Francis Mwijukye, a Member of Parliament from the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party representing Buhweju district, had some seriously nice things to say about Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa, who’s from the ruling party NRM. He even encouraged the voters in Tayebwa’s home district to keep supporting him and keep him in the juicy position.
Mwijukye was speaking at a community gathering in Mitooma District. He was part of a group of MPs from the Parliamentary Committee on Trade, Tourism and Industry visiting the area. Mwijukye pointed out that Tayebwa is a real “man of the people” because he understands their struggles.
He told the crowd, “It is good to elect MPs who understand the common person. Hon Tayebwa, we know him from how he grew up and developed as a person. I thank you for identifying the good qualities in him and electing him to serve as your representative.”
Now, here’s the thing, Tayebwa holds the 5th highest position in the whole country, Mwijukye reminded everyone of that, saying, “When he got to Parliament, we also did not hesitate to elect him as our deputy speaker. I, therefore, urge you to keep him around. If you get rid of him, what number will be the person that you replace him with?”
He was basically saying that losing Tayebwa would be a major downgrade for Mitooma and the rest of the Ugandans. The MPs weren’t just there to sing Tayebwa’s praises, though. They were on a mission to listen to the community’s concerns.
And boy, did the people have things to say! One of the biggest issues was a conflict over land boundaries. The National Forestry Authority (NFA) and the local community, who live near the Imaramagambo Forest Reserve, just can’t seem to agree on where the boundaries lie.
The residents are upset because they feel like the NFA is encroaching on their land. Another problem is that wild animals from the nearby Queen Elizabeth National Park keep wandering onto people’s farms and destroying their crops. That means folks are losing a lot of money, which is a huge problem.
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The committee promised to look into both of these issues. They said they want to make sure the land conflict gets resolved fairly. They also talked about changing the laws to guarantee that anyone whose crops get destroyed by animals will receive compensation from the government.
And to show they’re serious about helping, the MPs even donated Shs4 million to support those affected by these challenges.
