Lango Web

By James Omara in Lira

Leaders from northern Uganda have protested the government?s decision to suspend the Shs1.1 trillion programmes to rebuild the war-ravaged region. Some of the legislators and other leaders from the war-affected sub-regions across the political divide accused government of insincerity and lack of commitment to the rehabilitation of the region.
 
The leaders' outbursts coincided with the government's confirmation last Friday that any full scale implementation of the Peace, Recovery and Development Plan (PRDP) will have to start next financial year to enable the government and other key parties draw up work plans to guide the budgeting and monitoring of the scheme.

PRDP is a three-year programme initiated by the government for war-affected districts and is expected to be funded to a tune of $606 million, with the government contributing 30 per cent of the money while 70 per cent is expected from donors.

Mr. Felix Okot-Ogong (Dokolo, NRM), the chairperson of the Greater North Parliamentary Forum, said, "It is clear that the government was not serious as there has been a lot of confusion and the programme was not properly designed. For instance, they are just baptizing programmes and call them PRDP to deceive our people. This is not the kind of resettlement we want to see. We want a separate programme of affirmative action for northern Uganda from other normal interventions."

The State Minister for Relief and Disaster Preparedness said, Mr. Musa Ecweru, said "With the suspension of PRDP, key projects under resettlement such as the reconstruction of schools and health centers destroyed by the insurgency will be affected".

Agriculture Minister Hillary Onek defended the suspension, insisting that it was for strategic interventions. "I suspect the government wanted to reorganise the projects involved in this PRDP. If there has been any postponement of this plan, then it?s only that the government would like to repackage it because some issues like the NAADS I and II need to be rearranged to fit into the PRDP plan".

Shadow Foreign Affairs Minister Reagan Okumu, (Aswa, FDC) said, ?Whether President Museveni has directed or otherwise, this is unacceptable. The government excited our people for nothing and for us we are going to fight them on the floor. If they knew they were not ready why did the President launch the programme?" Mr. Ishaa Otto (Oyam South, UPC) said, "The suspension of PRDP is a clear manifestation that the government has no commitment to reconstruct northern Uganda".

The Acholi Parliamentary Group Chairperson, Mr. Livingstone Okello-Okello (Chwa, UPC), accused the government of failing to honour its promises to the region. "This is unfortunate because it seems the government promised our people hot air",  Mr. Okello-Okello said. "There was no need to suspend this important programme for northern Uganda ; we have suffered a lot and we need this programme".

Ben Wacha chairperson Lango parliamentary group accused the government of politicking PRDP and the main reason why the government can not kick start PRDP is because the Northerners did not vote for the NRM government according to him.

He wandered why districts that were not affected by the war can also be included in to PRDP.

The locals that I was able to talk to feared that PRDP will not be able to help them since it will pass through the hands of the leaders that they don't trust.

According to Resident district commissioner Lira Juan Pacoto said the spectral department that the PRDP will pass through their hands has failed most of the government programme like NAADS, NUSAF, and YAAP among others.

According to the out going United State ambassador to Uganda Steven Browning said the government of Uganda is loosing the fight on Corruption and for that has made Uganda fail to qualify for US founded millennium.

The MCA is a no strings attached poverty reduction fund where up to 700 million dollars is awarded to the developing countries that score well in the fight against corruption.

Most people talk to do prefer non governmental organizations to implement PRDP rather than the local government or direct from central government.