Residents of Butaleja District in Eastern Uganda have, for the last couple of months, been running a mass non-violent demonstration calling out the government over unfulfilled tarmac road promises.
They accuse the National Resistance Movement (NRM) leadership of taking them for granted, noting that the whole district lacks a single kilometer of tarmac road despite consistently voting for the party in large numbers.
Locals have demanded that they will alienate the ruling party in the next general election unless construction work on the Namutumba-Butaleja-Lwangoli road, which the government has promised since 1996, begins.
They have improvised innovative ways to drive home their message, such as wearing T-shirts and shirts with the words “NO TARMAC ROAD NO VOTE 4 NRM IN BUTALEJA,” which have been widely embraced by the local population.
“I know there are many people who reach the President in this place. Kindly convey my message to him that the people of Butaleja have said, ‘No tarmac road, no vote for NRM in Butaleja,'” National Unity Platform (NUP) Bugedi Regional Coordinator Mr. Lyada Moses echoed at the burial of Hajji Bashir Muluga in Bukabeba on March 30 amid cheers from mourners.
Lyada, also an area MP contestant for Bunyole West in the 2021 general elections, says that the issue of the impassable districts affects everyone regardless of political alignment and calls upon all to embrace the campaign to demand the same.
Lyada says it’s time for the public to own the push for a good road network in Bunyole, highlighting that politicians have failed to deliver despite the trust put in them for many years.
“This is the time we must accept this as our collective role. Political leaders are not going to help. The more we keep quiet, the more we shall remain neglected.”
Bunyole is predominantly NRM, with all three MPs in the two constituencies either on the NRM ticket or leaning towards the party.
Ambassador Dorothy Hyuha, also a former Minister, and Emmanuel Dombo Lumala, NRM Publicity Secretary, are some of the top leaders from the area holding vital positions. Others include Hajji Imran Muluga, the current Resident District Commissioner for Namisindwa District.
Amid rising fears, the issue of the road could jeopardize the ruling party’s long dominance in Bunyole. NRM District Chairperson Hajji Hussein Walugo predicts hard times for the party unless something is done swiftly.
Walugo is concerned that the campaign has been embraced by a significant section of the community, including notable party leaders. While he acknowledges government plans to work on the 72 km road, convincing the population has been a hard task because they have been promised the same for a very long time.
Hajji Walugo has, however, slammed the political leadership, especially Members of Parliament, for shying away from their duty of explaining the project’s progress to the citizenry, which he says could have helped calm the situation.
“I don’t think our political leaders, especially MPs, have done enough to update the population to allay fears this could be another empty talk as it has been for many years. Unless our people are given assurance, the party could be headed for an upset in an area where we boast of significant support,” Walugo notes.
Unlike Walugo, Mr. Nambiro Jimmy, the Butaleja Assistant Resident District Commissioner, downplays concerns that the opposition could displace the ruling party, noting that the ruling party still has the situation tightly under control. Nambiro warns opposition politicians against politicizing the road issue.
Nambiro asserts that plans for the commencement of the work are underway, appealing to the people of Bunyole to prepare to benefit from the project rather than listening to “self-seekers” fighting to reap political advantages from the situation.
“Before our people are deceived to join politicians in agitating for the road, how prepared are they to benefit from it? Is it not prudent that they first get involved in production so the road will be used to easily access markets for their products?” Nambiro wondered.
He implored the people to embrace a range of poverty alleviation programs introduced by the government to improve their lives rather than involving themselves in petty issues.
The opinions of the leaders regarding the tarmac road issue seem to sharply contradict those of the public. While locals feel the nearly three-decade promise by the President is long overdue and action needs to be taken now or never, leaders, including Emmanuel Dombo, Director of Communication, who also hails from the district, suppose that the matter is not all that urgent and that the government can still afford time to do things at its own pace.
