Free Condoms for the People of Bbaale

Kayunga district is one of those that takes seriously the protection and improvement of the health of her people by preventing human disease and promoting behaviors that lead to good physical and mental health.

Although the district has one major government-aided hospital, it boasts of four sub-district health centers each with a maternity theatre and a resident doctor; eight sub-county health centres and six parish health centres with about 140 medical personal at hand to manage patients.

On a recent visit to Bbaale Health Centre 4, we marveled at the diligence and dedication of the health officials. This is a referral health centre that gets patients from Health Centre 1 and 2 and even from as far as the neighbouring Kamuli district, but its doctor Mr Asuman Kasujja, the two clinical officers, two nursing officers and five nursing assistants, two midwives, a laboratory technician and the two security guards remain undaunted even when the centre is limited by medical resources like beds, medicine and mortuary.

Luckily, there's a fully equipped laboratory which was renovated by UNICEF and the medical personnel remain optimistic that with some funding services we even become better.

Presently, the centre provides family planning services including free condom supply, immunisation programs, antenatal care, screening clients for HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases, pre-and post counselling, dispensing contraceptives, diagnosing of clients, dental services and generally provide routine medical care to the people.

Over 6,000 residents have tested for HIV and more have been inspired to take the step, assured of free anti-retroviral drugs plus pre and post counselling from well-trained counsellors.

There is proper pre and post counselling by specially trained counsellors. Malaria disturbs especially with HIV, chicken pox, a viral infection with big rushes and blisters, and diarrhoea, according to Byakika Paul, a medical clinical officer at Bbaale Health Centre 4.

He added that they get many people suffering from malaria and diarrhoea which are frequently treated in addition to providing precautionary services such as encouraging residents to observe good hygiene, using mosquito nets, and proper nutrition.

Hardtimes for Education in Kayunga

Kayunga is one of those districts where secondary school education faces immense challenges. The district has very few privately owned secondary schools and only seven government-aided secondary schools which include St. Kalemba, Bbaale, Kanjuki, Kangulumira Public, Nangabi, Ndeeba and Busaana Secondary Schools.

The problem is that most of these schools are located in the remotest areas of the district which are not easily accessible because of the poor road network and the teachers that are posted there by the ministry of education end up not going there. Luckily, the government has taken note of the situation and it has been confirmed that most of the roads in Kayunga district will soon be repaired.

To ensure that education reaches even those in the far-flung areas of the district, and to make sure that the Universal Secondary Education is embraced by all in the district, the government has for example constructed a school in Galilaya Sub-Country called Galilaya Seed School at about 86km from Kayunga district.

The school has been blessed with two new blocks (two more will be constructed as well), a fully equipped laboratory and library, modern Ventilated Improved Pit latrines (VIPs), a staffroom and nice furniture.

Galilaya Seed School is a pioneer school in Galilaya Sub-County. And although the school opened two years ago and so far has only S.1 and S.2, it has inspired many parents who previously had a lukewarm attitude towards education and more so to girl-child education, to send their children to school.

However, boys still far outweigh girls in class numbers and there's a numbing lack of teachers. This is largely attributed to the fact that many teachers who are posted there shun the place saying it's too remote. Besides, there are no houses for rent neither are there staff quarters and therefore those who would willingly go there are impelled to chicken out figuring hard times they could face.

In spite of these challenges, the school's headmistress, Ms. Loy Kulaba, is optimistic that things will get better and that teachers, especially female teachers will come, and also that parents will stop marrying off their girls at a tender age and instead send them to school.

"We are blessed to have very clever students who I believe can ably compete against those in the so-called prominent schools in urban areas," she said, adding that her students are doing well the core subjects like Maths, Biology, Physics, Chemistry, Geography and English which are considered by many to be very hard.

So yes, the seed project, a government initiative that started in 2002 with financial support from the African Development Bank to aid schools in rural areas, is already bearing fruits in Kayunga district. It's not clear however how the district fairs compared to her neighbours Apac, Kamuli, Mukono, Luwero, Nakasongola and Jinja as far as education is concerned.

But as the district is strategically located in central Uganda with a virgin land and great promise of smooth infrastructure; and with programs like Plan for Modernization of Agriculture, Poverty Action Fund and the District Development Project, education like other sectors in Kayunga is surely bright.

Already, the World Vision and African Evangelical Enterprise (AEE) have too helped construct schools and given support to the needy students. It is left with the politicians in the area, the local authorities and all the natives Kayunga to play their parts in building their district until it gets to the mountaintop.

A Secret Goldmine!

Kayunga district could best be described as the shrubby virgin of Uganda. For a moment as you traverse through this land, you get the feeling it's located at the end of the earth, yet it's actually in central Uganda.

Covered with shrubs and all kinds of trees, Kayunga is so green and flat that you walk miles upon miles without seeing a hill or even valley. Most of her people live in the villages and depending largely on cattle rearing and subsistence farming for their livelihood.

In fact, agriculture provides about 90 percent of the total employment to the people of Kayunga with two types of agriculture i.e. animal husbandry or livestock farming and crop husbandry practiced there.

And because of the good climate and fertile soils, and a vast land, Kayunga district is the leading producer of high quality vanilla in Uganda although about 88 percent of the population is engaged in production of cassava, matooke (plantains), pineapples, maize, millet, watermelon, potatoes and passion fruits.

Beyond this, the people of Bbaale, Galilaya and the neighbourhood, do fishing at Bangala landing site on Lake Kyoga; in fact, fishing especially of tilapia and mudfish, is the now one of the chief economic activities of the people of Kayunga. The many colourful, light boats on Lake Kyoga are testimony to this.

The fish is exported in containers to Kenya, Rwanda the Democratic Republic of Congo. And of course, as we all know the importance of fish especially how throughout the world fish protein has been a great source of good health to global people, the people of Kayunga retain some for their own consumption.

But like on other lakes, there is fear that the different species of fish on Lake Kyoga may dwindle to a mere trickle because of fishing with primitive traditional gears like oversized nets and catching young fish. And of course because of the poor road network, some fish get spoilt before they reach the market and it's the fishermen that lose out.

According to Mr. Ozombo Patrick who is one of the administrators at Bangala landing site, the roads will soon be worked on and fishermen are consistently monitored to ensure that they don't use wrong nets.

With large scale farming supplemented with fishing, the future of the people of Kayunga is certainly bright. Potential investors would certainly find this virgin and highly fertile flatland a goldmine!

Uganda's Pineapple District

If there's one man in Kayunga district who has played his role in the eradication of poverty and embraced the country's Prosperity-for-all Program, that man is Mr. Hebert Ntanda.

As the Parish Chief of Galilaya Sub-County in Kayunga district, the 30-year-old, has led by example and become an inspiration to his fellow natives because of his agricultural initiatives which began in 2006 when he visited a pineapple farmer in Busana Sub-County of the same district.

"I was impressed by what I saw," says Ntanda. "So I asked him how they grow pineapples, the rate of harvest and what he had gained from his pineapple farm."

Ntanda was amazed that the farmer was hiring the land on which he grew his pineapples yet back home Ntanda's father has very fertile land which had long been idle. Hearing how enterprising he sounded, Ntanda's father gave his son one and half acres of land and so began the pineapple business.

Imagine how disappointing a few months after planting, the pineapples dried –all of them. A distraught Ntanda uprooted them and had he been faint-hearted, he would have given up then. But he planted afresh and this time they sprouted with vigour and two years down the road he made his first reap.

He was more than excited when the locals from Galilaya and the rest of Kayunga flocked to his farm, clamouring for his fat and juicy pineapples. By picking 500-700 pineapples monthly and selling each at 700, Ntanda earns over half a million shillings every month.

"Poverty has since jumped out of my pockets," he says with a smile.

From his pineapple garden, Ntanda pays school fees for his brother and sister who are in secondary school, and has also bought a plot of land which he will use to expand his pineapple garden.

"It's humbling that I've inspired many others in my district to also engage in agricultural projects to improve themselves both physically and finally," he says.

It's interesting that Ntanda who holds a diploma in marketing didn't stay in the city looking for a job. He heeded the advice his of idol president Yoweri Museveni who has always young people to become job creators than job seekers. So he returned to his village to serve his people as well as become a job creator.

Ntanda has a dream. His dream to help Kayunga district become the centre of pineapple production in the country. It's not a dream that's far-fetched. With such fertile plains, and with zealous and enterprising young men like Hebert Ntanda, Kayunga may be on its way to becoming Uganda's "Pineapple District" just like Lanai Island in central Hawaii is known as "Pineapple Island" because of the fond cultivation of pineapples there.

DIOs Meet Information Minister

The District Information Officers of Uganda remain on track in as far at the formation of their Association goes.

For two days: 17-18^th June 2009, they were glad to hold a consultative meeting with the Minister of Information and National Guidance, Hon. Kabakumba Winnie Matsiko.

There was a lot to discuss, of course, like how they are the agents of change and how professional commitment is a must if they are going to help all sectors at the district make the Prosperity-for-All program and others bear fruit by taking helpful information to the people, and also updating the government on the progress.

But then again, these information purveyors expressed their dissatisfaction at the inexistence of support; saying it was almost impossible to execute their duties because of the poor pay and the lack of field equipments like cameras, recorders and computers. Good news: the ministry promised to look into the matter!

No one can deny the power of information and once the government has empowered these learned officers, it is sure to reap big, especially as it will be receiving daily updates on how its programs are doing, whether the implementers are accountable and transparent. It will be one of the ways of fighting corruption at the district level as well.

Meanwhile, a handbook of DIOs is being written and will be launched alongside the association later this year.

Embracing the Formation of New Districts

The recent creation of 14 new districts has created unnecessary furor among antagonists of progress. The argument that more districts will create more divisions among the people is a lame argument. The creation of more districts, in essence, is the creation of more jobs. In this case, we are talking of new MPs, RDCs, CAOs, District Chairpersons, not forgetting those below them. This translates to service coming closer to the people.

These leaders are not going to look on doing nothing like idiots when the roads are poor, when there are no hospitals or schools in the districts, no telecommunication operators, or when criminals lurk in the dark killing and robbing. Otherwise the locals would disown and boot them at the next election.

As Local Government Minister, Adolf Mwesigye said, the new districts will pave the way for effective administration because in creating the districts, the Government looked into their economic potential, means of communication, geographical features, and most of all –the wishes of the people.

In my Political Education classes, I learnt that Democracy, simply, "Is the government of the people for the people and by the people." The people who demand for districts are not fools. The man who ate a rat to show how badly he wanted a district is not deranged. What is wrong with the government hearing the cries of the people and granting them what they ask for?

Besides, the creation of the new districts which include Zombo, Amudat, Otuke, Lamwo, Kyegegwa, Buikwe, Buyende, Namayingo, Luuka, Kiryandingo, Ntoroko, Serere, Mukuju, and Kisoko –bringing the number of Ugandan districts to 97 –is legal and had the stump of approval from the Parliamentary Committee on Local Government.

The question to ask is: was life better off for Ugandans in 1995 when the number of districts was only 39? Certainly not. Today, even in the remotest part of the country, there are radio stations, there is peace, people make calls to Kampala on their mobile phone handsets and Universal Primary Education remains the loved enemy of illiteracy.

It is the inflexible that say the creation of new districts holds no promise for the Pearl of Africa. But those who went to school know that when a county or town council is elevated to a district, that is called progress in bold. This is decentralization, which if you have forgotten, focuses on empowering local governments for the well being of the grassroots.

In the whole new district creation hullabaloo, the only genuine concern should be if the newly formed districts have the financial muscle to meet their running costs. In that case, the Finance Ministry has to set aside a substantial amount in the next Financial Budget to help build these districts.

There is also need to lobby donors to help put up structures at the new district headquarters. Similarly, the new districts can turn to their natural endowments and economic/agricultural prowess to attract tourists and potential investors. So let us look with bright eyes into the future for that is where the silver lining is.

The Progress So Far...

A consultative meeting was held with the Steering Committee on the formation of the Association of District Information Officers (DIOs) and the Commissioner of Information and National Guidance on Friday, May 22 at the Ministry of Information and National Guidance Offices. The meeting was to see how best Information Officers can be used to help the community to benefit from Government programs as well as to discuss the need to bring together all the DIOs to review the Articles of Association.

The meeting was attended by Proscovia Basangwa –the Chairperson the Steering Committee, Gladys Baligonzaki –in charge of Publicity, Francis Okiror –Member Steering Committee and Brian Rwehabura –Member Steering Committee.

After the introductions, Okiror, the District Information Officer of Pallisa, set the pace by giving a background of the formation of the Association of DIOs which he said came out of the realization that for a long time there was no link between the Information Department and the mother Ministry. This, he said, left the DIOs at the mercy of Local Governments but added that this would only depend on how one liaised with the District Chairman and CAO for survival.
He said the meeting was meant to help link the Association to the Centre for Guidance on policy matters and also to improve on the working conditions of DIOs. He informed the Commissioner that the Steering Committee was setup to liaise activities of the Association in preparation for the main launch of the Association set for October this year.

Proscovia Basangwa, the Senior District Information Officer, Wakiso, informed the Commissioner that the Committee deemed it important to meet him in order to get advice and support from the Ministry in preparation for the meeting of all Information Officers to review the Articles of Association for the Information of the Association of DIOs. She noted that the Association was incapacitated to coordinate the over 80 DIOs and needed the financial support from the Ministry and linkage with the private sector, who she said are vital in the work of the Association.

She added that the Association would help in the dissemination of government information to the grassroots.

On his part, the Commissioner said he has been promoted to the level of a Permanent Secretary and was awaiting posting instructions but noted that he had a lot of interest in the Association and thus reiterated his support for it.

He informed members that there were incentives to help the Association not feel like orphans after the Ministry realized that information flow at the District and the Centre was not well coordinated. He added that proposals to improve the working conditions and authority of DIOs were made but were still awaiting Government approval.

The Commissioner said the National Communication Strategy was being revised that will take care of the role of DIOs at the district. The matter, he added, was already being handled at the Cabinet level. However, he called for patience as things take time. He advised that sensitization of stake holders be done both within and outside the District involving all Information Officers.

The Commissioner also urged that the linkage with the Ministry was very vital, noting that the Under Secretary would be responsible, considering she's responsible for managing Media issues. He however said that communication was not well streamlined right from the Government down to the Districts.

As a way forward, it was resolved that a date be set to meet the Under Secretary, and that another meeting be organized with Mr. Robert Kabushenga, the CEO of The New Vision, and another with the Media Centre, and to confirm whether all the Information Officers had received the Copy of the Articles of Association before the meeting with them.