Failure to share public information to become criminal - Sempijja
Government programmes that would have helped the nation to go forward have been frustrated because the public is not aware of them.
INFORMATION|PUBLIC|SEMPIJJA
The Minister for Agriculture, Animal industry and fisheries (MAAIF) Vincent Bamulangaki Sempijja has revealed that failure to share public information will soon become a crime leading to imprisonment.
He said that many public offices have failed to distinguish and disseminate public information which has led to frustration of many government programs.
"Government programmes that would have helped the nation to go forward have been frustrated because the public is not aware of them, this keeps the public away from taking part in their implementation," said Sempijja.
This was contained in a speech read for him by the Director of Fisheries Resources in the MAAIF Edward Rukunya during the launch of the First Fresh Water Biodiversity Portal for Uganda at Imperial Royale Hotel, Kampala.
The Portal was developed by NUGSOFT Technologies Ltd in consultation with a team of scientists from the National Fisheries Resources Research Institute (NaFIRRI) to increase visibility of the Biodiversity to the technology users.
He said that the First Freshwater portal will have information and a gallery of pictures that talk about Biodiversity since the public is not conversant with issues concerning Biodiversity.
Sempijja said that this digital platform is the best way of discerning Biodiversity information to the public because it's a way of bridging the gap between research and management that responds to government plans efficiently.
The Director General National Agricultural Research Organization (NARO) Dr. Ambrose Agona said that the portal via internet will have accurate and well researched information about Biodiversity which will be accessed free of charge by the public and ran by NARO.
Agona said that freshwaters have been killed by various people who use toxic materials and pesticides to catch fish.
"The portal when accessed will help people to get a mechanism of preserving Biodiversity, "he said.
Agona asked government to come up with a law of conserving freshwater Biodiversity and preservation in order to stop disorganising nature.
"Fish boosts nutrition to our bodies, it's a household income venture to many families and it also acts as food security in our homes," Agona revealed.
The director of Wildlife Conservation Society Dr.Simon Nampindo Takozekibi said that the data collected from fresh water resources will mark key activity areas of tourism, petroleum, and fish locations in order to help the public access those areas easily without struggling to look for them on the map of Uganda.