The Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) presidential flag bearer, Dr. Kizza Besigye has criticized the National Resistance Movement (NRM) over what he called wasteful expenditure of public resources.
Unnecessary expenditure at the expense of key sectors like education and health, Besigye said had resulted in a demoralized human resource and poor performance of the affected sectors leading to underdevelopment.
Speaking on Monday, during a rally at Irundu play ground in Buyende district on the first day of his campaign in Busoga sub region, Besigye cited purchase of six fighter jets at $760 million by the government as a wasteful venture.
Besigye who said as a member of the East African Community (EAC), Uganda is at peace with her neighbours and has no enemy to fight at the moment, also questioned the logic in government budget allocations.
“The budget allocated to State House and Office of the President is higher than what is allocated to agriculture the backbone of our economy,” he said, promising that if elected into power in the February 2016 polls, his government would increase the agriculture budget from the current 4% to at least 10%.
Besigye observed that if money is to reach the grassroots people and benefit them, government expenditure has to be revised
Besigye accompanied by FDC women leader Ingrid Turinawe, MP Paul Mwiru, arrived at Mbulamuti in Kamuli district at 8.51am aboard a ferry across River Nile from Kayunga district.
He was received by opposition leaders in the region including Prossy Naikoba, Dominic Wakabi, Moses Bigirwa and FDC vice president for eastern region Salaamu Musumba, who is also the Kamuli LC 5 chairperson.
At Irundu where he held his first rally, attended by several supporters, Besigye decried the alarming poverty eating up teachers. As a result, he noted that teachers no longer command the respect they used to, an issue case he promised to address through salary increment.
“Today a teacher’s shoe-sole tells a lot about their plight,” he said.
Besigye also addressed rallies at Bugaya trading centre, Makanga, Bukungu and Kamuli Taxi Park.
Sounding rather optimistic of victory, Besigye noted that, in the budget that will be read in June, 2016, primary school teachers will earn sh650,000, secondary school teachers sh 1 million while doctors will get sh 3.5 million each.
Besigye reiterated his promise of a free computer to every secondary school student if he becomes president of Uganda next year.
“Every secondary school student will get a personal computer. We are in the digital age, not an era where people still write on the floor!” He said holding the audience breathless seemingly eager to know how.
In explaining how he could do the magic, Besigye noted that secondary students in Uganda are 1.2 million, and (that) if each student gets a personal computer worth $300, the whole project will cost $360 million and the money which for example was used to buy the six fighter jets would build teachers’ houses. Besigye observed that the money is available but the problem is, it is used the wrong way.
He noted that his government will have less than twenty one ministers as opposed to the current 80 ministers. “We are most likely to have 400 MPs each getting 25 Million shillings! All that for what when a teacher is getting 360,000 shillings” he questioned.
Besigye pledged to revive the agriculture sector by putting in place a bank geared towards improving agriculture where farmers will get insured agricultural-loans so that when yields are poor, insurance clears what would have been cleared by the farmer.
He additionally promised to revive cooperative societies to market farmers’ produce. Besigye also promised a minimum price for agricultural produce and a national food reserve if agriculture is to remain a dependable sector.
