President Yoweri Museveni has criticized Kilak County Member of Parliament, Mr Gilbert Olanya, of hindering and sabotaging government’s developmental plans in Amuru district.
Mr Olanya has been at the fore front of opposing plans by the government to establish a sugar factory in Amuru District and the recent allegations are that he mobilized women in Apaa Parish Pabbo Sub-county to strip naked before two ministers in April this year.
Museveni who was speaking during the commissioning of the completed 74 kilometer Gulu-Atiak road on Tuesday at Northern Uganda diocese headquarter in Gulu town said Olanya’s action is not a sign of good leadership.
“As we tried to take factories to Amuru district, Mr Olanya, was busy chasing away the wealth, he seemed comfortable with the poverty of the people in the area and never wanted development,”
“Factories are essential sources of wealth, it not only benefits the owner of the factory but also others like the employees, the outgrowers who grow and sell to the factories, but for ill minds like Olanya, he never wanted it,” says Mr Museveni.
For such actions, Mr Olanya doesn’t deserve to be where he is, electorates should help place Mr Olanya where he can be best suited but not leadership, added Mr Museveni.
Mr Museveni noted that the essence of developing roads was a move to help in developing an area adding that, the locals in the area should be able to tap from such developments.
“This new road that you see is development, I always keep telling people that development is not something personal, it is for everyone. Since it’s for everyone, we need to make good use of it to improve our livelihoods,” he said.
He urged people in the region to wake up, and start engaging in developmental plans that improve livelihood to avoid them blaming the government for not providing enough.
However, Mr Olanya who attended the function, in an interview however dismissed
the president’s assertion that he is hindering development in Amuru arguing he has been protecting the people of Amuru from people who grab their land.
“The President is totally wrong on this. We as leaders in Amuru have requested the government to use the grass root approach where the investors come and meet up with the locals to set up a factory or any development as opposed to what has been transpiring lately,” says Mr Olanya.
He added that at the moment about three big companies in Amuru district engaging in large scale farming, who approached the area leadership and the locals, and no one objected their plans.
4 Comments
Beware of these large scale farmers company who leave local people without enough space/land and people start fighting/struggling over small piece of land. There must first be enough land for everybody in Acholi and then Corp/Co. can negotiate to get something. Mr Olanya is a visionary leader doing his best to protect the people of land grab, and the illusion of the so called wealth. If you just give up your land in order to become a labourer/slave to corporations for few cents. You will regreat deeply in 10 to 15yrs time.
Hon.Gilbert olanya,stick to your guns,our Land is the only asset that no one should grab it.
We, Acholis are Agro-processing and skills revolution for marriage and employment opportunities for our Youth who are unemployed at the moment under the NRM Government.Amuru Land is there for our grand,grand Children to come.
Hon Gilbert is the savior of the acholi people. M7, u have been in power for 30years, show me what u have done apart from using your people to steal our money? Leave our son Gilbert alone, come what may, he will go back to parliament next year. Deal with it. We are tired of your government full of thieves!
Remember what the former Prime Minister said about the NRM chairman that he takes all the credit for good things and blames others for things that go wrong (not the exact quote). Who knows President Museveni better than Mbabazi? In any case, while the president has a right to his views, others also have a right to their views of Amuru. What the president said about the MP is exactly what was described in the article found at this link: http://nilejournal.net/politics/amuru-women-protest-land-grab .