Retired Colonel Atukwase Steven Kabaringo has intensified his ground work as he seeks for Sheema District LC V Chairperson seat. He is moving village to village as he mobilizises for support ahead of NRM primaries later this month.
Mr. Kabaringo, a former army officer is seeking the district top seat because he wants to see improved service delivery in the district.
He wants to lobby for the improvement of infrastructure especially roads for people to easily access markets for their produce which will boost development in the district.
He wants an accountable leadership that is pro-people. He has called on the people of Sheema to give him the mandate to be able to deliver for them from 2026 and beyond. He wants steady and ready leadership in the district.
Sheema Development Association (SDA) through its members is seeking to raise 51 million shillings.
The money is meant to buy safety equipment for health workers in all health centres in the district.
SDA has asked the general public especially the people of Sheema and well wishers to contribute to the noble cause to ensure that the front line people are not put in danger of COVID-19 while doing their work.
Sheema South MP Hon. Elijah Dickens Mushemeza can play a big role in this charity drive
“Your contributions will benefit all health workers in our Hospital, Health Centre IVs and IIIs in the entire Sheema. We need to have all this within two weeks to be able to have them delivered. As SDA, we are glad to be at the Frontline of helping our health workers. If you have any contributions, channel it thru Wilfreds Katobe on 0772676087. You can also pass your contribution to SDA account No. 76323 in Muhame Financial Services SACCO for those that wish to bank directly. Those with equipment, food etc are also welcome,” Johnson Musinguzi Byarabaha, Chairman, Sheema Development Association said.
The once famous, pure and totally clean Kitagata Hot Springs in Sheema District are facing extinction due to government’s negligence.
Kitagata Hot Springs were once regarded as the hottest in the country but it has since ceased on having the highest temperature due to floods from the near River stream Sebanga.
This is how part of Kitagata Hot Springs looks like
The two hot springs namely; Mulago named after Uganda’s biggest Referral Hospital Mulago due to its healing powers and Ekyomugabe which was used by the then King of Ankore known as ‘Omugabe’.
Private individuals from the area have convinced the government to allow them develop the springs but all in vain.
Due to poor management and negligence, the springs are withering away. Forexample, the Mulago hot spring no longer has its natural exit which closed to block water from the nearby stream from entering the springs.
There is a need to get exavators to open the blocked water ways for the stream so that even if when it rains, water won’t be able to flood into the hot springs.
During the 2002 flooding of the stream where hot springs exited its water to, water ways were blocked by the debris brought floods and since then, the hot springs have the never been the same always flooding when it’s rainy season.
The ex. Minister of Tourism Hon. Ephraim Kamuntu is interestingly the area MP and under his regime nothing was done to save the naturally boiling famous water.
Around 20 years ago, tourists especially Europeans used to come and camp at the hot springs for days but nowadays, the place has been eaten up by papyrus swamps.
The water is so dirty and full of algae which wasn’t the case back then.
Due to blocked original exit, the water temperature has slowly reduced from around 98 degrees to at around 60 degrees due to interference of the nearby stream.
And despite earning government millions of money in tourism, the government has openly neglected the most amazing natural wonders in the world.
The two hot springs are now shadows of former self, it is so unfortunate to ignore such tourism potential.
The Hot Springs’ exit was blocked by the nearby stream
Despite tarmacing of the nearby Highway Kagamba-Ishaka Road nothing has increased on the springs side due to the poor state they are in.
On top of that, there is poor signage indicating location of the hot springs and most people miss out on them and find themselves already past the place.
When contacted, Ms Lilly Ajarova, Chief Executive Officer of the Uganda Tourism Board (UTB) said developing Kitagata hot springs is still on the agenda pending government funding.
Lilly Ajarova, Chief Executive Officer of the Uganda Tourism Board ( UTB) said developing Kitagata Hot Springs is still on the agenda pending funding
Hon. Godfrey Kiwanda, the Minister of State for Tourism when contacted declined to comment on the matter.
Background of Kitagata Hot Springs
The springs were first discovered in 1904 by a hunter and they are formed due to water heating from the Earth’s bowels and emerging through the Earth’s crust. This can be termed as an active volcano.
The hot springs are located on the Ishaka–Kagamba Road, in Sheema South County, in Sheema District, Western Uganda.
This location is approximately 2 kilometres (1 mile) by road, southeast of the town of Kitagata, one of the urban centers in the district. This location lies approximately 62 kilometres (39 miles) by road, west of Mbarara, the largest city in the sub-region.
The coordinates of Kitagata Hot Springs are 0°40’42.0″S, 30°09’38.0″E (Latitude:-0.678346; Longitude:30.160556).
There are two hot springs adjacent to each other. According to the locals, one of the springs was used by the former Omugabe (King of Ankole) and is known as Ekyomugabe. The other spring is believed to have healing powers and is known as Mulago, after Uganda’s largest National Referral Hospital. The water is also used for drinking.
On arrival to the site one will notice semi-nude men and women bathing in the warm waters of the springs, that possess healing powers.
Many area residents bathe in the waters as well as thousands from across the country and as far as outside Uganda.
In days like Saturday and Sunday, you can find as many as 500 people showering the miraculous water.
The water in the springs used to warm up to above 80 °C (176 °F) but of recent it’s going down.
The road to this place is still a marrum and before or after Ngaromwenda bridge depending on which direction you are coming from.
National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) new plant under construction in Kitagata Sub County, Sheema district will produce 3.1m litres daily when complete. The ground breaking ceremony of the water project to serve people of Sheema and Bushenyi took place last week.
The new Bushenyi-Sheema water supply and sanitation project is to improve access to safe water in the area. “Our engineers are working on various water stabilization plans and infrastructure service delivery Plans to improve access to safe water in the country. The New Kitagata water works upon completion will produce 3.1million litres of water per day to Bugongi, Ishaka, Bushenyi, Kabwohe and the surrounding areas,” NWSC said.
Users of Ishaka- Kitagata- Kagamba Road have expressed fear at the new bridge at Ngaromwenda near Kitagata Hot springs on the under construction Ishaka-Kitagata- Kagamba Road. The new was built less than a year ago but has already developed cracks and part of it has already gone off. Ishaka- Kagamba Road is still under construction by Dott Services Limited but they were not the ones contracted to work on the bridge.
The new Kitagata Bridge has already cracked
Residents have called on Allen Kagina, Executive Director of Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) and her team to act quickly because the bridge may collapse soon.
“This road has a lot of traffic especially heavily loaded trailers from Kasese to Congo and Rwanda so we needed a stronger bridge like the old one”, a road user said. Interestingly the old bridge built in 1970s is still strong and hard. The works on the new bridge were shoddy.
