By Our Reporter
Pallisa, Uganda | Gogonyo County Member of Parliament, Hon. Orone Derrick, who is also the patron of the Great Pallisa Bambata Empire, on Monday unveiled the long-awaited bus that he pledged during the NRM primary campaigns.
Orone said the delivered bus is a brand-new Coaster meant to handle emergencies, school study tours, teacher benchmarking visits to other districts, and planned visits by constituents for various functions.
The MP said he is one of the most outstanding Members of Parliament in Pallisa District when it comes to service delivery, but noted that his county continues to perform poorly in Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE), a situation he wants to change this year.
“I am going to organize a strategic planning meeting with all my head teachers and inspectors of schools on how to curb this anomaly. There could be an uncoordinated relationship between teachers and their superiors, which should be harmonized for the benefit of our children. The first place I need to take my head teachers of Gogonyo is Katekwan Primary School in Bukedea District so that they can pick lessons on how to improve the performance of their schools,” Orone said.
He added that, as the NRM Chairperson for Pallisa District, he will team up with District Chairperson Hon. Ben Okiria to ensure that community access roads are improved.
“I do not want this bus to get spoiled because of the poor quality of roads it will be passing through,” he said.
Emmanuel Olupot, the former LCIII Chairperson of Apopong Sub-county in Gogonyo County, said Hon. Orone Derrick is laying the foundation for a visible and progressive Gogonyo through the provision of key services.
He noted that while some counties are still struggling with basic interventions such as ambulances and secondary schools, Gogonyo County has made significant progress.
Olupot said Gogonyo County has achieved 100 percent secondary school coverage in line with the government policy of having a secondary school in every sub-county. He added that health centres will receive drugs on time, students will reach examination centres without stress, and farmers will be able to transport produce to markets and earn better returns.
“The Coaster is the key. The plan is the kingdom,” Olupot said.
“Other leaders wait for votes to start working, which is not the case with Hon. Orone Derrick. For him, he starts with what he has to achieve what he speaks. The Coaster in Pallisa is proof that his commitment is not seasonal; it is permanent. Service before the ballot. Results before the title. That is the new standard for Gogonyo,” he added.
Mrs. Kedi Afulansi, the LC I Chairperson of Agule Village in Gogonyo Sub-county, said describing Orone by what he does is a challenge because he often announces a project with a specific timeline and delivers it even before the deadline.
Kedi challenged the community to own and protect whatever investments Orone sacrifices for them because they are the beneficiaries.
Emmanuel Okoli, one of Orone’s mobilizers, said it should be noted that the role of a Member of Parliament is not to spend his salary on the welfare of the people he represents, but rather to lobby for improved social services.
“When a leader extends his hand and uses his personal resources for the benefit of the community, people should appreciate and thank him. But to my surprise, some people again ask Orone, ‘You have brought the bus, which is good, but how are you leaving us?’” Okoli said.
Mr. Samson Osakan, the Manager of Orone Development Initiative, said the bus was procured for Gogonyo County but will serve the entire district because Orone is also the NRM Chairperson for Pallisa District.
Osakan said the two ambulances serving the constituency — one personally purchased by MP Orone and another lobbied from the Ministry of Health — are currently serving the entire district.
“Some people with biased minds will say it is wrong to talk about the ambulance Orone struggled to get from the Ministry because it belongs to government. But how many MPs in Uganda have such services in their constituencies? Let people learn to appreciate even when we differ politically,” Osakan said.
