The National Resistance Movement (NRM), Party Secretary General, Richard Todwong, accompanied by the party’s senior officials, have concluded their week long tour in the Kigezi sub-region where they met and interacted with party leaders to set the tone for party mobilization, sensitization and assessment of salient issues in the area and also appreciate the input made by district leaderships.
The week-long working tour began with a courtesy visit to the home of the late former Governor of Bank of Uganda Prof Emmanuel Tumusiime Mutebile in Kabale District to commiserate with the family.
After a long day of community mobilization in the Kigezi districts of Kabale and Rubanda, the Secretary-General on Tuesday joined the people of Ruhija sub-county and town council in Rubanda district to commemorate International Women’s Day at the function held at Ruhija tourism sector headquarters in Bwindi-Mgahinga wildlife conservation centre.
In his message, the SG called on all the stakeholders to ensure that women are given all the deserved respect to enabling them to participate in the socio-economic transformation of Uganda.
“I implored the people of Kigezi to build on the government policy of women emancipation through affirmative action and empower their women,” he said.
He thanked the people of Kabale and Rubanda for supporting Museveni and NRM, promising them to lobby for the tarmacking of tourism roads leading to Mgahinga and Bwindi game parks for easy movement and transportation of their merchandise.
Following his maiden visit to the Bwindi-Mgahinga wildlife conservation center, Todwong hailed the role the tourism sector has played towards the development of Uganda.
He urged community members to preserve the flora and fauna for the sustainability of the sector for more revenue generation. He called upon Ugandans and international tourists to visit this endowed part of Uganda to appreciate the beauty of nature.
He later on went to Kisoro on Wednesday, where he met NRM district leaders.
While in Kisoro, the SG asked party leaders to prioritize issues affecting people, especially high poverty levels. He said that the government has been running many intervention programs to eradicate poverty, asking leaders to help people benefit from these interventions.
“There are very many government development intervention programs well-articulated in our manifesto that the party leaders in the districts must explain to our people,” he said, adding, “Given that we are the party in power, every leader should work towards implementing our manifesto,” he said urging leaders to keenly monitor the manifesto implementation process.
He blamed the party’s poor performance in some areas on lack of unity and cohesion among leaders. He called for total reconciliation and amicable settlement of disputes.
“The success of a party is premised on total unity and coherence among its leaders. When we get differences, we sit as a family and reconcile. When we go through our party internal elections and we don’t reconcile after tearing each other apart, we tend to create an environment that our opponents take advantage of,” Todwong emphasized.
As part of border post-performance assessment in the wake of the covid-19 pandemic, the delegation, accompanied by Kisoro district woman representative in parliament and State Minister for Youth and Children Hon. Sarah Mateke Nyirabashitsi, Resident District Commissioner Kisoro, Captain Peter Mugisha visited Bunagana, Uganda-DRC border post and Kyanika, a border post of Uganda and Rwanda, both found in Kisoro district in South-western Uganda.
Among other establish challenges faced by the people who carry out cross border activities is the high cost of the covid-19 test and delay of cargo, especially at the Uganda-Rwanda border post of Kyanika which was opened to traders barely a week ago. However, the secretary-general Rt. Hon. Richard Todwong promised to refer the matter to the relevant authorities for an immediate remedy.
In Kanungu district, the delegation was received by the NRM vice chairperson for the western region who is also Minister for Information, Communication, Technology and National Guidance, Hon Chris Baryomunsi. Addressing the party structures at Kanungu District headquarters, Todwong promised the members that the priority will be on tarmacking the dusty murram roads in the district to ease the movement of people in the area.
The NRM secretariat delegation which comprised of EC Chairperson Dr Tanga Odoi, Deputy National Treasurer Hon. Jacqueline Kyatuheire, Hon Emmanuel Lumala Dombo, the party’s Director for Communications & PR and Director for Mobilisation, Hon. Rosemary Seninde, was later led by Baryomunsi to Rushorooza Seed School in Kihihi sub-county, Kinkizi West constituency, Kanungu district where the Secretary-General officiated at the function organized by district leaders to mark 36 years of NRM in power.
The 5-day strategic engagements with leaders, ended on Friday in Sheema district where the Secretary General asked leaders to bury hatchets and serve people, saying that, skirmishes and contradictions among leaders have cost them valuable time which would be spent on more productive activities.