Baseline survey presentation,presented by GHFRD ED |
On May 19th 2017, Kasese leaders met at Kasese District Multi-purpose Hall in Kasese Municipality, mobilized and organized by Good Hope Foundation for rural Development to share the baseline findings with the District stakeholders and validate the data for final incorporation into the final report baseline report. The baseline survey was conducted across the District in 2016 with objectives of; Documenting stakeholder’s knowledge and understanding of the triggers of conflict and human rights violations in Kasese District and documenting existing community based actions and interventions aimed at prevention and management of conflicts and human rights violations in the region.
Fifty
seven (57; 14 Females and 43 Males) attended and participated in the Meeting.
Two of them were persons with disabilities that included the District Council
Speaker. And among the participants included; LCV C/Person, District executive
committee members, District Council Speaker, Resident District commissioner,
District police commanders, District councilors, Sub county chairpersons, CSOs
leaders, FPAs, HIVOS M&E Officer, Cultural leaders of OBR and other ethnic
groups in the District
During the
plenary session after presenting the baseline findings, several issues were
raised and among others included;
·
Findings showed that Kasese ranked
highest in human rights awareness in the Rwenzori region. Participants dug deep
to understand if Kasese is the only District that gets Human rights messages
compared to other districts in the Rwenzori region.
·
Media violates human rights by uttering
out words like Kandi banabo” quoting from some songs meaning again they are the
ones” Kasese being a community of
several ethnicities, other tribes feel these words are being thrown to them
hence inciting violence.
·
Some musicians sing songs that directly
or indirectly provoke specific ethnic groups, and as a result there are
different interpretations by people that cause misunderstanding in the
community hence fueling conflict.
·
Specific groups feel marginalized via
employment at the district, in away that they feel there is no employment
balancing in regard to tribes of the district, only one tribe is considered
while others feel they are given low offices or positions
·
Politicians trigger conflict by
supporting some one in a wrong act, e.g according to one participant,” during
the violence that took place in Bigando, a chairman LCIII supported people who had pangas to attack the
ones they considered to have caused the violence”.
·
Segregation in schools, some parents and
students feel some students are favored in regard to tribe depending on the
administration of the school. This is witnessed when specific tribe in school
are given text books at the expense of others, involvement in school activities
for exposure.
·
Leaders (political leaders) cause
conflict in a way when they are voted and recognize that they did not yield
high votes in specific villages, they only concentrate on those they feel voted
or supported them.
RDC-Mr. Aminadabu Muhindo giving his remarks |
The
above issues among others guided participants to come up with the following
action points;
·
Need to engage key stakeholders such as
politicians and NGOs on the un ending conflicts and human rights violations in
the district;
·
Equal treatment by district leadership-
a scan through the district staff and top political leadership doesn’t show the
cosmopolitan nature of Kasese district
·
Community sensitization by foot peace
ambassadors on human rights and conflict prevention must continue.
·
Joint follow up of elders forum by district leadership
regardless of political affiliation- the elders forum should comprise of the
ethnic tribes in the district and non political and be based on old age ( at
least of retirement age bracket)
·
Need for reconciliation committee that
will bring together different conflicting parties
·
Take affirmation action on measures to
reduce poverty through- Education, engaging in agriculture, public health
·
Utilization of the radio spaces to
sensitize communities on their rights and responsibilities given the different
sectors like agriculture, education,
public health and SACCOs
·
District Commercial officer to sensitize
the business community on transforming from informal sector to formal sector
·
Affirmative action for the youth given
that they have a lot of energy that could be transformed into productive work-
Youth livelihoods, women’s fund and form
a district youth forum ( NAYODE to follow up on that action)
·
Bringing on board the Uganda Human
rights Commission given that its there duty to do civic education and according
to the baseline results they scored least as government agencies that the CBOs
had engaged with.
Members carefully scanning through the report. |
At the end of the Meeting, the following key messages by leaders were noted;
LCV C/P-Mr. Sibendire Bigogo giving his remarks |
“ I support a combined elders forum that will bring together all tribes living in Kasese, I believe if we had a non political elders forum, as leaders we could have where to go when faced with such incidents as that of November 2016” LCV- Kasese District( Mr. Sibendire Bigogo Godfrey)
“Let
us talk as leaders given our different roles, sometimes I get concerned when a
church leader meddles in politics, you talk the bible and leave the politicians
talk politics. Conflicts here in Kasese need consorted efforts given the nature
and what we have gone through for the last couple of years. Sections of people must learn to behave as
leaders, so as to be role models for the youth who are being used for selfish
motives” –Deputy RDC- Kasese (Mr. Aminadabu Muhindo)
“
we as leaders have sometimes contradicted ourselves even when we come from the
same areas, that is already sign of
conflicts, what do you expect the youth to do, if we cant agree as mature
leaders, that’s what I have observed in the community. We need to talk the same
language when we go to the communities that we represent” Karusandara Sub
county District woman councilor (Hon. Mbambu Doreen)
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