Museveni to set up tourist center

Jun 19, 2001

PRESIDENT Yoweri Museveni has said he is going to develop Bigo-byamugenyi,

By Eddie Ssejjoba PRESIDENT Yoweri Museveni has said he is going to develop Bigo-byamugenyi, the headquarters of the former Chwezi empire into a national tourist centre. Museveni warned residents of Ntuusi sub-county in Sembabule district where Bigobyamugenyi is located, against encroaching on it. He told local leaders to keep cultivators and pastoralists away from the historical site. Museveni said this at Rwemiyaga trading centre on Sunday. He said Bigo-Byamugenyi was discovered by the East African Archeological Centre as the former palace of the Bachwezi who established a strong empire between 1100-1300 AD. Museveni said its leaders ruled the interlacustrine region, where the current kingdoms of Buganda, Bunyoro, Ankore, Toro, Busoga, Karagwe and others evolved. He said many of their names are still widely used in East Africa. Museveni told Sembabule leaders to rehabilitate the site by putting a fence around it and closing it from outsiders. He said they should also improve on the bridges that were built by the former kings to protect their territory from external attack. The district chairman, Herman Ssentongo, in a memorandum he presented to Museveni said his council had made arrangements to turn Bigo-byamugyenyi into a tourist attraction to generate district income. He said the district has many historical archeological sites which could attract tourists from other countries and become one of the major district sources of revenue. Ssentongo said the district would rehabilitate all access roads to Bigo-Byamugyenyi. He asked for advice from Museveni and other interested parties to develop the place. Ssentongo said residents of the area were hardworking and needed sensitisation programmes to educate them on poverty eradication, the importance of the Universal Primary Education, and immunisation. Ends

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