Rise in armed robbery worries Busia residents

The rise in robbery cases, especially through the use of guns in Busia, is causing discomfort among residents of the district.

Now, National Resistance Movement (NRM) party treasurer Barbara Nekesa Oundo has asked the district security committee to investigate increasing cases of gun crime in the area.

Nekesa says her office has received several reports concerning armed robbery mainly targeting small businesses with capital of less than shillings five million in the rural trading centres, noting that some residents have been killed and their property robbed.

National Resistance Movement (NRM) party treasurer Barbara Nekesa Oundo celebrating the belated Women’s Day in Masafu town council.

“If it is true that there are illegal guns in the hands of our people, the Government is going to come up with appropriate measures to combat the situation,” Nekesa says, adding that she has directed the Resident District Commissioner (RDC) to assemble a team to investigate the problem.

According to her, it is necessary to identify where the guns are coming from and to also establish if they are from neighbouring Kenya or districts.

She appealed to the security to pick interest in the matter, noting that residents are trying to work hard to fight poverty but their efforts are being frustrated.

Nekesa was speaking during the belated Women’s Day celebrations in Masafu town council on Good Friday. 

She said the Government could recommend disarmament exercises if deemed right.

After the celebrations, Nekesa summoned the leaders of all the security agencies operating the border in a closed-door security meeting. 

Busia RDC Michael Kibwika led the team to Nekesa’s home in the evening.

Coin local solutions

On income-generation efforts, Oundo appealed to the leaders, particularly the community development officers to study the area and mobilise women to embrace high-value crops that can earn farmers high returns to fight poverty on small pieces of land.

She noted that much as most residents in the district could not adapt and domesticate the Presidential four-acre model because of the small land holding which is less than two acres, leaders should coin local solutions to enable residents to generate income.

“Let the technical people select the enterprises and name them so that residents can know what to engage in,” she said and encouraged mothers to send their daughters to school to prepare them for the future but also empower them in commerce which she said moves together with farming.

Florence Maganda, the chairperson women council Busia, urged the sit-at-home women to embrace government development programmes so as to generate income and educate their children.

Maganda, however, appealed to the Government to put more money into the Uganda Women Entrepreneurship Programme (UWEP), to enable women groups which have not accessed the fund benefit.