Prime Minister unveils facilities funded by OPM, UPDF Engineers’ brigade hailed for quality work

By: Ismael Kasooha

Nakasongola/Buliisa

The prime minister of Uganda Rt. Hon. Nabbanja Robinah has unveiled facilities that were constructed using funds saved from what she termed as wasteful expenditures at the office of the prime minister (OPM).

According to Nabbanja the facilities were constructed using 5 billion shillings that was meant to purchase household utensils such as plastic cups, plates, turplines among other items that were supposed to be distributed to affected persons.

In 2022, a number of districts in the country were hit by floods that destroyed several infrastructures, e.g. roads, schools, health centers, water facilities, power lines, among others.

The Prime Minister Rt. Hon. Nabbanja Robinah with other officials during the commissioning of Lwampanga Health Center III in Nakasongola District

The most affected districts were Amolatar, Buliisa, Nakasongola, Kayunga and Ntoroko.

“My office immediately swung into action with interventions in response to the different flood disasters in order to help restore the lives of the affected communities in those districts. On 18^th April, 2023, an Inter-Ministerial meeting was held at the Prime Minister’s Office at which we decided a number of interventions,” said Nabbanja.

The facilities constructed by the UPDF Engineers’ brigade include Lwampanga health center III and Moone primary school in Nakasongola District, Butiaba health center III in Buliisa district, Rwangaara health center III in Ntoroko district and Nalubwoyo Health Centre III center in Amolatar district.

Nabbanja acknowledged the contribution of Geoffrey Sseremba, the former Undersecretary in the office of the Prime Minister who identified some wasteful expenditures that helped OPM to construct such facilities.

“I am excited that today, exactly two years later, we are commissioning fully completed Health facilities and a school that will be serving our people,” said Nabbanja.

Addressing leaders and residents in the two districts of Nakasongola and Buliisa, Nabbanja said that there is a need to plan for actual needs of the community instead of sitting in offices and make decisions that might not help the common person.

“As we commission these facilities, I am aware of the gaps that are pending implementation, for example, provision of drugs, staff and other needed health equipment. My office will undertake to make follow ups with the Ministry of Health and the National Medical Stores to provide the needed drugs to these facilities,” she noted.

Some of the school buildings at Moone Primary School in Nakasongola District that were constructed by OPM

Nabbanja said that the NRM Government continues to respond to and serve Ugandans positively through development.

In Amolatar district the Prime minister was represented by Dr. Kenneth Omona, the new state minister for Northern Uganda while in Rwangaara, Ntoroko district she was represented by Victoria Rusoke, the state minister for local government.

In Amolatar Nabbanja said that the government interventions for example, in the Education sector, a number of secondary schools have been expanded through UGIFT funding. These include Muntu Seed Secondary School which is already operational, Itam Seed Secondary, Akwon Secondary School, all constructed by the UPDF Engineering Brigade.

Muruli Mukasa, the minister for public service who also hails from Nakasongola said that government has played a great role in delivering services to the people of Nakasongola and the country in general.

The state minister for education in charge sports Peter Ogwang hailed the UPDF for intervening in the construction sector to produce quality work, at low cost and in time.

“We should appreciate the UPDF Engineers’ brigade for the work done because if it was to be the private sector working the cost would go to over 11b shillings,” said Ogwang.

Members of Parliament from the districts of Nakasongola and Buliisa lauded the UPDF for the quality work done.

Brigadier General Besigye Bekunda, the UPDF head of the engineering brigade said that they are ready to serve the country.

The Buliisa LC V chairperson Fred Lukumu asked government to implement the special physical planning as promised for the Albertine graben.

Lukumu reported to the prime minister that stray elephants have killed 5 people in a short period of time and asked for government intervention.

Rt. Hon. Robinah Nabbanja flanked by Hon. Wilson Muruli Mukasa addressing pupils of Moone PS in Nakasongola District during the launch

The Prime minister tasked Uganda Wild Life Authority (UWA) to ensure that the people are protected from wild animals.

Nabbanja supported one family which lost a relative recently with 5 million shillings but asked UWA to ensure they compensate all the affected people.

She assured the fishing community that the president has directed for their support to improve the livelihoods of the people.

Nabbanja said that there are concerns from the fishing communities and the reports of them being tortured by officers of the Fisheries Protection Unit.

She said that as Prime Minister, she had so far received numerous complaints from fishing communities all over the country to this effect; from West Nile, Busoga, on Lake Victoria, on Lake Albert, in Amolatar, among others.

“The unfortunate incidents of torture are very regrettable and I want to give you assurance from Government, that President Museveni has already received all these reports of torture, and is working on addressing them in a more lasting and comprehensive manner. I want to appeal to you to be patient for a few weeks now, as our Ssabalwanyi, President Yoweri Museveni has said by next month he will be back in Lango to address the matter of the reported tortures of our people by the Fisheries Protection Unit,” said Nabbanja.

End