BY JOACKIM KULE
Town Clerks from the 14 Town Councils in Kasese district today paid a courtesy visit to the Rwenzururu King, Omusinga Charles Wesley Mumbere Iremangoma and highlighted to him a number of issues that need his advocacy for the development of the Rwenzori sub-region.
Led by Alice Bwambale, the Town Clerk for Maliba Town Council who also doubles as the group’s Chairperson, the lower local government Accounting Officers thronged the Omusinga’s Kamaiba based palace to among others congratulate him upon his return to his Kingdom after close to seven years of incarceration emanating from the 2016 security operation on his Buhikira Royal Palace in Kasese town.
The operation left scores of people dead while the Omusinga together with over 200 of his Royal Guards arrested.
Despite battling a number of cases ranging from treason, murder, attempted murder and aggravated robbery among others, the Directorate of Public Prosecutions in June this year dropped all the charges against the Omusinga and his co-accused and they have since been set free and united with their relatives.
In their report read to the King by the Chairperson, the Town Clerks requested the cultural leader to make follow-ups and advocacy on some salient issues including the district split in the mode that favours the Kingdom.
According to them, splitting the district into other administrative units would help to create more jobs as well as bringing services nearer to the people. They, however, categorically put it clear that the Omusinga’s guidance on how the district should be split matters a lot.
They also called for the Omusinga’s intervention to have a fish market that was shifted to the DR Congo side during the Covid- 19 pandemic relocated to the Ugandan side in Mpondwe –Lhubiriha Town Council in order to improve the people’s standards of living.
Other issues included greening the bare hills in the district, lobbying for scholarships and bursaries for Science students at universities and the resettlement of the people living at a temporarily established camp at Muhokya following the 2020 floods that hit most parts of the district.
They also observed need for the Omusinga to advocate for improved road network in the mountainous areas, the establishment of a Science –Technology University and address some challenges related to domestic violence in the communities.
Responding to their concerns, the Rwenzururu cultural leader commended the Civil servants for their visit and sharing with him what they think should be done as Ambassadors of building the cultural institution.
About the district split, the Omusinga explained that the Kingdom is stuck about the issue, arguing that the boundaries as proposed by the initiators of the idea still remain an unanswered question.
Subsequently, the Omusinga pledged that he would lobby government to improve the road infrastructure in the mountainous areas and advocate for the displaced people among other pledges.
ENDS