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By Joseph Ayolo
MOROTO: President Museveni on Tuesday jetted to Moroto district in Karamoja sub region to commission a multibillion cement and clinker factory which if it starts operating will be the first historic cement factory in Karamoja.
Museveni said he wants all the people in Karamona region to benefit from the ongoing industrial development in the area.
“You heard that these factories which will make clinker will save Uganda 380million US dollars of imported clinker and they will create jobs as well as pay taxes, so the people working in the factories will benefit, the government will benefit by taxes but also want all the Karimojongs to benefit in all the other ways, “Mr Museveni said.
Yes that’s the hope that president Museveni is trying to put in place to solve the high poverty level in Karamoja however, this publication has learnt that the clinker factory could now be turned to be a centre of ethnic conflicts between the Matheniko of Moroto and the Bokora of Napak.
This publication noted that during the groundbreaking ceremony, leaders from Napak district including members of parliament who were at the far front convincing the locals to accept the factory didn’t turn up for the function due to maximum involvement of leaders and Mps of Moroto yet the factory sits on Napak land.
The factory is located in Kautakou village, Ngoleriet sub county in Napak district but all the activities were being done by Moroto administration and Napak was left out under unclear reasons something which has not gone well with Napak district administration.
This publication also learnt that the leaders from Napak seem to be jumping out fearing to answer questions from the learnt voters after the company changed its company name under unclear reasons.
Documents seen by this website shows that the registered name for the company constructing factory in Moroto is called Sunbad resources limited and it’s the same name which was used to acquire land in Napak but everyone was suprised to hear during the ground breaking ceremony a different company name mentioned as West International Holding Limited, a subsidiary of China West Cement limited (Stock Code 2233.HK) a Hong Kong listed company something that has left locals there wondering.
Some of the leaders of Napak who spoke to this website said they are afraid and asking who’s the real owner of the company is it the Chinese or Ugandans. Currently the issues of the boundaries between Moroto and Napak immediately after the president finishing to commission the work to commence.
Some elders have vowed to frustrate the work until the ministry of lands opens up boundaries to a certain where Napak falls and where Moroto falls.
“We really don’t know because some people have just come to hijack the program yet we were there right from the beginning,”Mr.Peter Keen Lochap the member of parliament for Bokora East said.
Ms Faith Nakut Napak district women member of Parliament who happened to have fought against people who had attempted to grab the land where president held ground breaking for the new cement factory also didn’t turned up for the function.
“Yes on Tuesday, I received a call asking me to attend the ground breaking ceremony but the invitation wasn’t befitting an invitation for a state ceremony”-She said.
