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Museveni Directs Squatters off land in Mbale
President Yoweri Museveni holding a roll of cable manufactured by Uganda Victoria Cable Ltd during the Sino – Uganda Mbale Industry Park Official launch in Mbale on March 19, 2020. Photo by PPU / Tony Rujuta
MBALE: President Yoweri Museveni has directed the remaining squatters occupying land earmarked for the construction of factories at the Industrial park in Mbale to vacate the area and allow development and job creation.
“Those left must go and should accept the money they were offered in-order to allow development to take place. If you were to plant cassava in this 600 acres how much would you get? But if factories are built, you will get much more money than the cassava and more jobs will be created,” he said.
The President made these remarks while launching a ceremony of Sino-Uganda Mbale Industrial Park in Bungokho South Constituency, Eastern Uganda whose construction was started in 2018.
“I thanked all the squatters who earlier vacated the land. I also commend all those who helped in getting out the squatters from the area that used to belong to Bugisu Cooperative Union,” he said
On arrival, Museveni launched and toured the production lines of the four factories at the park, including; the Yobon Personal Products that sits on 10 acre and producing hand sanitizers, powder soap, and house hold chemicals.
He also launched the Victoria cable limited plant makers of electric cables of all sizes. He later laid a foundation stone for the construction of a motor assembly plant Automobile Group (U) Co. Limited that will be the first Automobile manufacturing plant in Uganda and sits on a 20 acre piece of land. The factory will assemble heavy trucks, light- trucks, pick-up trucks and jeeps.
In addition, the president also commissioned the Kyoga Capital Textiles Company Limited that produces a variety of socks and Pearlight Technology, makers’ of energy saver electricity bulbs.
Museveni said that the ‘Cable factory’ alone, which sits on a 10 acre piece of land is now able to save the country over UGX800bn on imports.
Mary Kitutu, the Minister of Energy lauded the leadership of Mbale for their support in development programs and announced that people living in the landslide prone areas have now expressed their willingness to be relocated to safer places.
The President was accompanied on tour by the Chairman of Sino-Uganda Mbale Industrial Park Paul Zhang, the Minister of State for Investment Hon. Evelyne Anite, and
Other delegates who were present at the function was Evalyne Anite, the state minister of investiment Uganda’s Ambassador to China Dr. Cryspus Kiyonga, Benard El-Mujasi the LC5 of Mbale, the Cultural Leader of the people of Bugisu the Umukuka and others.
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