TORO DESERVED MORE FROM NRM SAYS MAO

The Democratic Party President, Norbert Mao, has accused the NRM government of marginalising the people of Toro despite their contribution to the 1986 liberation struggle.
Addressing a campaign rally in Fort Portal on December 15, Mao said he was surprised that there are only two ministers from the sub-region and yet other sub-regions which did not contribute to the struggle as much have more ministers.
The two ministers from the region are Adolf Mwesige, the minister of Local Government, and Aston Kajara, the state minister for Investment.
In 1984, Katebwa sub-county in Bunyagabu county was used by the Yoweri Museveni-led National Resistance Army as a launch pad for capturing Toro sub-region from government forces. It was also the first headquarters of the NRM government in the bush.
Mao says that if the region was effectively represented in the cabinet, the ministers would lobby for development. He also says it is a big surprise that the region is not developing and yet northern Uganda which has been at war for over two decades is developing.
He promised that if elected, the region would get a share of the national cake commensurate to its role it in the liberation struggle. Prior to the rally, Mao carried out door-to-door campaigns in the villages of Ruteete sub-county, Rwimi, and Kichwamba.
He criticised the government for neglecting the region’s two great schools, St Leo’s College Kyegobe and Nyakasura School. These two were once some of Uganda’s finest education institutions but today they perform poorly in national examinations.
Residents of Fort Portal that The Observer spoke to, had mixed reactions to Mao’s remarks. Reste Kabagayi agreed with the DP candidate on the issue of Toro’s marginalization.
She said the government is taking the people of Toro for granted, seeing that it is a stronghold of the party in power - NRM. Kabagayi also agreed that Toro should be rewarded for helping the NRA liberation struggle.