Museveni commends Omoro on voting good leaders

President Yoweri Museveni has commended the people of Omoro district in the Acholi sub-region, for choosing good leaders like the district Woman MP, Catherine Lamwaka, who he said supports the government's development programmes.

Museveni was addressing the residents of Omoro district during celebrations marking Lamwaka's victory in the previous general elections. The celebrations took place on Saturday at Opit Primary School grounds in Opit Town Council.

"I came here to thank you because politics is about choosing good leaders. Good elections, voting right leaders to come to Parliament, like Catherine Lamwaka, to support and steer the government development programmes, is why we should have celebrations like today. When you vote wrong leaders, you get wrong results," he said.

MP Catherine Lamwaka (centre) takes President Museveni on a guided tour of construction works at Omoro district headquarters. PPU Photo

"The NRM guaranteed that leaders are chosen through a good electoral process. The returns of this process today is the infrastructure development that the government has put in place like the network of tarmac roads in the region and in the sectors of education and health," he added.

The President also lauded the remarkable achievements of NRM in the area following the establishment of peace there as well as the defeat of Karimojong cattle rustling activities and the annihilation of regional terrorism.

Museveni urged the people of Omoro district in particular and Acholi sub-region in general that following the realisation of stability in Northern Uganda, it was incumbent on the residents of the area to wholly embrace modern production methods in order to tackle the challenge of household income so as to ensure that poverty is driven out of people's homes.

President Museveni chats with the Archbishop of Gulu John Baptist Odama as other religious leaders look on. PPU Photo

During the celebrations, the President handed over dummy cheques worth sh1.6b to six sub-counties and one municipality in support of the National Uganda Social Action Fund (NUSAF) development programmes in Omoro district. He also pledged sh30m to the Bodaboda SACCO.

Museveni assured the residents of Omoro district that all the schools that had been destroyed by a storm will be reroofed and that a district hospital facility will be granted to the area. While assuring the residents that the road to Moroto is programmed for construction, he used the occasion to lash out at opposition leaders in the district for falsifying facts and for deliberately sidelining the truth.

The Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Jacob Oulanyah, observed that it is God who worked through the President for Omoro to achieve a district status. "This reciprocates the fruits of the people in this region who started supporting you politically, President Museveni, long time ago," he said.

President Museveni signs on a request by the people of Omoro district for him to stand as the NRM's sole candidate in the 2021 elections. PPU Photo

Lamwaka attributed her victory to the support that she got from President Museveni when he campaigned for her at two public rallies; one in Omoro County and another in Tochi County.

The celebrations were preceded by an inter-denominational service, led by the Rev. John Baptist Odama the Archbishop of Gulu Archdiocese, who emphasised forgiveness, reconciliation and unity of Ugandans. He condemned corruption and human trafficking.

Archbishop Odama commended Lamwaka for her dedication to the service of her constituents and further urged her to encourage them to relentlessly work for peace, reconciliation and unity.

Earlier, President Museveni visited the site where the sh1.6b main administrative block for Omoro district, that is about to be roofed, is being erected. The project is expected to be complete early next year.