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Uganda

"Government to rebuild houses destroyed by earthquake" – President

President Yoweri Museveni has said that the Movement Government will help rebuild houses that were destroyed by last month’s earthquake that hit Rakai district.

The President was speaking to residents of Nangoma Parish in Kyebbe in Kakuuto Constituency in Rakai district where he travelled yesterday to assess the damage caused by a tremor of a magnitude of 5.9 on the Richter scale on 10th September 2016. In Uganda, the tremor mostly affected Nangoma in Kyebe Sub-County near Kakuuto where nearly 80 houses collapsed at Minziiro and more than 40 others at Kannabulemu, including a Police Post. The earthquake whose epicenter was in Tanzanian Lake Victoria area in Bukoba also jolted the Kagera Region in Northern Tanzania.

"Each house should get 13 iron sheets, the necessary cement needed and iron rods so that your houses do not collapse again," he said.

President Museveni noted that although Nangoma does not have a big population he is going to grant them another Sub-Country to ease service delivery.

"Government, which is not near the people, is not good and affects service delivery. Even if the numbers are not so many here, I am going to give you another Sub-County because your neighbours in Ssese were given a new district although they are only about 10,000," he said.

In January 2014, residents of Nangoma sought to secede from Rakai district citing lack of basic social services such as tarmac roads, schools and hospitals.

The residents, who are mostly fishermen, accused Rakai district administration of what they say is long-standing neglect. Nangoma has a single Primary School and a Health Centre II and no electricity. They also complained about the poor transport to Nangoma saying it takes about forty five minutes on a boat cruise from Kasensero Landing Site to Nangoma while on road, one has to cross the Tanzanian border and travel about 75 Kms to Bukoba before taking another 50 Kms.

President Museveni promised to tarmac the road to Nangoma in order to improve service delivery.

"We are going to tarmac the road from the Tanzania border to Kagera and Kakekero and also procure a ferry. We will later on, construct a bridge to ease transportation in the area," he said.

The President further said that the government will build a secondary school for Nangoma and also extend electricity so that investors can set up factories to provide employment for the people.

"The electricity to Bukoba comes from Uganda. I had talked to former Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete about extending electricity from the Tanzanian side to Nangoma. I have also talked to the current President John Magufuli about the issue," he said.

President Museveni, however, strongly called on the residents of Nangoma to fight poverty in their homes.

"We are going to construct the roads but you will not eat the roads. Living near the road does not mean wealth. There are people living near tarmac roads but are still poor," he said.

He added that he will send a team of soil scientists to study nature of their land and advise on the types of crops that best grow in sandy areas, which Nangoma is. President Museveni also advised fishermen in Nangoma to protect Lake Victoria by desisting from catching immature fish.

"When I look around, there is no serious farming here because of the type of soil. Your life is mainly fishing but the fishermen have betrayed us. What is amusing is that they eat the little fish," he said. He, therefore, advised the fishermen to emulate Banyankole who do not eat the calves of their cattle even when they are extremely hungry.

The fishermen, on their part, defended their actions saying that they were not to blame for misuse of their side of Lake Victoria. They disclosed that the Marine Police and Fisheries officials use their authority to break rules.

President Museveni said the Baziba people in that area will be included as a tribe in the Constitution of Uganda because they were part of Uganda before the coming of the white man.

The President donated Shs.5 million to Tweyambe Women's Group with a view to helping them in their wealth creation activities.

Minister of State for Micro-Finance, Hon. Kyeyune Haruna Kasolo, State House Comptroller, Mrs. Lucy Nakyobe Mbonye, Rakai Resident District Commissioner (RDC), Mr. Boaz Ninsiima, Rakai Woman MP, Hon. Juliet Ssuubi and Kakuuto Constituency MP, Hon. Christopher Kalumba, attended the function.