Leaders of Rwentuha Sub County in  Kyegegwa District give accountability

On 18^th July 2015 Mr. Rutesire Peter the chairperson LC 111 of Rwentuha Sub County in Kyegegwa district said the good cooperation between the sub county and the district administration has yielded much to the benefit of people in Rwentuha Sub County. Rwentuha Sub County was separated from Mpara Sub County in 2011. Before we were separated from Mpara Sub County, we could hear of roads & other government development programs like NAADS. In the last four years, our main focus has been on constructing roads because we wanted to help our farmers’ access markets for their produce.

When we entered office, we managed to open up Kazinga 111-Rusayumbe road, Rwentuha –Kyesombire road, Kahungura- Kyesombire road and other roads that connect a parish to another. We have secured funds to muram Kyeriso-Kikyempale & Namba-Kyankunyule roads this financial year and we are grateful to the district because they have taken over Kyarujumba-Kyesombire road and it will be worked on this financial year 2015/16.

 Mr. Rutesire said this while appearing on the ToroDev supported ‘Orukurato program’ that is aired every Saturday 8:00pm-10:00pm on HITS FM, a local radio station in fort portal, Kabarole district.

‘’We found the sub county with only 3 primary schools when we came in office and these schools we in a sorry state but our good cooperation between our sub county and the central government has yielded to the construction of more 3 primary schools making a total of 6 primary schools and 3 secondary schools  as we talk now, & this has helped in improving the education standards in our sub county ’’, said Mr. Rutesire.

Mr. Rutesire said, there are 3 parishes that make up the sub county and in terms of safe water coverage, Migamba is at 60%, Rutaraka 70% & Nganji 55%. Much as we talk of these percentages, more needs to be done because our people in some villages still have challenges when it comes to water services. We pledge our commitment to the water sector this financial year 2015/16 to improve the conditions of our people.

During the two hours live radio discussion, Mr. Kayondo Geoffrey the sub county chief of Rwentuha Sub County in Kyegegwa district said Rwentuha is a food basket for Kyegegwa & other districts where farmers grow food crops, cash crops and rear animals. ’’As a sub county, we have for the last 3 years supplied 25 million coffee seedlings to farmers, 10 tons of beans, 25 tons of maize & 94 heifers to different beneficiaries under the Luwero Ruwenzori & Wealth creation campaign programs’’, said Mr. Kayondo Geoffrey.

Mr. Kayondo said there are challenges that come along with these initiatives but as a sub county we are doing our best to see that we develop our sub county. People are appreciating the work being done in our 3 health centers and we aim at improving the health standards in our sub county. As a sub county, we are constructing the sub county headquarters and we are at roofing level, we plan to engage the district leadership & lobby through our Members of parliament in order to advocate for value addition produce so that our farmers can earn much and also market women groups to increase house hold income levels for our people.

Meanwhile, Mr. Kasweta John  the Hakibale concerned citizens advocacy forum that was initiated with support from ToroDev in 2011 to advocate for  better services and demand for accountability from leaders said the wealth creation program is now on ground unlike the old NAADS where 80% of funds used to do training's, seminars & workshops and only 20% could reach farmers. Mr. Kasweta requested the government to increase the budget for agriculture to 100% because it is the backbone of our economy and a source of employment to the youth, he also requested for the sensitization of the farmers on pests and diseases so as to have it controlled in order to increase their production.

During the discussion, callers were given time to participate through call-ins & sms; ‘’ we thank ToroDev for supporting the forum & we credit the efforts of the forum for the 90 first grades got in PLE last year in our sub county’’, said Mugisa Moses, a caller from Hakibale in Kabarole district, ‘’our leaders are not giving their plans on the disabled people, are they part of their plans?’’, asked Tumwebaze from Kyegegwa district, ‘’ we people of Kigoro -Kasese have never seen the new NAADS, are we part of it or not?’’, asked Rose a caller from Kigoro, Kasese district, ‘’Bagarami road is in poor state, what plans do our leaders have on that issue?’’, asked Jane, a caller from Rwentuha, Kyegegwa district, ‘’ we need education conferences in our sub county so as to devise ways of improving the education standards of our children’’, said Tumuramya a caller from Rwentuha, Kyegegwa district.

 The program was moderated by Mr. Kasigazi William Donanto  and is supported by ToroDev in partnership with NED, DRT, SIDA, SPIDER & ICT4DEM

Leaders promise extension of water to parts of Rwimi Sub County

On 11^th July 2015 Mr. Ngomayondi Abel the chairperson LC 111 for Rwimi Sub County in Bunyangabu county Kabarole district pledged to extend water services to the villages of Kanyamukale,Kagoro, Kyakatabazi, Kigungo & Mirambi. Safe & clean water will be extended to these villages in this financial year 2015/16 having lobbed and confirmed with the district chairperson who promised to extend the  Karambi gravity water scheme to these villages.

As leaders, we have worked tirelessly to improve the education system in the sub county by adding on more grades from 2 first grades in 2005 to 118 super first grades in 2014, as a council bought a transformer to ease the electricity problems in his sub county and opened all access roads in the sub county which are awaiting murraming.  Mr. Ngomayondi said this while appearing on the ToroDev supported ‘Orukurato Program’ that is aired every Saturday 8:00pm-10:00pm on Hits fm a local radio station in fort portal, Kabarole district.

While commenting on the wealth creation program that was initiated by the government of Uganda to replace NAADS, Mr. Ngomayondi said, ‘’Am a model farmer with 5 acres of mango trees, I also grow bananas, tomatoes and maize. Since mangoes have 2 seasons in a year, I get between 45-55 million     Uganda  shillings in a year’’ Mr. Ngomayondi said he holds a certificate of the most visited farmer having hosted 12 districts from within Uganda.

During the two hours live radio discussion, Mr. Ngomayondi said the wealth creation program or new NAADS as people know it replaced the old NAADS and as we talk it does not have structures. When materials for distribution come, they are kept at the town council or sub county headquarters before they are distributed.

 There are challenges with the wealth creation program because, they deliver little items yet farmers mobilized to receive items are so many, they deliver late sometimes when the season is off and only one person is in charge of a whole county which is quite not easy to mobilize and monitor  these farmers.

We have an association of farmers called farmers revolution that was formed after an exchange visit we had in Mbarara that was sponsored by Hon. Adolf Mwesige. We learnt a lot and now as farmers in Rwimi Sub County, we support each other through digging, from one farmer’s garden to the other in every parish of Rwimi including the town council. Through this association, we have also helped families to improve their domestic hygiene, improving the house hold income levels, constructing a farmers market in Rwimi, & through lobbying from Hon. Adolf Mwesige, him & his friends have pledged 30 million shillings that will be used to complete the market in order to sell our products, said Mr. Ngomayondi.

Mr. Ngomayondi encouraged farmers not to look at price fluctuations because that’s expected in agriculture products but focus on the available market by continuing to grow both food and cash crops & only advocate for value addition produce and improved storage facilities.

During the discussion, callers were given time to participate through call-ins & sms; ‘’tomato farmers have increased , although prices are low, we can still manage paying fees for our children in different schools, said Betty a caller from Rwimi,’’ ‘’ value addition of our products should be advocated for by our leaders if we are to benefit more from our produce’’, said  Stella Tumuhairwe from Rwimi, ‘’we people of Kadindimo we have a problem of water and we do not have electricity, our leaders should look into that’’, said Immaculate from Kadindimo, ‘’ ‘’ Sub county NAADS coordinators used to visit us at sub county level but the UPDF are not visiting us why is this so’’, asked Musa from Rwimi’’, ‘’ Government should help us and look into the prices of agricultural inputs due to fluctuating prices of agricultural products’’, said Mama Bashir.

 The program was moderated by Mr. Kasigazi Willy Donanto and is supported by ToroDev in partnership with NED, DRT, SIDA, SPIDER & ICT4DEM

Hakibale Committed Citizens for Better Services Advocacy Forum advocate for environment protection by planting trees

Hakibale Committed Citizens For better Services advocacy forum, advocate for environment protection by planting 50 trees in Kiburara Parish , Hakibale sub county, Kabarole District.

On 29th / May /2015 Committed citizens for better services advocacy forum organized a meeting which was attended by 80 people from Hakibale sub county that aimed at sensitizing people to keep the environment through planting trees starting with Kiburara Parish, Hakibale sub county, Kabarole District. As a forum we initiated this idea and we involved the community members, and the Sub county LCIII Mr. Busingye John and Sub county Councilors.

The aim of planting trees is to protect the environment because people had cut down every natural tree and we were experiencing long droughts, and this was affecting the agriculture and crop production.

“As a forum we held a meeting to lobby for funds to buy some trees and we invited the leaders to come and attend the meeting those who attended include Hon LCIII Businge Edison, the sub county councilors, Journalists from KRC FM and 80 local citizens. The meeting was a successful one because we raised money and we were able to buy 50 tress that we planted at Kiburara Parish, Hakibale sub county on that same day.” Said Mr. Kasweta John the chairperson of the forum.

Kasweta added that as forum members we went ahead and selected a committee of 5 People who stay near that place to look after the trees and we are lobbying for more trees which we shall plant in other parishes all over the sub county.

 In a related development,Hakibale Committed Citizens for Better Services advocacy forum in partnership with ToroDev is working on a skit which carries a message about voter education. The skit will sensitize & educate voters not to be bribed or accept gifts in exchange of votes and to vote wisely in the next years elections, this is aimed at having fair elections in 2016. More stories to come up after the final preparations of the skit are done.

Members of the forum (skit) listening to the instructor Mr. Mwesige Zebidayo Mukwikwi

 We are grateful to SIDA, NED, DRT, CIPESA, ICT4DEM for their financial & technical support.

ToroDev and KANCA meet the Kabarole District Local Government Officials on 15th, July, 2015

An NGO cannot achieve its vision for a better society on its own. Community and government partnership is very important in order to yield more positive results. NGOs need to work with other NGOs and the local government to accomplish all the goals. Through partnerships with other NGOs, and the public sector, you gain access to new resources, including funding and in-kind support as well as information, expertise and skills.

On 15^th-July- 2015, ToroDev in conjunction with KANCA had a short visit to Kabarole district local government and had a short meeting with the District Community Development Officer, the District Planner, the Chief Administrative Officer and the District Information Officer. The team that had the meeting with the above people included Mr. Johnstone B Kumaraki the ED of ToroDev, Mr. Edward Itoote the coordinator Kabarole NGO’s & CBO’s and Mr. Kugonza K. David. D&C Officer ToroDev.

The meeting with the district officials aimed at putting away to strengthen partnership between Civil Society Organizations and Local Government in the district. The district officials welcomed the idea and pledged to work with the civil society organizations to develop the district. “By law we are supposed to work together, plan together and as a matter of fact, we need to share our work plans and budgets in order to supplement the district efforts’’, said Mr. Koojo Sam, the district Planner.

The Partnerships between NGO and Local government may range from informal and casual to formal and structured. The relationships can be where you talk to each other regularly to share information, ideas and experiences. You can also have highly organized collaborative relationships where you design projects, raise money and run the projects together. We look forward to strengthen our work relations as NGO’s with the district local government.

Success stories as a result of advocacy forums initiated by ToroDev in Kyenjojo & Kamwenge districts

Nkoma development advocacy forum engaged local leaders in advocating for safe and clean water. "We held a community meeting in Mikole village, Nkoma sub county in Kamwenge district on 27th April 2015 to discuss the issue of lack of access to clean water in our area and as a forum we followed up the issue up to the district level and am glad to report to you that in the district budget of this financial year 2015/16, a borehole is allocated to Mikole village to solve the community concern and we are still following the issue to make sure the borehole is constructed in the area". Said Monday Wilson the chairperson of Nkoma Development advocacy forum in Kamwenge district.

 Meanwhile Bufunjo people’s forum in February 2015 visited Bukongwa primary school and held a joint meeting with parents teachers’ association (PTA) & school management committee (SMC) members as a way of improving the education standards in Bufunjo sub county, Kyenjojo district. During the meeting under-staffing, lack of enough classrooms, increased school dropout & pupils failure to pack meals were identified as factors affecting the education standards in the area.

“Our engagement with school management members resulted into calling for a PTA meeting which resolved to increase PTA contribution from 7500= (seven thousand, five hundred shillings) to 10.000= (ten thousand shillings), parents agreed to start packing for their children mid –day meals, arresting parents whose school going age children aren’t in school, parents to contribute 10.000= ( Ten thousand shillings) annually as building fund, the head teacher & the chairperson SMC were requested to contact the office of the district education officer (DEO) for more teaching staff & parents to start making bricks for the construction of primary five (5) and six (6) classrooms among other things, said Mr. Tumwesigye Andrew the chairperson of Bufunjo Peoples Forum.

As ToroDev we are grateful to SIDA, NED, DRT, CIPESA, SPIDER, ICT4DEM for their financial and technical support