The chairperson of the National Council for People with Disabilities (NCPD), Yona Waswa has appealed to the government to always consider PWDs, saying it is an important ingredient for socio-economic transformation.
Waswa said this on Sunday at Rutooma Senior Secondary School playground found in Rutooma-Bwizibwera Town council in Mbarara district when people with disabilities joined the rest of the world to celebrate their day under the Theme ‘The Role of Innovations in Disability Inclusion’.
He said that innovation is a critical mass in the lives of persons with disabilities, particularly during this growing technological world, thus calling upon all state actors to always consider PWDs in innovations.
“Persons with disabilities are customers, they are users of financial institutions, and therefore the council aspires and wishes to see an inclusive technologically advanced financial institution that leaves no one behind,” Waswa said
He added that “the innovations do not respond to persons with hearing impairments yet they want innovations on how to hear and translate”.
“Like persons who are visual impaired want audio innovations so that they are able to hear what is going on, then we have people who are deaf blind that require tactile technology to feel through their body but most innovations are leaving out persons with physical disabilities” Waswa explained
He also said that “Whereas the government programmes are inclusive in nature, some government agencies deliberately do not consider people with disabilities which pose a worry that if we don’t make a deliberate effort to reach out to persons with disabilities, then we will not be implementing a sustainable development goal”.
“I therefore want to call upon each one of us in the world of innovations, the academia, and development partners to do something to ensure that persons with disabilities are not left behind in innovations,” Waswa said
Laura Kanushu, a Woman Member of Parliament representing people living with disabilities, asked the government to increase PWDs’ grants from 16 bln to about 30 bln to facilitate a bigger margin of PWD groups in the country.
“In the last financial budget, the special grant was reduced to three billion until we made a lot of noise that the budget had been revised. Our request is that let the special interest grant for PWDs be revised from 16 bln to at least 30 bln so that each group can access about 10 mln” she said adding that, persons with disabilities are people who cannot get in physical activities but can only be engaged through income generating activities” Kanushu explained
She also asserted that Emyooga seed capital is benefiting one group of PWDs per constituency, thus calling upon the government to unlock it for many PWD groups to benefit.
“This Emyooga seed capital is only given to one group in a constituency whereas the able bodied people have formed many groups whereby we also need many groups of people who are disabled to benefit” Kanushu emphasised
Hon. Joyce Achan, Member of Parliament from the Northern region warned to deal with local leaders who are blocking PWDs from accessing PDM funds.
“The rhetoric is that PWDs have a special grant so should not come to PDM. I want to tell our leaders that it is illegal. If you are a leader and you are denying people with disabilities PDM funds, you are doing it illegally and we shall come for you” Achan said.
She also appealed to the government to implement the laws in place especially those that cater to the rights of PWDs.
“Minister, Can you kindly help us to implement the laws about disabilities that we have in this country? If we can implement the laws and policies in place, I don’t think we would hear people with disabilities crying” she said, adding that it is so sad that even a basic law like access to a public building is still a problem in this country.” Achan explained
The LC V chairman of Mbarara district, Didas Tabaro also challenged ministries and government agencies to consider the employment of PWDs.
“Today persons with disabilities are highly educated but do we see them getting employment in different ministries and agencies of government? We need to take stock because the policy talks about 5% that should be taken by people with disabilities” Tabaro said
Ghetto envoy Mark Bugembe, alias Bucha Man, asked people to have passion, love, and respect for people with disabilities.
While representing the vice president Rtd Hon. Jessica Alupo, the Minister of Gender Labour and Social Development, Hon Betty Among, encouraged people to live healthily to prevent chances of disability.
“I am glad that the president always guides us that when we are to talk to persons with disabilities, we should start with the question of health” adding that, the policy of the government for immunization is very crucial in preventing some of the disabilities that some of you could have been prevented,” Among said
She encouraged some of the manufacturers in innovation and production to provide alternative solutions for people with disabilities at cheap and affordable costs.
“The president has directed us that we work with the Ministry of Health and other entities to make sure that there are cheap, affordable, and efficient system devices for PWDs,” she said, adding that, we will follow it up, especially with the people that are locally procuring” Among explained
The minister concluded by handing over a total of over 607 bln dummy cheques to 129 PWD groups in Ankole, Kigezi, and Rwenzori regions under the national special Disabilities grant.
“We are working as a team but we are not many in number and my office manages south western region which totals to about 30 districts so you can see how big the space we cover compared to the number of staff we have” Bagonza noted
He added that technocrats in local governments have failed to deal with people who construct illegal structures near the banks of River Rwizi
“All the districts have environmental officers, some call themselves natural resource officers that we are supposed to work together with. They are even on the planning committee and construction committees of the districts and the city but you will find illegal structures coming up near the banks of River Rwizi why because people usually construct at the river catchment area during the night and in most cases you find that they don’t have plans” Bagonza explained
He said that for any person to put a structure near River Rwizi, at least it should be 200 meters away from the water body.
“The government does not stop people from sand mining but as NEMA there is a certificate that we issue to sand miners but they have to mine sand 120 metres away from the river and that activity must be regulated,” Bagonza said
According to Bagonza, NEMA has recently apprehended about 7 people interfering with the River Rwizi and also about 40 cases in courts of law in the southwestern region over illegal activities affecting the environment.
“Last week alone in Sheema district, we arrested 7 people and we took them to court and this year we have over 40 in courts of law and those that are already convicted there are about 15 people for encroaching the wetlands.” He said
SP Thomas Kamusiime, Rwizi Regional Community Liaison Officer charged the organizers to come up with friendly activities that can be supported to live with the river without interfering with it.
“When something is in scarcity, the results are always crazy so without saving River Rwizi which all of us entirely depend on then there is no life. But it should not only be prosecutions yes as police we ensure that people get arrested and be taken to court but there must be permanent friendly solutions for the people who entirely depend on River Rwizi for their livelihood” Kamusiime explained
He challenged the Ministry of Water to extend the campaign of protecting River Rwizi to other 12 districts in the catchment area of River Rwizi especially Buhweju, Sheema where it originates from.
“In fact, we request ministry officials to launch similar campaigns in all districts where this river starts and passes so that everyone gets on board to protect our only source of water in the region,” Kamusiime said
Currently, Abahumuza Development Group is partnering with Victoria Water Management Zone, Ministry of Water and Environment, Lato Milk, and Nile Breweries, Mbarara City Council, NEMA to protect River Rwizi, the only source of water in Mbarara and its neighboring districts.
In another development, Mbarara City has embarked on a campaign to restore over 4000 hectares of destroyed Rucece wetland.
The wetland found along the Mbarara-Kabale road covers the Rucece cell in Rwakishakizi, Misyamo, Kibaya, Katukuru, and Nyakayojo ward.
David Sancho, the City Natural Resource Officer said that the city has lost over 4,000 hectares of wetland to encroachers who have destroyed them by backfilling them with soil, planting eucalyptus trees, constructing buildings, and digging trenches that drain water from the wetlands.
“Rucece wetland measures to about 9000 hectares but recently we are battling to recover 4000 hectares encroached on by locals meaning that about 45-50% of the wetland is encroached on,” He said
According to Sancho, the restoration campaign aligns with the Presidential directive to evict all wetland encroachers in Uganda.
The affected Rucece wetland covers over 1,500 hectares of three wards in Mbarara City South Division encroached on by people who claim to have land titles and are threatening to sue the government.
“There are other wetlands in Mbarara city of course which people have encroached on but we decided to start with Rucece wetland because it is among the biggest wetlands which filter water going to River Rwizi. Later we shall go to other wetlands to ensure that all wetlands in the city are protected and people who grow their crops like sweet potatoes, sugar cane, eucalyptus trees should stop it.” He explained
Sancho decried the lack of adequate funds to work on the restorations and provide alternative livelihood sources to the encroachers.
“The campaign of restoring wetlands requires a lot of money because we constitute village wetland protection committees that are tasked with monitoring and assisting in enforcement. We also deploy workers who help us to cover trenches and cut eucalyptus trees, we do the sensitization and the supervisory role so how do we implement all these activities on our meager budget? If we are to do restore the environment, we require more than 100 mln which the government cannot offer,” He emphasized
“Another issue that has hindered full restoration of wetland resources is lack of funds to provide alternative sources of livelihood. As Mbarara city natural resources department we do not have that money to provide alternative sources of livelihood thus challenging the central government to see that those who are basically using the wetlands are able to get the other alternative sources of livelihood.” Sancho explained
The Mbarara City South Division Environment officer Edgar Nabaasa said that they did early sensitization and issued eviction notices to people who refused to comply.
He added that they agreed with the encroachers to harvest their crops and willingly cut down the trees planted.
“We are removing what is not supposed to be in the wetland and we have not ambushed them. We engaged these people in October 2023 and sensitised them about the importance of wetlands. We even gave them a notice of 3 months to remove all that they planted in the wetland even before coming we also gave them one week of notice requesting them to remove their crops but they thought we were joking,” Nabaasa explained
He said that Mbarara city cannot only be a city with mansions and factories when it doesn’t have a water source and wetlands.
“Many people think that a city is made up of buildings, no let’s have a city with rainfall, trees, good air to breathe and protect River Rwizi, the only source of water in Mbarara and across.” Nabaasa said
Robert Kanusu the Deputy Resident City Commissioner of Mbarara City North Division said that the government will continue to evict encroachers and guide people on the importance of wetlands.
Rucece wetland crosses to almost 4 wards which include; Rwakishakizi, Nyarubungo, Katojo, and part of Rukindo ward, and villages are; Kashojwa, Rwakwezi, Bugashe, Macuro II, Macuro, Katukuru, and Kitagata.
Other wetlands in Mbarara city are; Rucece, Koranorya, and Nyakisharara which cover about 5,000 hectares.
