MAO PROMISES THE YOUTH 5000 JOBS

By Frank Mugabi
THE Democratic Party presidential candidate, Norbert Mao, has promised the youth 5,000 jobs if he wins next year’s polls. He said the jobs were immediately available in the public service sector and would be dished out within the first six months of his reign. Mao promised to abolish positions of the resident district commissioner and their deputies and also reduce the number of presidential advisors so that their salaries and allowances are directed to creating jobs in the public sector. He noted that this would at the same time improve service delivery through having adequate manpower. Addressing a campaign rally at Busakira trading centre in Mayuge district on Monday evening, Mao noted that the youth make up a larger portion of the 33 million people in Uganda. He pledged to invest more in healthcare programmes to specifically cutback child and maternal mortality. “We shall provide health workers a living wage as opposed to the NRM’s minimum wage. This will enable government employees get a salary that matches the standards of living,” he said. Flanked by Mohammed Kezaala, the DP national chairman, who is also the Jinja municipality mayor, Mao slammed the education for all programmes for escalating the economic inequality among Ugandans. While at Musita trading centre on the Jinja-Iganga highway, Mao promised to reduce taxes on construction materials to enable more Ugandans build permanent houses. He said he would greatly improve the hygiene standards in the country. On corruption, Mao said the vice needs to be fought by a leader whose integrity is unquestionable and that he best suits the bill. He accused President Yoweri Museveni of failing to sack top government officials implicated in graft scams in Chogm, Global Fund and Temangalo land row. Residents who forcibly halted Mao’s convoy at Katwe trading centre at around 9:00pm asked him to plan for lower electricity tariffs, saying it would help promote the metal fabrication sector. Mao blamed the high power rates on the privatisation of the electricity company. He said the South African firm, Eskom, was bent on making profits with no regard to the difficulties that Ugandans face in paying their bills. Mao promised to ensure that the Government maintains the majority shares in the power company. Responding to complaints from residents of Bugadde, Mao cautioned security agents, especially internal security officers, against intimidating people. He gave out his mobile contact and asked anyone under threat to call him for help.