A'ita Jaffer Joel
Flying over Kisoro, one cannot help but be awestruck by the patchwork of vibrant, productive farmland below. These aren’t the vast, mechanised estates you might associate with commercial agriculture. No—this is a land of smallholders. Each family owns just a modest plot, yet together, they are doing something remarkable.
Thanks to the fertile volcanic soils at the foot of Mt. Muhabura, these farmers grow Irish potatoes, beans, and other crops with impressive efficiency. Their produce doesn’t just feed Kisoro; it reaches distant corners of the country—from Koboko in the northwest to Kabong in Karamoja, from Busia on the eastern border to the markets of Kampala. In a quiet but powerful way, Kisoro farmers are feeding Uganda.
But what’s even more inspiring is the mindset here.
There’s a kind of unspoken, positive competition within these villages—a shared ambition that lifts everyone. “Our neighbour bought a motorcycle? Next year, I must work harder and buy one too.” “So-and-so’s child graduated from university? My Irish potatoes must take my son there too.” It’s not envy—it’s motivation. It’s proof that dignity and progress are achievable through hard work, even on a small plot of land.
Now contrast that with what I saw as I drove through West Nile—vast acres of land, uncultivated, carpeted in grass gifted by nature. Land that holds enormous potential but remains idle.
So, I asked the obvious question: What makes Kisoro different?
The answer was simple yet profound: Leadership.
In Kisoro, leaders don’t sit in offices waiting to be approached. They go to the people. They move village to village, engaging with farmers, training them, encouraging them, and walking alongside them in development. And the people listen—because the leadership is present, trusted, and accountable.
The lesson is clear. When leaders invest time in their communities, when they believe in the people and lead by example, transformation follows. Kisoro is not rich in land—but it is rich in commitment, culture, and leadership.
If the same spirit, leadership, and motivation could be replicated across regions like West Nile, imagine what Uganda could become.
It comes down to the Leaders we Elect. Has your leader changed your life the past 5 years he has been in power? If NO? Why are we voting him or her again? VOTE them out!
Joel Aita
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