Fort Portal, (UG): The Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Rt Hon Thomas Tayebwa has commended His Majesty King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV of the Tooro Kingdom for being a role model for the youth and the people of Tooro.
Speaking at the 28th Coronation Anniversary of King Oyo held at the Karuzika Hill, Fort Portal City, on Tuesday afternoon, Hon Tayebwa also praised the youthful king for protecting the traditional values of Africa and Tooro.
“I want to thank you for being a role model to the youth and the kingdom. Now young people know they can fight aids because of you. They know they can protect the environment because of you. I have seen you’re planning to plant over ten 10 million trees, parliament pledges support. We are going to support you so that you can achieve this,” the deputy speaker said in a speech.
Hon Tayebwa said he will personally join the Tooro Kingdom on his birthday to support his dream of planting UGX. 10 million trees to save the environment.
He urged King Oyo to help his people move out of poverty through commercial agriculture. This will help to create a sustainable kingdom, Tayebwa said. “We need you as a partner in fighting poverty in the world”.
Quoting the 2022 Global Wealth Report by Credit Suisse, Tayebwa said that income inequality in the world is alarming with the latest figures indicating that 52.5% of the world population now own less than 1.25% of the global wealth.
“It’s a time bomb. We have to work hard to overcome this. Your majesty, we know if we work with you, the parish development model will help to reduce this kind of income inequality,” he said.
Tayebwa said the issue of land fragmentation in the Kingdom had hindered government efforts to overcome poverty through modern agricultural projects and asked King Oyo to rein in his subjects.
He urged the king and his leadership to sensitize the people against land fragmentation saying the practice, rampant among the predominantly agriculture-dependent communities threatens food security and is a source of poverty.
“Land fragmentation is a big problem. If not well addressed, it is the source of poverty,” Tayebwa said.
Tayebwa also revealed that the government has completed the process of establishing an industrial park in the Tooro Kingdom.
King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV ascended to the throne after the death of his father King David Patrick Olimi Kaboyo, making him the youngest ruling monarch in the whole world.
King Oyo explained the Kingodm’s 25-year development plan to transform the livelihood of his subjects.
Key among the priorities, King Oyo listed HIV/AIDS eradication, education through youth skilling, commercial agriculture, and kingdom land titling. Other areas are tourism and sports.
Tooro Kingdom was founded in 1822 when Omukama Kaboyo Olimi I, the eldest son of Omukama of Bunyoro Nyamutukura Kyebambe III of Bunyoro, broke away and established his own independent kingdom.
Tooro Kingdom was part of the large empire of Kitara, under the reign of the Babiito dynasty, which dates back to the 16th century.
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