Hon Beecham Okwere David

Official Account For Member of Parliament Bukedea Constituency, A member of NEC NRM Party, Honorary Member Of JMCA in Africa & Global Investor in ICT

[Yoweri K Museveni @KagutaMuseveni]

In exercise of the powers vested in me by Article 174(2) of the Constitution, I have named 13 persons for appointment to various government offices.

I have directed the Public Service Commission to assess their suitability and advise me accordingly. https://t.co/wkb0MNxv2S

[Hon Beecham Okwere David @BeechamD]

Teenage mothers, more than 2,100 teenage pregnancies in 2024 and numbers keep increasing every 2025,2026. A 15-year-old body is not ready for birth. High risk of fistula, bleeding, death. This needs to be looked at critically

[Hon Beecham Okwere David @BeechamD]

Maternal Mortality in Teso: 398 per 100,000 live births vs national 336 (UBOS 2024). Malaria prevalence in Teso: 38% vs national 19%. Indoor Residual Spraying stopped in 2021. Shs 150 Billion ICU equipment procured for RRHs lies boxed and unused due to lack of power, oxygen

[Hon Beecham Okwere David @BeechamD]

A mother who needs C-section is referred. 12 of the 18 maternal deaths in Bukedea in 2025 were due to lack of theatre.
Limited midwives,2 midwives for 9,400 deliveries. That's 1 midwife for 4,700 mothers. WHO says 1 midwife for 175 births........

[Hon Beecham Okwere David @BeechamD]

In my Constituency Bukedea HC IV has no blood bank. A mother bleeding after delivery needs 2 units of blood. Soroti is 45km away, 2hrs 45 mins on bad road. She dies before blood arrives.
No theatre: Bukedea HC IV theatre has no anaesthetist, no surgeon.

[Hon Beecham Okwere David @BeechamD]

In my observation 4 every 100,000 women who give birth in Teso, 398 die. Nationally, 336 die.
That is 62 more mothers dying in Teso than the rest of Uganda.
In Bukedea alone, with 9,400 deliveries per year, that means 37 mothers die every year in Bukedea just from giving birth.

[Hon Beecham Okwere David @BeechamD]

@paulilakut Cassava depletes soil if you plant same garden 5 years. Rotate with groundnuts/beans. Otherwise we should welcome all those other crops you have suggested for the good of our people

[Hon Beecham Okwere David @BeechamD]

It's coming up as a matter of National importance in parliament in the coming week and the line Minister of Health will respond why

[Abra Ham @okiria0]

@BeechamD And then?
What is your view as an MP

[Hon Beecham Okwere David @BeechamD]

Bottom line is Teso should have cassava starch factories in every District farmer's income would triple overnight. That's why we shall demand in parliament for a Cassava Industrial Park as the most important economic demand.

[Hon Beecham Okwere David @BeechamD]

Teso produces 1.2 Million tonnes of cassava annually - 40% of Uganda's production. Yet there is zero cassava processing factory in Teso. Farmers sell fresh cassava at Shs 300/kg. Cassava flour in Kampala sells at Shs 3,500/kg. Value is stolen by middlemen.

[Hon Beecham Okwere David @BeechamD]

In this rainy season the catch we must tell our farmers:
-Don't plant local bitter varieties only. Plant improved: NAROCAS 1, NASE 14, NAROCAS 2 - mature in 9-12 months, resistant to mosaic disease.
Don't sell all fresh. Dry at least half into chips to wait for good prices.

[Hon Beecham Okwere David @BeechamD]

Cassava will Fights poverty and hunger at same time right now families are going without food.
UBOS 2024 says Teso poverty is 31.8%. A family with 2 acres cassava can eat for a year and still pay school fees. Unlike cotton which collapsed, cassava has never lacked market.

[Hon Beecham Okwere David @BeechamD]

Teso Parliamentary Group mps will come for site visit and fact finding based on your observation. Thanks for this information

[Outv @innocentmario]

@BeechamD Hon there is a processing factory in Ochapa which was funded by WFP. It’s community owned but redundant. I personally engaged them we work together but guess what? The problem is not the middlemen but the Iteso themselves.

[Hon Beecham Okwere David @BeechamD]

Industrial demand is exploding and government should put in Bukedea & Kumi District
- Animal feeds factories in Jinja/Kampala need 50,000 tonnes of cassava chips yearly
- Starch for textiles, plywood, paper
- Ethanol for fuel
- Government now pushing cassava in school feeding

[Hon Beecham Okwere David @BeechamD]

Low input, high return*
- No fertilizer needed like maize
- Cuttings are free - you replant stems
- One acre yields 8-12 tonnes fresh. At Shs 400/kg farmgate, that's Shs 3.2M - 4.8M per acre, versus Shs 1.2M for maize.

[Hon Beecham Okwere David @BeechamD]

Teso already produces 40% of Uganda's cassava*
We produce about 1.2 million tonnes per year, but 90% is sold fresh at Shs 300/kg in Soroti/Bukedea. That 10x gap is money we as Teso MPs should fight to keep in Teso with a processing factory.

[Hon Beecham Okwere David @BeechamD]

*1. It fits Teso's climate perfectly*
Teso has sandy loam soils and erratic rainfall. Cassava survives drought, floods, and poor soils where cotton, maize, and beans fail. One planting gives you 12-18 months of food security plus income.

[Hon Beecham Okwere David @BeechamD]

Cassava is Teso's goldmine, but most farmers treat it like a survival crop, not a business. Here is why we should push it as a cash crop and I will push

*1. It fits Teso's climate perfectly*
Teso has sandy loam soils and erratic rainfall. Cassava survives drought, floods,

[Todwong Richard @TodwongR]

On the sidelines of the African Political Parties Summit, I held a bilateral meeting with the Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) delegation, led by its Deputy Secretary General, Hon. Aggrey D. Mwanri.
We reaffirmed our commitment to strengthening cooperation, deepening engagement and fostering closer relations between our respective parties.
A united and integrated Africa requires stronger partnerships, continuous dialogue and collaboration among our political institutions.

[Hon Beecham Okwere David @BeechamD]

and staff (AG Report 2025, Para 4.12). Can we have this fixed @MinofHealthUG

[Hon Beecham Okwere David @BeechamD]

..... 71% vacancy rate. Soroti RRH: 283 positions unfilled. Senior Consultant Intensivists: 20 approved, only 1 filled - 95% vacancy. Principal Nursing Officers (Critical Care): 100% vacancy. Bukedea District in my Constituency staffing: 25% - lowest in Uganda.