEDNESDAY, 23 AUGUST 2023 the legal issues, gaps and challenges that continue to stifle operations under the Uganda Railways Corporation Act, as well as the issues curtailing the implementation of the Act over the 31-year period since its enactment. Adopt guidelines for the railway sub-sector to cover safety, security, infrastructure financing, qualified staff and quality services. The development of the railway infrastructure: The committee observed that a well-developed railway network contributes to the socio- economic development of a country as it enables connectivity, boosts trade and provides access to workplaces, healthcare services and leisure activities, among others. The development of a dependable railway transport infrastructure facilitates the mobility and accessibility of a country’s factors of production and at the same time reduces environmental degradation. This ultimately would boost and enhance trade, tourism and improve the general standards of living. The committee notes that over the past decades, the Government accorded high priority to road transport over rail transport infrastructure development. Cargoes that would ordinarily be transported on rail lines are now routed on the road network. In essence, this has contributed to high costs of doing business as well as increasing the road maintenance needs and costs. The committee was informed that limited investment in the railway network is attributed to high initial investment costs needed to set up a railway investment and management system. The East African Community undertook to invest and set up the Standard Gauge Railway, which is expected to improve regional connectivity. Whereas, the Standard Gauge Railway is a good investment, member states will still need the Metre Gauge Railway to complement the Standard Gauge Railway for purposes of last mile connectivity. In light of this, the committee noted the need to rehabilitate the existing Metre Gauge Railway lines across the country in places where the Standard Gauge Railway has not been planned to be routed. The committee was informed that it is the wish of the Uganda Railways Corporation to carry out serious development of the railway network so as to reduce the traffic burden on the existing highway roads that are narrow. This, however, requires more funding to be able to refurbish the remaining railway lines of Kampala, Kasese, Tororo-Gulu, Pakwach, which is not available at the moment. The committee was further informed that the Government of Uganda contracted a Spanish contractor to manufacture concrete slippers for part of the railway line under rehabilitation. The same company has established a railway training school located at Nalukolongo to train and equip the Ugandan engineers with railway engineering knowledge. This implies that at the end of the contract period, the company will close the business and go back. The committee recommends that: i. Government fast-tracks the implementation of the Standard Gauge Railway to enable Uganda to move in tandem with the East African partner states. ii. At the end of the contract period of Imathia Construction Company, Government invests in concrete slippers production plant, fully equipped and owned by the Government of Uganda, to facilitate production of concrete slippers for rehabilitation and construction of other railway lines across the country. In conclusion, the proposal by the Government to borrow up to UA 125.16 million equivalent to £150 million from the African Development Fund and UA 54.17 million equivalent to £65 million from the African Development Bank for the refurbishment of the Kampala-Malaba

Honourable members, I welcome you to this afternoon’s sitting. As you are aware, the nation is mourning the loss of eminent persons that happened due to motor accidents; 1. The former Member of Parliament for Erute North in the Seventh Parliament, Eighth Parliament and 10 th Parliament died on Saturday, 8 June 2023 on Karuma- Pakwach Road. 2. A renowned inspirational businessman, Apollo, well known as Aponye - the man who has inspired very many people; from being a wheelbarrow pusher to a billionaire - died on 6 July 2023 at Itojo in Ntungamo District. He was going for a burial, but ended up in an accident and passed on just like that. If you talk about a person who could inspire, that was Aponye. He was the kind of person you would put in a desert and he would cause rain to fall. We will dearly miss him. He has inspired many of our children and many of us.

Thank you very much, Madam Speaker. The road accidents are becoming unbearable in this country. We just lost our former colleague in the 10 th Parliament, Hon. Charles Angiro Gutomoi. I think it was an issue of a non-moving vehicle parked on the road side. Madam Speaker, my main issue is that there are road signs that are taken as well as the constructions or repairs – the humps are too heavy and yet, there is no sign for that. Therefore, when you are driving at a certain speed, you just get shocked to find yourself reaching these heavy humps. Humps are almost as big as a small mountain, but they are not protected. Madam Speaker, a week ago, we lost two people at Karuma. I think Karuma is becoming one of the daily accident points. We need the construction there to be adjusted; they should have a heavy metallic - like that of Pakwach. This is one of the things that I would like Government and this House to take note of. Thank you.

Madam Speaker, I thank you for this opportunity to pay tribute to Justice Stella Arach-Amoko, as a lady hailing from Nebbi District. I want you to remember that in the last statistics from the Uganda Bureau of Statistics, the number of children who go from primary seven to secondary school is only 12 per cent in West Nile and eight per cent in Acholi. I believe that Lady Justice Stella Amoko was a special one. If I take the Greater Nebbi, which comprises Pakwach, Nebbi and Zombo, we count her among the first five ladies who attained university education. (Applause) She did this without the 1.5 points, which she herself contributed to in discussing, to ensure that girls are promoted in education. Members have talked about her profession. I do not want to go there because it is very clear how she grew in her profession and to this level, it is a clean record; a record, which speaks for itself. So, I want to speak about her as a special person with her intelligence, humility, passion, openness and beauty. Many times, when we met in many places, people would ask, “Who is that? Who was she?” and I would proudly say, “You know, she is a lawyer, an attorney, a Judge and Justice”. I would add, “She is from Nebbi” because she raised our flag up. As a woman of that calibre, we cannot take that for granted. She was a light and path for many of us. When I later joined the university, they used to tell me, “Be like Stella Arach”. I had not known her, but when I got to know her, I then thought, “This is a person I could be like if I work hard.” She was one of the first women leaders in the Nebbi community. She is, of course, the first Justice from the greater Nebbi. She has been there for women, children and girls. She is always out to help with advice, and even materially. She was an open-minded person. She would always like to be there for you. I want to pay tribute and would like to, on behalf of the greater Nebbi community, to say that we have lost a person, but this should also open our eyes that we can work hard and be better citizens of this country. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

9096 ADDRESS ON THE STATE OF THE NATION The rehabilitation works of Mityana - Mubende (86 kilometres); 14 kilometres town roads in Mubende; Olwiyo-Pakwach (62 kilometres); Alwii - Nebbi (33 kilometres) are ongoing. The Government is expediting the construction of the Standard Gauge Railway, starting next Financial Year 2023/2024, starting with Malaba to Kampala. I welcome the decision of His Excellency, President William Ruto of Kenya, agreeing to extend the Standard Gauge Railway from Naivasha to Malaba because that was a problem. In the meantime, the rehabilitation of the Tororo to Gulu Metre Gauge Railway and Kampala Metre Gauge Railway are underway. As regards road transport, priority will be given to the maintenance of existing road networks, especially in the urban areas, continued upgrade of selected strategic roads from gravel to bituminous surface, maintenance of national districts and community roads by facilitating each district in the country, with a minimum of Shs 1 billion to upgrade and compact the dry weather marram roads next financial year. Infrastructure priorities Government has over the years invested heavily in infrastructure. This has helped to narrow the huge infrastructure gap we had in the 1990s. However, there are still critical gaps that Government will continue to prioritise in order to reduce the cost of doing business such as lowering the electricity price. You know, these people use their mysterious language; power tariffs and all that. Mwe ba wanainchi, ekyo mukitegele bulungi, bano byeboogela ebya “power tariffs”. They simply mean electricity prices for manufacturers and other businesses. The critical infrastructure include the railway, upgrading of airports, including completion of Kabaale International Airport, which is at 91 per cent completion and Entebbe International Airport, which is at 71 per cent completion; development of new ports on our lakes; and completing the heavy investment in the energy infrastructure, for example, Karuma Dam and associated transmission lines. We also need to build new airports near the tourism destinations such as Kidepo, Bwindi, Kasese, among others. Tourists, who are the rich people, do not have time to come, land at Entebbe International Airport and drive for 700 kilometres to Kidepo. No, they do not have time. We need to build airports for the rich foreigners to land near the national park, see the animals and go away. Those airports, of course, also help with security. Like now with night operations in Karamoja, we fly very far; from Nakasongola and all those places. It is better to have a good airport which can operate day and night in those areas. Government will prioritise infrastructure that supports industrialisation, production of oil and gas, and promote tourism. These include industrial parks, electricity power substations, extending and upgrading electricity transmission lines, water for industrial use and ICT infrastructure. Energy The total electricity generation capacity is now 1,346.6 megawatts. This is from 60 megawatts in 1986. This will increase to 1,800 megawatts once Karuma is commissioned this year. This means, therefore, that the construction of the transmission lines to evacuate this power must be completed without further delays. These lines include Karuma-Kawanda (400 KV), Karuma-Olwiyo (400 KV), Karuma-Lira (132 KV) and Kole-Gulu-Nebbi-Arua. They did not include the strength here; I think it is 132 KV. The demand for electricity is increasing by 15 per cent per year, although these figures of finance are kasoobo . You heard my figures on the milk; 193 per cent. Bano bali ku 15 per cent. Anyway, we are talking with the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development and I think we shall eventually agree. They are beginning to wake up because they are the ones who wrote this. Mukawulire kano . Bebawaandika bino ; Katonda yebazibwe .

8759 THE ELEVENTH PARLIAMENT OF UGANDA THURSDAY, 18 MAY 2023 229) Vote 900: Nabilatuk District – Shs 8,965,015,000 230) Vote 901: Nakapiripirt District – Shs 11,039,255,000 231) Vote 902: Nakaseke District – Shs 33,609,209,000 232) Vote 903: Nakasongola District – Shs 29,199,461,000 233) Vote 904: Namayingo District – Shs 24,345,537,000 234) Vote 905: Namisindwa District – Shs 25,757,056,000 235) Vote 906: Namutumba District – Shs 29,395,177,000 236) Vote 907: Napak District – Shs 14,554,931,000 237) Vote 908: Nebbi District – Shs 28,393,138,000 238) Vote 909: Ngora District – Shs 20,015,428,000 239) Vote 910: Ntoroko District – Shs 17,856,009,000 240) Vote 911: Ntungamo District – Shs 52,482,302,000 241) Vote 912: Nwoya District – Shs 19,818,194,000 242) Vote 913: Obongi District – Shs 11,259,732,000 243) Vote 914: Omoro District – Shs 23,623,072,000 244) Vote 915: Otuke District – Shs 17,308,500,000 245) Vote 916: Oyam District – Shs 36,647,321,000 246) Vote 917: Pader District – Shs 28,538,070,000 247) Vote 918: Pakwach District – Shs 20,416,756,000 248) Vote 919: Pallisa District – Shs 32,319,522,000 249) Vote 920: Rakai District – Shs 35,470,398,000 250) Vote 921: Rubanda District – Shs 26,781,538,000 251) Vote 922: Rubirizi District – Shs 17,650,350,000 252) Vote 923: Rukiga District – Shs 21,557,840,000 253) Vote 924: Rukungiri District – Shs 40,111,677,000 254) Vote 925: Rwampara District - Shs 21,241,513,000 255) Vote 926: Ssembabule District – Shs 29,341,783,000 256) Vote 927: Serere District – Shs 32,000,876,000 257) Vote 928: Sheema District – Shs 26,927,219,000 258) Vote 929: Sironko District – Shs 32,016,598,000 259) Vote 930: Soroti District – Shs 22,110,246,000 260) Vote 931: Terego District – Shs 25,198,993,000 261) Vote 932: Tororo District – Shs 57,785,129,000 262) Vote 933: Wakiso District – Shs 78,280,713,000

Madam Speaker, I am privileged to say a few positive things about my very close friend, the late Okello Engola before we finally say “bye” to him. From the onset, just to add to what Hon. Mao has said to the country, that death belongs to all of us. To celebrate the death of a person even if you do not agree with them, in our humble position, is to invite a curse unto your family and people. I am happy that, much as this callous soldier cut Hon. Macodwogo’s life short, there are no more camps in Oyam District – (Applause) – and there are no more convoys from Corner Kamdini to Gulu. There are also no more convoys from Karuma Bridge to Pakwach. Madam Speaker, the Langi, Acholi – the people of Northern Uganda – have now joined the rest of Uganda in fending for their lives as normal peaceful citizens. The role Hon. Okello Macodwogo played was very critical in making this happen. I think Hon. Mao had read my mind, but even after doing all those big things enumerated by

Thank you, Mr Speaker. I want to thank the chairperson of the committee for the good report. I would like to request us to address our minds to the fact that this country or the world over is grappling with difficult economies. We are grappling with raising revenue yet we have much potential in our undeveloped and untapped tourist sites. Mr Speaker, if some of these tourist sites like the ones I have in Pakwach District and perhaps all over the country were developed, or local investors were supported to develop them, we would enhance our revenue mobilisation. Not only that, we would leverage the traders of this country from the burden of high taxation. How I pray that this sector is supported by this very Parliament so that some of the potential tourism sites are developed sooner than later. I would like to speak on behalf of the traders of this country, especially those from West Nile. When I was studying commerce, I learnt about the auxiliary of trade. By that, we mean the transport system, the insurance sector, bank – (Member timed out.)

Thank you, Mr Speaker. I would like to re-echo the issue of cotton. The budget that has been read by the chairperson says Shs 5.37 has been allocated to the cotton sector. However, he did not indicate clearly the revamping of the ginneries across the country. We have ginneries, especially in West Nile, that is, in Rhino Camp in Madi Okollo. There is also another in Pakwach. Mr Speaker, this has been an abandoned ginnery for more than 28 years and the farmers who used to grow the cotton actually abandoned it. This means loss of revenue to the families and Government. We are now moving towards BUBU; Buy Uganda, Build Uganda. Textile factories have now come into the country and these need raw materials, which is supposed to come from these farmers. What the chairperson read clearly did not indicate how we are going to revamp these ginneries. Can the chairperson tell Parliament how ginneries are going to be revamped in this country? Thank you.

7156 SECTORAL COMMITTEE REPORT The Ministry of Education and Sports, through the National Curriculum Development Centre, rolled out the revised lower secondary school curriculum in the year 2020. One of the major components of the revised curriculum is continuous assessment - a school-based assessment. The first cohort or group of learners of this column is joining senior three in 2023. Relatedly, secondary schools, which will not have registered for continuous assessment, will not be allowed by UNEB to register their learners for the Uganda Certificate of Education examinations. UNEB will communicate to the schools on the modalities of submitting the continuous assessment scores to the board. Schools registering for continuous assessment should have registered their learners on the Ministry of Education and Sports Education Information Management System. Accordingly, the ministry has now opened the Education Information Management System portal to enable schools to register their learners. The second question came from Hon. Aled Akugizibwe, Member of Parliament for Buruli County, Masindi District. He said that in the year 2015, Uganda held its first oil block auction, which included six 2,674 square kilometre-sized exploring regions. Before that, the country distributed blocks based on who arrived there first. Armour Energy Limited of Australia and Oranto Petroleum of Nigeria took part in the first round. They both later signed production sharing agreements with Government. In 2019, the second round was announced, attracting Total, DGR Energy Turaco Uganda - SMC Limited, Uganda National Oil Company Limited and a joint venture of PetroAfrik Energy Resources East Africa Limited, Uganda and Niger Delta Petroleum Resources Limited from Nigeria. However - according to him - only two oil and gas firms submitted bids, namely DGR Energy Turaco Uganda Limited and Uganda National Oil Company Limited. Following the successful negotiations, the two oil firms were approved.” His prayer is; when will Government effect the signing of production sharing agreements and the award of exploration licences to the two oil companies that we approved? My response is: Cabinet approved the signing of production sharing agreements and grant of exploration licences for an initial two-year period of Uganda National Oil Company and DGR Energy Turaco Uganda - SMC Limited were approved. UNOC will undertake operations in Kasurubani Exploration Area that stretches over 1,285 square kilometres, stretching between Buliisa and Pakwach Districts. This licence was previously held by Tullow, which made some discoveries. DGR, which owns another exploration licence in the area of Kanywataba, will be operating from Turaco Block, which is a 637-square- kilometre exploration area, located in the Albertine Graben near the border with Congo, in Ntoroko District. Heritage Oil, a British company, had done some exploration in the area, but abandoned it in 2004. The block reverted to the Government as per the laws that govern this country. Mr Speaker, the signing of the Production Sharing Agreement for UNOC is scheduled to take place today - I believe it has already taken place – 2 February 2023, while the one for DGR will be done in two weeks’ time. Mr Speaker, the true exploration areas that were given out are part of the five blocks that the Government auctioned in the second licensing round, launched in 2019. The three, which have not been given out, are Avivi (1,026km 2 ), Omuka (750km 2 ) and Ngaji (1,230km 2 ). Mr Speaker, question number three came from Hon. Juliet Achayo, Member of Parliament, Ngora County. She said that Uganda [Ms Nabbanja] PRIME MINISTER’S TIME

Mr Speaker, thank you for that strong memory. (Laughter) I would like to observe that we can sit here and aspire that there should be more resources going to the road sector. However, if this Parliament is not decisive enough to address the issue of domestic resource mobilisation, then those will be very wild wishes. We have sat in this House and passed budgets, but without putting much emphasis on how we get money. I would have loved the report on tax expenditures to be presented here because that is one of the fundamental issues that is causing leakage in revenue. Right now, this country loses or forgoes Shs 2.8 trillion in tax exemptions that are cleared by this House. So, where do you expect the money for the roads to come from? You are paying tax for Bujagali, which is making profit. You have exempted the BIDCOs that are making billions of profits and you have given exemptions and tax incentives to companies that are foreign; the benefits not even going to the local people. So, where do these resources come from? Therefore, first, we must address the issue of resource mobilisation; we must help the Government to mobilise resources. Mr Speaker, it will interest you to note that Uganda annually loses more than US$500 million in illicit financial flows. And these illicit financial flows are not addressed. So, how is the House going to help the contractors to deal with issues of delayed certificate clearance? A few days ago, we received a report from COSASE, which indicated that there is serious operational inefficiency in UNRA. We have had cases of money being diverted from one project to another without approvals. So, I would have expected that after, this process, maybe there must be a treasury memorandum, which collectively deals with all these issues. Ideally, if it were up to me, actually UNRA would go to the Ministry of Works and Transport because they have demonstrated, based on that report, that they cannot be able to fix a number of things. Right now to go to Arua, you have to take many hours because the segment of the road from Oloya to Pakwach is just impassable yet we worked on this road some few years ago. So, where is the quality assurance? If you go to the many roads that UNRA has constructed, you will find that they are not even climate resilient and yet we passed a law here to ensure that every MDA must integrate climate change into their programming. All these things are not happening. I do not know if the Committee on Physical Infrastructure is really exercising its oversight role on UNRA. Why is it that these issues are occurring repeatedly? Mr Speaker, as you rightly observed, as we get to the budget process, let us not just be good at appropriating. Let us first ask where this money is coming from. If we do not address that question, we will continue to lament here and nothing will happen. These ministers will visit and the result will be ‘hot air’. Thank you.

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, Mr Speaker. I would like to thank the committee for the report. I suggest that the slots, which were for each of the districts, are not lost – that is to say, in the next recruitment, if Pakwach was supposed to have 57 slots and our leaders have verified that we got 10 only, I want us to say that we still have 47 slots. So, when the next slots come and we are again talking about 50 slots, we have to add the 47 so that Pakwach gets 97. That is my suggestion. We are all consoling ourselves that there is another round. I want to believe this round, which has passed, should not be lost. That means there should be further investigation to confirm. If Nebbi, for instance, has said that there were 11 recruits and they were supposed to be 57, it means the 46 may have come from somewhere else. Those slots have to be brought back and investigations done. Eventually, when it is confirmed that the others did not come from Nebbi, then, the UPDF will know where to take them, but make sure that those slots come back. I would like to confirm that if you go further to investigate, you will confirm that people were brought by other people. You will find that in one family, where someone was an army officer, there are now 10 others –(Member timed out.)

Thank you very much, Madam Speaker, for giving the people of Pakwach a chance to speak on this.

6763 THE ELEVENTH PARLIAMENT OF UGANDA TUESDAY, 17 JANUARY 2023 That said, the women of Uganda are more affected by climate change and depletion of the forest cover of this country. I do not want to go into listing how we are affected; it is clear knowledge. That Act clearly spells out that there must be procedures on tree planting. I urge Government and even we, Members of Parliament – Madam Speaker, if you deem it right, in the process of this year, give us a week or two so that we all go to our constituencies, sensitise and mobilise our people to plant trees. Otherwise, the people of Uganda listening out there, particularly the people of Pakwach are sitting on a time bomb. (Member timed out.)

Thank you, Mr Speaker. Like I had said, out of the loan of $110 million, $22.5 million was earmarked for infrastructure - to improve infrastructure in 81 health facilities. This was divided into six lots. The lot in question is Lot 6, which was worth $24 billion - VAT inclusive. The contractor was BMK. They were supposed to construct maternity units and extras like pit latrines and placenta pits in 14 health facilities in West Nile and in Northern Uganda. The duration of the project was 16 months and it was supposed to commence on 15 March 2021, upon signing of the project contract. However, site handover was delayed to May 2021. The contract was supposed to run till 30 September 2022. The supervising architect was KK Partnership Architects. The Ministry of Health advanced 30 per cent of the total contract sum totalling to about Shs 6 billion to BMK to enable them mobilise and bring equipment to the site and start preliminary construction. BMK provided performance security in the form of a bank guarantee worth approximately Shs 6 billion and environmental and social safety guarantees of approximately Shs 1.9 billion, respectively. The objective of our visit, as a committee - which was very important - was to ascertain the physical progress of the works, among others. We had received many complaints from the citizens of West Nile and Northern Uganda, but most importantly, the politicians, about the delayed progress. In other parts of the country, they were 80 per cent and in this particular area, they had not yet reached even 50 per cent, yet we were running out of time. The committee also conducted a financial and legal analysis of the project to have a holistic scrutiny of the project. The sites visited were Panyimur in Pakwach, Kuchwiny in Nebbi, Kochi in Yumbe, Lobule in Koboko, Oluvu in Maracha, Awoo in Omoro, Akura in Alebtong, Anyangatir in Lira City and Kamdini in Oyam. Key findings from the field visit The committee found that on average, the civil works in nine sites ranged from between 55 per [Dr Ayume] SECTORAL COMMITTEE REPORT

Mr Speaker, I heard the Prime Minister in her response say that the President gave a directive that they should utilise part of South Busoga Central Forest Reserve, which they gave to the community. However, the law says that any change of use of land or forests has to be degazetted. I do not remember - and I have been around for some time - whether Government brought that instrument to degazette that area. On top of that, there are districts and cities, which submitted areas to degazette - Mbale, Mbarara, Pakwach (in West Nile), Kalangala - to compensate. I want the Prime Minister to tell us the progress so far.

6605 THE ELEVENTH PARLIAMENT OF UGANDA TUESDAY, 6 DECEMBER 2022 Transmission Regarding transmission losses, Mr Speaker, the committee recommends that to fully realise the envisaged benefits of the Kole-Gulu-Nebbi- Arua transmission project, the Ministry of Finance, UETCL, and the Ministry of Energy, with their consultants, should consolidate all efforts to ensure that this project is completed and commissioned by March 2023 as a way of reducing technical losses at transmission. Impact of loadshedding Regarding impact of loadshedding, Mr Speaker, the committee recommends that the plant availability of the operated plants be increased, power dispatches increased and the connection of the West Nile region to the national grid be expedited to avail stable and reliable power supply to West Nile. Conclusion In conclusion, Mr Speaker, the need for adequate and reliable electricity is key in driving Uganda’s vision of transforming the whole country from a peasant to an industrialised economy. Despite West Nile being a trade hub connecting to South Sudan and the DRC, it experiences rampant loadshedding and power outages, which have hindered its contribution to the economic transformation of the country. The reasons for this unreliable electricity are attributed, majorly, to the region not being connected to the national grid, thus failing to tap into the excess electricity available from the rest of the country and the other benefits accrued from being connected to high voltage transmission networks and substations. A good transmission network ensures that sources from different loads are synchronised, transmission loads are reduced and there is easier control for remote and onsite functions. Further, Mr Speaker, the two generators in the region are dispatching far below their subcontracted and installed capacities, thus failing to meet the demand for the region. To address the rampart loadshedding in the region, the Government of Uganda has put in place several initiatives to overcome this challenge. In the short term, the Government is constructing a medium voltage line connecting Olwiyo to a substation in Pakwach. Mr Speaker, I am happy to report that West Nile has actually been connected already – since our intervention. This line was expected to be commissioned in November 2022. However, the long-term solution is the completion of the Kole-Gulu-Nebbi-Arua transmission project, which connects West Nile to the high voltage electricity backbone transmission infrastructure, by March 2023. Thereafter, Government will have to invest in the distribution network so as to increase the West Nile’s rate of electricity access. Therefore, the committee, in its findings, agrees with the prayers of the movers of the motion, except in Prayer No. 1, where it recommended that the contract of Electro-Maxx be terminated rather than the Government of Uganda providing funds to the Uganda National Oil Company to supply fuel to Electro-Maxx to generate its licensed capacity. Mr Speaker, I beg to submit. (Applause)

6606 ACTION TAKEN REPORT ON THE RESOLUTIONS OF THE 11 TH PARLIAMENT address the shortages of electricity in West Nile. I wish to confirm that the 33 KV line is actually on in West Nile and power has relatively stabilised in the region. There may be occasions when there are outages and the outages are because we incur a lot of losses of electricity in the 33 KV line. The 33 KV line was supposed to end in Nebbi and Pakwach. However, because we wanted to test if we would deliver stable power to Arua, we decided to extend it and we are now merging the power generated in -

For the other questions, which have been asked, for instance, the one on solar, West Nile is very lucky because they have a proper energy mix in the region. They have hydro and we are bringing more hydro through our grid. They have the potential for solar. The solar will be connected to that grid. It is not going to be standalone; it will be fed through their substations and they will use it to stabilise the power. West Nile has also got the potential for producing geothermal energy in Pakwach. All these are going to be exploited. West Nile is going to be the exporter of power rather than a user of power. They will have more than what they need in their region when we bring all this into play. There was a clarification sought that I said would take time. There are different types of energy. If I deliver bulk power at 132KV, it ends up in the substation, then, I have got to start developing the distribution network; stepping that power down to 33KV and 11KV. That is the power that will go into houses and industries. That will take us time to develop. West Nile is going to be a priority, even in the project and other projects that the ministry is handling. We shall endeavour to bring West Nile at par with the rest of the country. I wish to appreciate the people of West Nile. My friend, Hon. Lee, knows very well that the 33 KV has not actually been properly synchronised onto the network of West Nile. We are using UEDCL to do that. The report I got showed that they have succeeded in harmonising the network in West Nile –(Interjection)- No, this was last week - [Mr Okaasai] SECTORAL COMMITTEE REPORT

6440 ACTION TAKEN REPORT ON THE RESOLUTIONS OF THE 11 TH PARLIAMENT Kilembe Mines is licensed under the Mining Act. Exploration licences and mining leases granted by the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development are held by Kilembe Mines Limited, a State-owned enterprise, majority owned and controlled by the Government. Since Cabinet took a decision in 2018, Government has invested in developing Kilembe Mines into an active commercial project for the exploration, exploitation and processing of copper and cobalt for industrialisation. Therefore, Kilembe Mines does not fit the description of a protected area. The declaration of Kilembe Mines as a protected area will frustrate its development and Government’s on-going competitive bidding process to get a suitable partner under the Mineral Production Sharing Agreement. It should be deleted from Schedule Two. Acherer Goldmines in Nakapiripirit District is also an active exploration and mining area where mineral rights (exploration license and location license) were granted under the Mining Act. It should not be listed as a protected area. Declaration of protected areas should be made after consultation with the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development. Schedule 2, Part II, Item 17 It provides for Panyimur in Pakwach District as a protected fossil site. The part of Panyimur Subcounty, which is a fossil site and should be protected, should be mentioned. The relevant fossil site should be named by village and parish. There are areas being studied by the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development in Panyimur Subcounty for potential development of geothermal resources Panyimur should, therefore, not be declared a protected area as a whole. Schedule 3, Clause 4: Interpretation Definition of mineral The Bill defines “Mineral” as “Any substance in solid, liquid or gaseous form, occurring naturally in or on the earth formed by or subject to a geological process, but does not include petroleum as defined under ‘The Petroleum Exploration Development and Production Act, 2013’. The definition of minerals should be amended and a phrase inserted as follows: “Minerals means any substance whether in solid, liquid or gaseous form, occurring naturally in or on the earth, formed by or subject to a geological process, but does not include petroleum as defined under ‘The Petroleum Exploration Development and Production Act, 2013’, or substances excluded from the definition of minerals under Article 244(5) of the Constitution”. The aim is to bring it in compliance with the Constitution and the Mining and Minerals Act. 1.2. Definition of Mineral Right The Bill provides that mineral right means: “The right to prospect, explore or mine for minerals under a prospecting license, an exploration license, a retention license, a large-scale or small-scale mining license or an artisanal mining license issued under the Mining Act.” The definition should be amended and a phrase inserted as follows: “Mineral right means a right to prospect, explore or mine for minerals under a prospecting license, an exploration license, a retention license, a large-scale mining license, a medium-scale mining license, small-scale mining license or an artisanal mining license.” This is to bring it into compliance with the Mining and Minerals Act, which includes a medium-scale mining license. 4.0 Clause 95 (2) The Bill provides under clause 95(2) that the holder of a mineral right issued under “The Mining Act, 2003” shall enjoy his or her right under that mineral right subject to this Act. The clause should be amended to read as follows: “The holder of a mineral right issued under ‘The Mining Act, 2003’ shall exercise his or COMMUNICATION FROM THE CHAIR [The Deputy Speaker]

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I also want to start by thanking the minister for the statement. In addition, I want to thank you for driving us into relocating the launch to a rural district. I want to believe it will be Pakwach. Why Pakwach? It is because we have organisations that are key in championing such activities. Sometimes, I feel bad when a minister is making such a statement and he or she does not recognise such organisations.

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.

6304 RESOLUTION TO B O RROW Thursday, 17 November 2022 Honourable members, I have also received information - and since yesterday, I have also been receiving the same information about the Karuma-Pakwach Road, which has been cut off. The bridge is over-flooded and people cannot pass. I know that this has become a recurrent problem that has adversely affected the movement of people, goods and services, especially in that area of West Nile. When the bridge breakarmonise and waive off the road- user fees around that area as we try to harmonise the issue of the bridges, you cannot move and cannot do anything. I am happy that the people responsible are in the House. I also want to urge the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife to work together with the Ministry of Works to ensure that they let these two ministries work together and waive off the fee so that people can pass there. At the end of the day, all that money goes to one account. What is important is that we want our people to have where to pass. These are businesspeople; they want to earn a living. The Ministers of Works and Tourism, you will report to this House on how far you have gone on harmonisation, but we want people to start using the road. Honourable members during the sitting of the 9 th and 15 th of November 2022, I directed the Attorney-General to table the statutory instrument on the status and the mandate of women councils, which he is going to lay immediately after my communication and report on the state of human rights in Uganda as presented before the UN Committee Against Torture, which he is also supposed to lay on the Table. Honourable Attorney-General, I am IN THE PARLIAMENT OF UGANDA Official Report of the Proceedings of Parliament SECOND SESSION - 9TH SITTING - SECOND MEETING Parliament met at 2.01 p.m. in Parliament House, Kampala. PRAYERS (The Speaker, Ms Anita Among, in the Chair.) The House was called to order. COMMUNICATION FROM THE CHAIR

No, Madam Speaker. You have already ruled on that. Madam Speaker, this is in regard to your communication. Constitutionally, your word in this country is binding and nobody can question it. Madam Speaker, Pakwach is cut off and I think we should find a reason to help our fellow citizens and have that road fixed. I am happy that the Minister of Works, Hon. Gen. Edward Katumba Wamala is in the House. This is something that I have personally spoken to him about. He has been in my community. I am happy that Rt Hon. Prime Minister is also here. They have been to my community and this is about three years ago. The reason I am bringing this up, Madam Speaker, is that I have about three subcounties or communities that are only brought together by a bridge. Madam Prime Minister, you remember. Mr Minister, you also remember. Even as I speak, the bridges are not there; three subcommittees are cut off. People on the other side keep on wondering whether you are still - Yes, Madam Commissioner – (Interruption)

Madam Speaker, I rise to give more information on the issue of Pakwach. This comes at a time when His Excellency the President is supposed to be in Zombo District tomorrow for the coronation anniversary. If the President were to use the road today, I am sure he would never make it to Zombo District. I am saying this because we need to give particular attention to the roads in West Nile, especially in regard to the fact that we have talked continually. I am grateful that we have another source of transport and that is air. Otherwise, my people would wait and the President would never arrive because of the state of the road. I am also hopeful that as he goes there tomorrow, we shall have some clear information from him regarding this issue. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Sorry, I had not seen the Minister of Works and Transport. I happy he is here. There is an issue that came out in my communication on Pakwach. Before we go to the next item, we would like to find out the short, medium and long-term remedy on that road and others.

Thank you very much, Madam Speaker. We have had a challenge on that sector of Pakwach road. We have restored Pakwach road and vehicles are moving. We also have an alternative route. If you cannot use the Pakwach main or Olwiyo Pakwach, then you can use the road through the park because there is a bridge. We have already discussed this with the Minister of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities. They will not charge any vehicle passing through the park. (Applause) Therefore, there is an alternative route for people going to - Madam Speaker, we are now looking at re- engineering that sector of the road for a permanent solution. For now, vehicles are moving.

Madam Speaker and honourable colleagues, the issue of recruitment at local governments really is a district issue. We have recommended, especially for vets and entomologists, where the economic activities engaged by the farmers require. Now, on the issues of monitoring and the chain of command, we have put up regional veterinary officers. We are now facilitating them to make sure they do monitoring in those regions. We are actually trying to address - and the requests by Members of Parliament from Northern Uganda have been responded to; we are actually near completion. We have put up a modern diagnostic centre at Got Apwoyo Farm in Nwoya District near Pakwach Bridge. We are trying to do everything possible to make sure we actually control animal diseases. Hon. Oguzu Denis, LCIs giving permits is illegal. Nobody is allowed to give permits. Actually, if the LC chairperson gives a movement permit, he should be arrested –(Interjection)- please, I am telling you because that is the law. The only competent person authorised is the veterinary officer although veterinary officers are also restricted; they cannot give international and regional permits. The regional permits are issued by the Commissioner –(Interruption)

Thank you, Mr Speaker. In the last two months, due to heavy rains, the West Nile region almost came to a standstill for almost two consecutive days. Last month and even earlier last week, the area near Pakwach Bridge along River Tangi flooded and movement has been restricted tremendously. It is now putting great risk to the Pakwach Bridge, and we are very afraid of what might happen next. Secondly, because of the heavy rains, the area between Nebbi, Goli, Vvura and Warr is causing problems. Those three border areas combined raise more money than Malaba border. That is why we do pray that the road gets tarmacked. If it is not, we will keep losing revenue. Every year, it is missed out in the annual budget. This time, we have started the process much earlier. Hopefully, it will be included. I pray that UNRA visits or makes a report on how they plan to stop flooding around Pakwach bridge because movement is being restricted, yet that is the major highway – actually, it is the national highway to West Nile and so, the issue of flooding needs to be sorted. Secondly, I request that we also have a route through Murchison Falls National Park, just like it is with other national parks. I wonder why it is only this park where people in transit have to pay. Vehicles have to pay Shs 40,000 to access that route. It is causing a problem, whereas for other routes through the national COMMUNICATION FROM THE CHAIR

Thank you, Mr Speaker. This week the country woke up to a rude shock that we lost about 10 children in the district of Pakwach, reported to be emanating from food poisoning from the cassava they ate. It is not clear whether it is about the variety of cassava or the processing. And, the reports from the district indicate that they have sent samples to the National Analytical Laboratory. I would like to know from the Rt Hon. Prime Minister the interventions Government is taking or planning to take for the people of Pakwach District, especially for the families that lost loved ones; but also, because this cassava can find its way onto the market, either in restaurants or schools. We would like to know whether the results are out – (Member timed out.)

Mr Speaker, I am aware of that incident. It is through the investigative arm of Government that we got those samples brought to Wandegeya, and we are waiting for a report which I believe will come out today. However, in the meantime, the following is being done: i) I have instructed our people to send the food to Pakwach so that those who are struggling to look for food do not eat that cassava. ii) The fishing community that changed the way of survival - Government removed the small boats which were killing PRIME MINISTER’S TIME

5560 TRIBUTE TO THE LATE H.M. QUEEN ELIZABETH II those from Pakwach, I want to mourn with the people of the United Kingdom for the loss of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Mr Speaker, under the leadership of the Queen, the Government of Uganda has received a lot of budget support in areas of humanitarian needs and in health. In Pakwach District, especially, we got funding from the Irish Government where a fish handling plant was constructed at Dei Subcounty, but unfortunately, it has been washed away by the flooding. Now, that we mourn the Queen, I urge this Government to restore that fish handling plant so that the Queen’s memory lives in this country. Mr Speaker, I want to mourn the Queen. As a woman, she has shown that women are very strong and firm when put in position of leadership. I once again thank our Government for giving the women of Uganda opportunities. That is why I stand here, very firm and very strong, to represent the people of Uganda. I condole with the people of the UK. May her – (Member timed out.)

Much obliged, Madam Speaker. I thought I would lay the documents as evidence because the petitioners brought me the documents. But since you have guided, I will follow your guidance. I, therefore, request the minister in charge of wildlife to come and explain because people are in pain, have lost properties, have been injured and nothing is being done. These communities are all over the country; from the areas of Pakwach, western Uganda, eastern Uganda and all the areas that surround the game parks are affected. It does not only affect one district, but the whole country.

No, we agreed on two minutes. I will not allow more than that. Pakwach -

Thank you, Mr Speaker, for giving me the opportunity. Allow me to join other colleagues here, on behalf of the people of Pakwach, to pay tribute to our fallen hero and leader in this country. I want to address my mind to the lessons that we have learnt about the life of the late Archbishop Jonah Lwanga. You and I have heard the contributions made by many colleagues here to the fact that he spoke his mind firmly about corruption and he spoke his mind firmly about issues of human rights. We are all leaders and we are Members of Parliament and this is the time to live the legacy of Archbishop Jonah Lwanga, to see to it that, together with other stakeholders in this country, we try as much as possible to work together to see that corruption is nowhere in our country because it retards the life of every Ugandan. I come from West Nile. As people of West Nile, we have witnessed what it means to say one’s right is abused. We had wars; women and young girls were raped. We had times when we would travel and you would not know whether you would reach home alive or not. Therefore, as leaders, we must live the legacy of Archbishop Jonah Lwanga. (Member timed out.)