The National Resistance Movement party presidential candidate, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, is today in Kabarole district, Tooro sub-region for his scientific campaigns. Museveni will meet and address a select team of NRM leaders including party flag bearers of Tooro sub-region. He will ask for re-election through enumerating NRM achievements registered not only in the region but the entire country.
In education sector, Kabarole district has 63 government aided primary schools and seven government-aided secondary schools which offer Universal Primary Education and Universal Secondary Education respectively. The district also has 74 private primary schools and eleven private secondary schools.
Kichwamba Technical College, Canon Apollo Primary Teachers College, Bishop Balya College are some of the technical institutes in Kabarole. The district also has Mountains of the Moon University, Uganda Pentecostal University and Fins Medical University.
Poverty alleviation schemes
Under the Youth Livelihood Programme, at least 189 groups of 2,432 youth have been supported with 1.3 billion shillings.
The Social Assistance Grant for Empowerment (SAGE) has benefited at least 4,212 elderly persons in Kabarole district. SAGE is a government initiative that extends financial support to senior citizens, specifically labour-constrained individuals and households. Each beneficiary receives a monthly stipend of 25,000 Shillings.
Under Uganda Women Empowerment Programme (UWEP), many Kabarole district women groups have been funded. Since its inception in the FY 2015/2016, 63 women projects have been funded with UGX 340,249,500 shillings. UWEP is an initiative by the Government of Uganda to improve women’s access to financial services, equip them with the skills for enterprise growth, value addition and marketing of their products and services. The women are availed with interest-free revolving credit to initiate or strengthen their enterprises.
Other initiatives such as Women Entrepreneurship program introduced in Financial Year 2016/17 have been extended to boost women group income generating activities for livelihood improvement.
Through the Special Disability Grant, the people with disabilities have been empowered enabling them to engage in projects that enhance their level of income.
In health sector, Kabarole district has a total of 36 government health units with 13 Health Centre IIs, 3 health centre IVs, 17 health centre IIIs, 2 general hospitals and 1 regional referral hospital. The overall current district staffing levels is at 88.8%. This is a very good staffing level given the fact that the current national average is at 77%.
In water supply, the district has a population of 433,200 of which 86 % has access to safe water. Seven piped systems (six Gravity Flow Schemes and one pumped ground water system) serve approximately 23 % of the population.
Kabarole is among the districts that benefited from the Community Agriculture Infrastructure Improvement Project (CAIIP). There are also improved feeder roads with first class marrum which aid farmers’ access to markets easily.
Known as tourism district in the heart of Tooro sub-region, Kabarole district is a gateway to various national parks including Kibale, Semuliki, Queen Elizabeth, Bwindi Impenetrable, Rwenzori and Toro-Semuliki Wildlife reserves. It is famous for the stalagmites and Nyakasura waterfalls linked to the rich Chwezi culture. The area is surrounded by scenic crater lakes, beautiful tea plantations and the Rwenzori mountain ranges besides a cool climate and hospitable people boasting
The region is endowed with water resources and a host of other tourism attractions found nowhere else in the country; the reason the national vision 2040 projects Fort Portal as a tourism city.
Before addressing the area NRM leaders, the president will take time off his campaigns to commission Kyenjojo-Fort Portal road.