{UAH} Besigye beats security to visit Migyera valley dam-this is what the dictator doesn't want people to see.the plice is now employed to protect that
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1:37 AM |
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Dr Kizza Besigye, the Forum for Democratic Change presidential candidate beat heavy police deployment and visited a community valley dam in Nakasongola used by residents and animals alike as their water source.
Hundreds of police officers led by Savannah Regional Police Commander, Julius Ceaser Tusingwire deployed at most schools, health centers and other public utilities on Sunday to stop Besigye from visiting them.
A resident of Nakasongola carrying water from Migyera dam used by animals and peopleLast week, Ministry of Health and the Electoral Commission banned presidential candidates from visiting public facilities during campaigns without authorisation .
On arrival in Nakasongola, Besigye addressed his first campaign rally in Migyera town council and embarked on a journey to Lwabyata trading center. There was heavy deployment at all health centers and schools in an apparent attempt to stop him from visiting them.
Besigye instead made an impromptu visit to Migyera town valley dam where he was shocked to find residents and animals sharing the same water source.
Besigye's visit to the valley dam caught the officers unawares. By the time they rushed to stop him, he had already addressed residents he found fetching water. One of the residents, Florence Nantume, told Besigye and journalists that the water from the valley dam is filthy.
"As you can see we are extremely poor. We never get anything from Museveni's government. Col please come and fight for us but the situation extremely terrible. Honestly, see the kind of water that we drink.
Our children don't go to school, we are really poor. We are really suffering, we the residents of Nakasongola. Please do whatever is possible to liberate us. As you can see the situation is extremely bad. We can't afford to look after ourselves or even our sick children. You call see how badly off the situation is. Please Col, help us. We are begging you. We are lost, we are suffering, we may soon become extinct. All our hopes are in you, we are ready to vote for you", Nantume told Besigye.
Godfrey Ssali, another resident told Besigye that the dirty water has exposed them to water borne diseases such as typhoid and cholera.
"Our MPs that we elected to represent us in parliament have all let us down on the issue of piped water. They all made promises that they would bring us piped water from the lake but up to this day we have not seen anything.
We are left with no choice but to share this water source with animals. To make it worse, last season there was very little rainfall and water has become very scarce. As you can see, we fetch water from the same pond used by animals. Our people end up contracting diseases like dysentery, diarrhea, strange malaria [typhoid]", Ssali said.
He also noted that the dams run dry during the dry spell which affects hundreds of residents and animals. In 2014, over 800 cows died in Nakasongola due to prolonged drought according to reports from Nakasongola Agriculture department.
In his response, Dr Besigye promised to inject money in improving water services in the area once elected into power.
"This is the water that all the people around here use. This is the kind of suffering that I have long talked about. Our people most of the times fall sick due to the type of water they take. This pond is used by animals and yet people also fetch from the same for domestic use", Besigye said.
Kizza Besigye at Migyera valley damBesigye vowed to use all possible means to visit public facilities to expose the rot and failure of the incumbent regime. A 2011 report by Nakasongola Natural Resource Department shows that 40 percent of residents in the district have no access to safe water.
Piped water is only available in Nakasongola town council and even then, it covers only about 20 percent of the residents. The report also shows that the water is largely contaminated by animal and human waste.
A desk study carried out by The Water and Sanitation Program (WSP) under World Bank in 2012 shows that poor sanitation costs Uganda Shs 389bn each year.
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