Why creation of Lumino district out of Busia is not necessary

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OPINION

By Ajuma Nabwera

Your Excellency, as you come to Busia for campaigns, we welcome you, all of us contestants for different political positions. We pledge that we shall support you in your endeavour to continue being our preferred President and fight for the prosperity of Ugandans and Africans as well.

Last year, the media was awash with news from the land of Samia-Bagwe that the Busia District council had passed a resolution to create Lumino District for the Southern Communities (call it Samia-Bugwe South). This was prior to the hosting of last year’s Independence Celebration, themed: “A recommitment to secure and fortify our destiny”.

The framers of this new district must not have realised or missed out on the meaning in that theme. That theme is the reason we oppose chopping Busia into two districts. We must fortify what we have achieved, together, so far and build on our differences to create a robust economic stand for our people rather than slit even what remains of our best.

As you prepare to look for votes in our District as part of your campaign program, allow me to alert you of this unpopular proposal by a few selfish individuals. This idea is not necessary and it’s unpopular amongst the very population where it’s supposed to be created. The individuals who are proposing it are just acting out of tribal sentiments rather than strategic development lines.

First and foremost, Local government has become one of Uganda’s iconic democratic symbols, especially because of the manner in which the process of decentralisation transfers power and functions from central government to local government and promotes public participation at the lowest levels through established structures.

Before 1993, when decentralisation was established as a presidential policy, local administration structures represented state autocracy and central government hegemony. In response to this, the post-1993 decentralisation program made local government the epitome of democracy in Uganda. I must thank you, Your Excellency, for this change of policy which has seen a better level of flow of services to the grassroots. However, in the case of Busia District and the creation of Lumino District, it creates a pain of lack of unity and loss of identity to the wider population of Samia-Bagwe.

Under Part I of the Second Schedule to the Local Government Act (LGA), districts are mandated to perform a range of functions. They provide education services as well as medical and health services by running hospitals. They are furthermore tasked with the provision of maternity and child welfare services and the control of communicable diseases.

Districts must control the spread of diseases and provide rural ambulance and primary health care services. Hence, districts are important structures in the public health sector. In addition, districts provide water services, including the maintenance of water supplies in liaison with the relevant line ministry. Finally, districts are required to provide road services.

I must emphasise that the creation of Lumino District and the passing of that resolution is tinged with public corruption than the above and with, to a larger extent, tribal undertones, just because a section of Busia bigwigs think they can’t stay or co-exist. Of course, people who do not know our area very well consider Samia-Bagwe to be the only tribe in Busia. There are other tribes who are also sidelined by Basamia-Bagwe, like the Bakenyi Tribe (that occupy most areas along Lake Victoria in Majanji Sub-County, in Samia-Bugwe south), the Hehe Tribe (that occupy most of Buhehe Sub-County bordering River Siwo in East, Masinya Sub-County in the North, Masaba Sub-County in the west, and Lumino Sub-County in the South).

There are other tribes like the Japadhola settling around Busitema Sub-County, the Bateso who occupy most of Buteba Sub-County and Tira town council, all in Samia-Bugwe North. The Bahehe and Bakenyi share the same culture, language and heritage with the Basamia-Bagwe. The Japadhola and the Bateso have been assimilated and have no problem staying together with the Basamia-Bagwe and the other two tribes of the Hehe and Bakenyi.

Therefore, the creation of this new district has no social connection and is full of irresponsible characterisation, and we see it as just a mere disorganisation of the very united tribes of Busia.

Among the four silent tribes, the Hehe and the Bakenyi have no other District of attachment in Uganda apart from Busia., The Japadholah have attachment to Tororo District, and the Iteso have both attachment to Tororo District and the greater Teso region.

The explanation given by the fomenters of this new district, that it will create jobs and bring services near the people, without talking about the cost of a new district to deliver the expected services, is both skewed in imaginary thought than research and statistics.

That its survival will depend on revenues from local sources, including the approved Mulwanda border post, Majanji harbour, approved extension of railway line to Majanji Town from Tororo, Busia export zone market, Budimo Historical Tourism sites and Iglo Fish Factory, among others, is only imagery fixation without facts on the revenues. Just to use the 2019/2020 financial year statistics, the district had a budget of sh32,271,733,000. The Donors contributed sh115,000,000, and the Central Government contributed the bigger chunk of the budget at sh31,863,576,000. The district managed a paltry sh293,157,000! Imagine if that budget is halved! Are we going for development or just joking around??

Busia District cannot even finance beyond 10% of its own budget. We only depend on external support by up to 92%.

The Basamia-Bagwe people have a proverb which goes that & quot; to produce Twins you must have confidence in breast milk production & quote; For us, we oppose its creation because of the following reasons;

1. When you talk about Busia, you know it’s the land of Basamia-Bagwe. A loss of Identity is on course by this fixation!

2. The land mass is small 743sqkm, from border to border, and this doesn’t warrant for creation of a new administrative unit if it’s not for grandeur purposes by the “big men” carrying this idea.

3. The division of Busia will marginalise the silent tribes, i.e Bakenyi, Hehe, Bateso and Japadhola more. At the moment, 90% of the jobs at Busi District are occupied by the Samia-Bagwe. The creation of the District, therefore, would be okay if the proponents are the marginalised.

4. Jobs are created by factories, home-based production through programs like PDM, as spearheaded by Your Excellency, etc and not through the creation of more administrative units. When locals are not empowered, even the jobs at the new Lumino District they are craving for can be taken by other people from other districts.

5. We are talking of unity of purpose and here are people trying to divide us into small units. These people lack clarity on where your vision is leading Uganda, East Africa and Africa; talk of Ideological Disorientation!

6. Your Excellency, we kindly request you to investigate the fomenters of this Lumino idea and the Samia-Bagwe mismatch so that the bad motives can be exposed.

Hon. Chango Macho (R.I.P), fought hard to bring about the creation of Busia District based on transformation issues and unity, not tribalism as it is now.

Creating Lumino District in the south, where he came from, would be killing his legacy and the unity of our people.

I must emphasise that we welcome your efforts on development as a whole in our District. We thank you for the development initiatives like Water Development from Lake Majanje to Busia town, Wagagai Gold Factory and other factories that are coming up. We ask you to work on the proposed Mulwadda customs to reduce congestion in Busia Municipality. We also ask for more factories to produce jobs for our youth and people. As mentioned earlier, these and the promotion of the private sector will produce jobs rather than a new district.

Another issue is to use your powers and gazette the former Busikho PTC that was closed years ago into a skilling hub for the youths who are dropping out of school. Most young girls are getting pregnant, and the unemployment rate may skyrocket soon. Our youths get trained in Kibuku District, which is far. Many families in our area may not afford the expenses that come with this journey.

Your Excellency, recently, a Gold factory was launched, and everyone knows the Gold Potential in our Busia District. Our people are requesting you to provide our area with a good share of the Gold proceeds by way of infrastructure, e.g roads, electricity. We can even have a “Gold Road” connecting Busia to Namayingo or even a modern “Gold maternity Ward” at Masafu Referral Hospital.

I propose also, through your powers, the creation of a Tile factory akin to that of Namunkekera, at the former Military Barracks land at Nalwire, Lunyo Sub-County. This is because we have enough sand deposits at Lugala, Namayingo District and even within Busia District.

For Busia to become an Industrial Hub, the area needs a very good road network and possibly an airstrip. We ask you to gazette part of Busitema forest for an Airfield to ease trade and transport for business people and investors. This would also shorten the time spent in the jam from Kampala to Busia for some people who may need quick business transactions.

These and more should be the Issues to be presented and worked on for the betterment of our people, rather than craving for a new District.

I, therefore, ask you kindly to ignore and quash the creation of Lumino District or even put it to a referendum because, after all, it is not popular even within us, the Samia-Bugwe. It’s only in the heads of the bigwigs who want to score a political and or a legacy for themselves after many years in government without a tangible contribution to the welfare of our people

The writer is from Busia District