Alas!, many of you will contend with me that the public image of Kiruhura, is that of a district with good roads, hospitals, schools etcetera. However, the appearance is different from the reality. Give me your time as we unpack the reality of it.
Kiruhura district is predominantly a cattle keeping district, curved out of mbarara in 2005, with 90% of the people engaged in animal rearing. You also ought to know that these people had been nomadic herders upto 1986 when they began to live settled lives.
The coming to power of Museveni helped these people settle down, yet again whoodwinked them into the museveni cult. Mr. Museveni who hails from there always gans 100% of the votes, for the people there especially the elderly juxstapose the past regimes and his, and see some relief. With such support, one would expect that they are better off in terms of government services. What is true is that the people's per capita income is fairly good because rearing animals guarantees wealth(not by museveni as the public views it).
Once in power, mr. Museveni encouraged these people to join the army, and most uneducated youths at that time, awoke to his call and joined the forces. These if went to school, would have helped in the elevation of their communities they come from.
Thus, the trend has had adverse effect to the district upto now.
Whereas museveni enjoys all that support, safe water remains to lack in the district, we only read about safe water in newspapers.
Kiruhura as a district has most, about 95% of the schools as government, both primary and secondary, but it is rare to find one government school with atleast 10 government teachers. In some schools, and I want to be on record like kikatsi secondary school, the total number of teachers, whether govt patrolled or not, can't exceed 10, with students spending months without studying some subjects like English, and all sciences.
In the field of agriculture, from around 2013, farmers have lost about 1000 cows to tick-borne diseases, yet the government says it's in control. Remember, Kiruhura is the chief supplier of milk, beef and other animal products to other areas of uganda, as well as the other regional countries.
If this holocaust of the animals continues, we are yet to see the problem of hunger deepen the more in our country. Whereas we have District veterinary officers, they have not helped us reverse the epidermic.
Two weeks back, the ntv report covered Kiruhura regarding the tick-borne disease epidermic as well as the scourge of Hepatitis B in the district.
The respondents were grilled by the district council the following day for exposing the district. The resident are wondering whether the district is in the right hands of leaders, who are willing to crack a whip on those who raise their heads from the sand and talk about the situation as it is in the district.
Kiruhura district, is part of the bigger Western uganda, which is a food basket for not only Uganda but also the interlacustrine region. Being the chief supplier of milk and other animal products like ghee, hides etcetera, there is growing worry this will cause acute shortage of milk and other related farm products, adding to the already gnawing famine in the country.
The people of Kiruhura therefore want to appeal to the government of Uganda to raise the head and see the problem in Kiruhura, for this is not what the citizens there deserve. They really deserve better than this.
Written by,
Rurekyera Geoffrey
rurekyerageofrey@gmail.com
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