Agency
The State Minister for Northern Uganda Rehabilitation, Dr. Kenneth Omona, has called on critics to cease what he describes as the persistent blackmail of the government’s past affirmative programs aimed at rebuilding the Acholi Sub-region after the two-decade insurgency.
Omona’s statement follows back-to-back criticism by several leaders, especially from the Acholi Sub-region over time, who argue that despite massive government spending, the region remains among the poorest in the country.
Recently, a group of opposition legislators from the sub-region highlighted that over 4 trillion shillings have been spent as an affirmative program, but poverty, high rate of unemployment, poor infrastructure in education, health, and road remain major challenges.
Speaking during a graduation ceremony for former Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) abductees over the weekend in Gulu city, Omona noted that the negative narratives only undermine the government’s continued development efforts.
Omona noted that whenever they advocate for special affirmative intervention for the region, a section of people lament that the government has invested a lot in the sub-region yet the region has failed to change. According to Omona, while the government had come up with an initiative for NUSAF 4 aimed at developing Northern Uganda, some technocrats in the government opposed the idea, claiming the government is already implementing the Parish Development Model (PDM).
