The Plight of Uganda Pygms called Batwa
MPs in Shock As Batwa Drink Septic Tank Water
Members of the Parliamentary Committee on Public Service and Local Government were last week mortified by scenes of people in Kisoro District drinking water from a septic tank. The committee members led by their chairperson and Igara West MP Raphael Magyezi, toured the south western Kisoro district to meet and talk to local leaders about the local government sector. During the tour on Thursday, the MPs stumbled upon a community of Batwa people that live a few meters behind the district headquarters, whose living conditions they found appalling.
The MPs were shocked by the Batwa’s living conditions
The Batwa people MPs were told, have no access to clean water and depend almost entirely on water they fetch from septic tanks. Peninah Zaninka the chairperson of the Batwa village said that the district leaders have abandoned them which forced them to use septic tank water. Zaninka said the group has been homeless since they were chased away from Echuya Forest in 1991. The MPs also learnt that the group has not a single toilet they use.
The Septic Tank where the community fetches drinking water
Jovia Kariisa the Ibanda district woman MP said what she saw was unbelievable, and called for an emergency government intervention.
“This cannot be; perhaps the president should hear about this,” she remarked. The MP urged the local leaders in Kisoro to do something about the abandoned community and also for fellow MPs to intervene.
The Batwa community live like this, a few meters behind the Kisoro District Offices.
The Batwa situation according to Kariisa, could easily have Uganda dragged before international human rights bodies. However, according to the Kisoro District Chairman Abel Bizimana an NGO named United Organization for Batwa Development in Uganda a few years built houses for the Batwa community but they rejected them “because they make a lot of noise when it rains.” At last some descent politicians have seen the truth. How can a country neglect its own people while busy defending people in other foreign countries??? This region has very powerful people in both the government and opposition, but you've never heard any of them raise the plight of Batwa. They even have the nerve to go around boasting that they're Freedom fighters. The Batwa plight is not only in Kisoro, but the entire Kigezi region, Shame on you Banyakigezi!!! I'm very aware of those so called houses that were built for Batwa-In spite of noise pollution, the houses were not rent free and had many conditions attached. The Batwa should be allowed back to their natural environment-the forests provide quality life and safety for Batwa. The Batwa as a people understand the secrets of forests than any other person.Thus, the Batwa could play a vital role at exposing Biomedical raw materials to scientists.
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