Lt. Col. Charles Tebaruraho, the Kabale District Coordinator for Operation Wealth Creation and Beda Mwebesa, the district director of production and marketing, were put on spot and started giving conflicting answers when they were grilled for defying a presidential directive of considering youth leaders while giving out heifers under the UPDF led OWC Program.
This was during by an impromptu visit by Florence Kabahweza Hashaka, the Special Presidential Assistant on Pledges and Welfare who met with the officials at the Kabale district Lukiiko hall on Wednesday afternoon.
Ms Kabahweza was flanked by western youth MP Mwine Mpaka.
Sate House’s Florence Kabahweza Hashaka and Youth MP Mwine Mpaka
During the meeting, Mr Mpaka pointed out that the NAADS Secretariat released 199 heifers to the district in 2015, well knowing that the youth leaders will be considered as a way of fulfilling a presidential pledge.
Mpaka tasked Mwebesa and Lt. Col. Tebarura to explain why they never followed the President’s orders, guidelines and the provided list of beneficiaries.
The meeting was however treated to drama, when Mwebesa claimed that the names of the youths were mistakenly omitted from the list by a photocopier.
Beda also admitted that the District received 199 heifers and that only 48 are yet to be given out.
He failed however, to explain the period when the first and second phases of distribution were honored.
On his part, OWC’s Colonel Charles Tebarura, said he couldn’t identify the youth leaders on the list of beneficiaries since they were not listed against their ages.
John Bosco Namara the Kabale youth chairperson told the meeting that although youth leaders were prepared with all requirements to receive heifers, they never got any response from District leaders and program coordinators.
Namara says although he approached Col Tebarura and Mwebesa on why the presidential pledge was never honored, he was always been bounced.
He says he was compelled to petition the office of the Western youth MP after fellow leaders threatened to stage a demonstration at the District headquarters.