'Karamoja's poverty emotionally broke me'

2021 ELECTIONS |

The only female candidate in the 2021 presidential elections, Nancy Kalembe, has said she is heartbroken by the state in which the people of Karamoja are living.

The candidate, who has completed her campaigns in the region, is also complaining about the poor state of roads in eastern and northern Uganda, which she says has led to the breakdown of her campaign car many times.

After completing her two-day campaign in the Karamoja region, Kalembe says she has been emotionally drained by the poverty levels she encountered there.

"As you traverse the country, you realise there are many things to fight for. I will reach as many people as possible. I will walk as far as my feet can take me. Our vehicles broke down because of bad roads. I am not vying because I need a job, but it is an opportunity to serve Ugandans as an impartial leader. Most of our leaders have taken care of themselves and forgotten about us. So, it is high time we took the mantle and solved our problems. I have gone through the eastern and northern Uganda, but I realise these areas need special attention," she said.

"We cannot talk about Uganda moving to the first world, yet some regions do not even contribute to the GDP of the country. It is time for change and I am the embodiment of change in this country.

"We need to build our nation and bring back our dignity, forgetting people who are chasing their personal dreams. For 34 years, they have turned Ugandans into beggars and they are busy giving out handouts, to be voted back," she said.

She also said some accommodation facilities refused to give her team shelter for the fear of intimidation from government agencies.

Kalembe, who says she is on a mission to unite all Ugandans, said the Electoral Commission needs to provide logistics to the candidates. She said the commission is dancing to the whims of the incumbent, President Yoweri Museveni.

On Wednesday, Kalembe campaigned in the districts of Agago, Pader and Kitgum, before spending a night in the northern city of Gulu.