Split of Kasese excites minority tribes

Oct 17, 2016

"We did not have any political representation in the Kasese district council for many years."

PIC: Dan Kashagana (2nd from left) with other cultural members from Busongora addressing the press recently. (Credit: Wilson Asiimwe)

A move to spilt Kasese district into four administrative units has created a lot of excitements among the minority tribes living there.

The Bakingwe, Basongora, Banyabindi and Bagabo have for long been complaining about being marginalized and so they are happy that the government accepted the proposal of breaking down the district.

Entale Yabanyabindi Erisa Mugisa, the cultural leader of Banyabindi, said at the weekend that the creation of new districts will extend services closer to the people and help to solve the problem of marginalization.

The Bagabo, who majorly leave along the Katwe salt lake in Katwe-Kabatooro town council, agreed that poor service delivery will now be history.

"We did not have any political representation in the Kasese district council for many years and now that government has accepted the proposal to grant Katwe a district status all that will be addressed," said Yowana Kiiza, a Mugabo.

 Basaongora cultural leader Imara Dan Kashagama Ndahura II in a statement issued Sunday evening said that the creation of new districts in Kasese will help to address the challenge of marginalization among the minority tribes.

He said there is need for co-existence among the different tribes living in Kasese as one way of developing. He added that the splitting of the district will help to address the issue of unemployment among the people, and appealed to all the political leaders not to politicize the creation of new districts.

Kashagama appealed to his subjects to prioritize the construction of a cultural headquarters of the Basongora pastoralists at Karungibarole cultural ground in Hima town council.

He noted that key one of his agenda will be to bring on board all stakeholders in Kasese to ensure that there is peace and unity among all the tribes.

The Basongora occupy Hima, Nyakatonzi, Mumkunyu, Karusandara, Muhokya, and Kasese municipality, Bugoye, Kitswamba and Lake Katwe sub-counties.

While meeting leaders from Kasese district President Yoweri Museveni agreed to the proposal of splitting Kasese. The proposal was presented to the president by NRM councilors and opinion leaders during a meeting at State House, Entebbe.

This followed a motion presented to Parliament by the Cabinet in 2012 about the issue of splitting Kasese and later in 2014 when a report by the Committee of Parliament was presented with recommendations, that Cabinet should create more districts after the population census of 2014, starting with the large districts of Kasese, Kibaale, Wakiso, Arua and Kabale.

The President told the delegation from Kasese that as long as the NRM people are united and harmonized on the cause, it would be easy for him to push the matter to the Parliamentary Caucus.

"Once my people are together, I don't have a problem," he said then.

According to the proposal, the split of Kasese would address the issue of ethnic minorities, improve on service delivery and security and also improve on the supervision and monitoring of the Operation Wealth Creation project.

President Museveni advised the NRM leaders to work on the socio- economic life of the people through mobilizing their constituencies to get income-generating activities and participate fully in the Operation Wealth Creation programme, in order to increase their household income.

He added that they would also be able to accomplish this by setting an example to the rest of the people by not only talking but also participating in the Operation Wealth Creation project.

Meanwhile, tthe proposal to split the district is being opposed by all the six MPs from Kasese district on ground that it will weaken the Rwenzururu kingdom and divide the people in the district.

Addressing a press conference on Saturday on behalf of the other legislators at the FDC's office in Kasese town, Tony Herold (Bukonzo East) said they will continue opposing the move in Parliament because it will create divisionism among the people of Kasese.

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