Members of Parliament have been asked to stop interfering with UPDF led Operation Wealth Creation (OWC) programme.
The call was made on the weekend by the Ibanda Woman MP Jovrine Kyomukama Kaliisa during a regional consultative OWC meeting held at Lake View Hotel in Mbarara.
Here she noted with concern that some MPs were utilizing the program for their own political capital.
The MP warned that while taking agricultural inputs from the NAADS Secretariat might provide good optics for the MPs, in may end up creating imbalances and cause challenges in the long run.
“The Secretariat may give you like 3 tons of maize seeds, but to whom will give this and who will you leave out? This should be left to the experts to handle and not us politicians,” cautioned the legislator.
The MPs’ interventions, Kariisa said, have also created hindrances and delays in input delivery and monitoring on the part of the OWC officials.
Besides, the MPs she noted, may not find time to supervise and gauge the performance of the inputs they supply, because “they are everywhere”
Speaking at the event, Mbarara RDC Capt. Martha Asiimwe asked the OWC officials from the UPDF, to replace the adui they were fighting in the old wars, with poverty.
She noted that the various rebel insurgents and terror groups which the army managed to overcome could not be easier than fighting poverty.
The RDC also backed MP Kariisa on the matter of parliamentarians; noting that the MPs should understand that the inputs are not campaign materials but meant to get civilians out of poverty.
‘’Why don’t we get one body answerable to challenges and achievements of OWC?’’ Capt. Martha asked.
Meanwhile, the Deputy Chief Coordinator OWC Lt. Gen. Charles Angina highlighted a need to regularly reshuffle OWC officers to avoid over staying in one area; as they may end up getting deeper and dangerous acquaintances with locals.