ZOMBO. Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) presidential candidate Nathan Nandala Mafabi has accused President Yoweri Museveni and the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) government of using greed, unfair rules, and poverty to control people in West Nile.
He said the government keeps people poor on purpose.
Nandala said this while speaking to supporters in Paidha Town Council, Zombo District, on Saturday.
It was part of his final West Nile campaign tour, as he spoke on many social, political, and economic issues.
Former Obongi County MP Hassan Fungaroo, who is also FDC Vice Chairperson for Northern Uganda, introduced him to the waiting crowd.
Nandala said: “Your situation is bad because the system has made it deliberate to make you poor.”
“The government of NRM has made you beggars yet you were not.”he added
He blamed the government for bringing money lenders who charge high 20 percent interest rates. “They made it deliberate to bring money lenders. Why are they coming from one region?” he asked. This got big applause, especially from businesswomen who take loans from these lenders.
Nandala said the government has wasted money on failed programs since 1994, such as Emyooga, Youth Livelihood Program, Parish Development Model (PDM), and Operation Wealth Creation.
“These programme have no real help for people’s lives” he said.
He also reiterated his plan to revive old cooperative societies that were killed to keep farmers poor.” If elected, I will bring back groups like the Okoro Coffee Growers Cooperative Society in Zombo to improve your lives and stop middlemen from cheating you”
Nandala also promised Shs100 million per village every year to help communities, Unlike PDM, which is given only to some people while leaders take bribes.
On teacher pay, Nandala said the government caused tension by paying science teachers more to the advantage of private schools, leaving government school students suffering. “Who bears the burden of the teachers’ industrial action? It is you the parents. They have failed to address the salary issues of teachers. Give me the mandate, then I will fix this country,” he said.
He promised to lower high taxes on loans so Ugandans, including boda-boda riders, such that they can acquire properties at lower rates.
Nandala also blamed the government for deep corruption. “Uganda has money but corruption is at the peak draining Uganda daily courtesy of the selected few people,” he said, urging voters to give him power to fight it directly.