Former independent presidential candidate, Joseph Kizza Kabuleta has accused the ruling National Resistance Government government of deliberately suppressing the Lango sub-region.
Kabuleta, who scored 0.44 percent of the total votes cast in the 2021 presidential elections, says that the ruling government is intentionally suppressing Lango politically and economically in order to destroy the democratic leadership ideology.
He was meeting his supporters and concerned members of the public in the National Economic Empowerment Dialogue (NEEDS) in Lira city on Saturday, which is geared towards bringing people together to fight a common cause.
According to Kabuleta, the delayed compensation of war victims in Lango and privatization of state enterprises are some of the weapons the NRM government is using to marginalize the people in the region.
Kabuleta has called upon the people of Lango to reunite as one so that they can fight this pandemic, saying that nobody has ever beaten the majority.
James Acela, the Lira City West division councillor concurred with Kabuleta, saying that the Lango sub-region has been sidelined especially when it comes to National appointments and employment. He claimed that vocal people who stand up against the regional imbalance are always “handled” by the state operatives.
Mike Elem, a secondary school teacher is worried about the future of the young generation especially now that they believe that the state is influencing economic and social alignment of service delivery to a particular area of the country.
Jacob Ocen, the NRM spokesperson in Lira dismissed Kabuleta’s claim, saying that NRM is a people’s party that has no reason to sideline a particular region. “We have no interest in what Kabuleta and his team are saying because NRM is a big party for the people not only a particular region.”
In 2009, the Lango War Debt Claimants Association dragged the government to High Court demanding compensation for the livestock they lost during various insurgencies in the region. The high court ordered the government to pay the claimants a sum of Shillings 2.9 trillion Shillings. So far Shillings 20 billion has been paid out.
