Minister for Presidency, Hon. Babirye Milly Babalanda, has taken a significant step towards empowering communities in Budiope West by donating solar lamps to unelectrified trading centers.
During an area leaders meeting held at Ikanda Primary School, Minister Babalanda expressed concern over power challenges in some areas of Buyende District, which affect evening markets and cause insecurity and losses to market vendors.
“Some of our people in Buyende District have not yet received power and even those in areas where power is unstable are affected by darkness,” she said. “Evening markets are only safe when there is light. Our people face a challenge of insecurity, getting fake money notes from wrong characters, and loss of their items, among others.”
Minister Babalanda assured local leaders that every trading center in Budiope West will receive solar lamps to minimize these challenges.
“As we launch these solar lamps today, every trading centre in Budiope West will have to receive them to make sure that the above challenges are minimized,” she said.
The Minister praised local leaders who have taken President Museveni’s message of wealth creation seriously and encouraged everyone to support and participate in government programs.
Minister Babalanda reiterated her commitment to fighting poverty in Buyende district, empowering education, transport, health, and safe water sectors.
“I started on the journey of fighting poverty by coming up with several projects, and no one will be left behind, and I just ask everyone to change their mindset,” she said. “I started on the project of rehabilitating our roads and it will not stop. I am giving out boreholes in every parish so that we can have safe and clean water, now solar lights and many other programs and coming to focus on improving the wellbeing of people and fighting poverty.”
Minister Babalanda drew inspiration from President Museveni’s efforts to eradicate poverty.
“My boss, H.E. Rtd. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni is ever on the ground to preach and teach people how to fight poverty,” she said. “Who am I to sit and relax while my boss is busy in the field? Recently, he visited us here in Busoga emphasizing the agenda of poverty eradication.”
In addition to the solar lamps, Minister Babalanda donated desks worth Ugx 1 million to Ikanda Primary School, cement to churches, and kitchenware to villages to support social gatherings.
The local leaders expressed gratitude to Minister Babalanda for her support, which demonstrates her commitment to empowering communities in Budiope West.
