- These include the P1,800 for the old-age pensioners, P2,500 allowance for tertiary students as well as P300 monthly allowance for newborns
Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) President, Duma Boko has promised to deliver some of key pledges made during the run-up to the 2024 general elections in the coming financial year (2026/2027).
Welcoming new members from the Botswana Democratic Party and Botswana Congress Party into UDC over the weekend, Boko assured that they will fulfill the promised P1,800 payments for old-age pensioners, the P2,500 allowance for tertiary students as well as P300 monthly allowance for newborns.
Twelve months into power, the UDC has been criticised by the opposition for having failed to fulfill its manifesto promises.
But Boko noted that amid the financial strain they found government in, the UDC administrations has made strides towards fulfilling the promises assuring that some of those will be delivered in the next financial year.
He highlighted that while awaiting to deliver on the promise to increase living allowance for tertiary students to P2 500 they delivered, in this first year for the hardest hit segment of the student community, a very significant increase on the Technical, Vocational Education and Training (TVET) allowance from P300.00 to P1 900.
Regarding old age pension, Boko highlighted that they have delivered in the first year, and despite these economic hardships, an increase from P830 to P1 400 assuring that the promised P1 800 will be delivered next year.
He also assured that Village Development Committee (VDC) members as well as beneficiaries of the transformed Ipelegeng will be paid P2500 monthly. “The government I lead don’t believe in poverty alleviation or mitigation of poverty but in poverty eradication.”
Further, the president announced the home-grown school feeding programme for local farmers to supply schools. “Government will ensure that it facilitate farmers to supply schools without challenges including payment and transportation.”
Boko also emphasized on the need for school going children to be fed breakfast and lunch daily at school.
The president reiterated that it will take him 3 years to have improved the lives of Batswana instead of 5.
Meanwhile, Boko has blamed corruption for the depleted coffers the new administration entered office finding.
“People are going to be brought before court for the corruption they committed. They went to buy counterfeit medicines after covid 19 grouped themselves in friends and families. The medicines are piled in warehouses in Gaborone.”
But Boko has promised to crack whip on the prevailing corruption the country is faced with especially in the health sector. “Next year, I dont want hospitals to experience any shortages of medicine, and infrastructure or anything else.”
Boko also promised Maun people that they will no longer need to travel as far as Francistown for x-ay and MRI scan as he has instructed to ensure that they receive the services here in Maun in the next financial year.
