Exploit border trade, Museveni urges Bundibugyo

President Yoweri Museveni who is also the NRM Presidential candidate, has said he will support the granting of Bugendera County a district status to avoid conflicts between the Bamba and Bakonzo.

The President was on Tuesday speaking at a campaign rally he held at Burambagira Primary School, Bugendera County Constituency in Bundibugyo District.

"I do not want a district of conflicts. It should be a district of administration and not for any Kingdom. We have to sign an agreement that it will be strictly for administrative purposes," he said.

The announcement was followed by a loud applause as the crowd went wild with excitement over the district status pledge.

The people refuted allegations earlier raised that they were planning to donate the new District to Omusinga Charles Mumbere, the cultural leader of Rwenzururu Kingdom. People whose origins are from Kasese predominantly occupy the area.

Museveni said that he does not want any fighting between the Bamba and Bakonzo and observed that there were a number of small districts in the country such as Kalangala.

He said it was wrong for the Bamba and Bakonzo to fight and strongly condemned people bent on promoting sectarianism.

Museveni urged the people of Bundibugyo to target the market in Kampala, Rwanda, D.R. Congo and South Sudan for their products, saying that Congo has got a big market for a variety of products if they can only have peace.

He said that NRM would build the Ntaandi-Bugendera-Bundibugyo road and thanked the residents for growing cocoa, coffee and upland rice. He encouraged them to diversify into rearing dairy cows, poultry for eggs and pigs to boost their incomes and create wealth for their families.

He encouraged them to do terracing which is the solution to soil erosion and said that government encourages the people to use fertilizers adding that it would also promote irrigation farming in order to increase production.

He called on them to vote for him and all the NRM flag bearers.

The people presented to him a spear and a bag to thank him for his steady leadership.