Luwero, (UG):- President Yoweri Museveni has issued a stern warning to leaders misleading Ugandans, saying that they should check themselves or he will help them to do so.
According to the President, these leaders divert Ugandans from important issues such as wealth creation. “I’m really not happy with the people who divert our people’s attention. I’m tired of the misleaders of our people and they should check themselves or I will check them,” he said.
President Museveni made the remarks on Saturday 2nd November, 2024 while officiating at the thanksgiving ceremony of Hon. Ruth Nankabirwa, who was appointed Canon in the Church of Uganda. Hon. Nankabirwa is the Minister of Energy and Mineral Development. The ceremony took place at her country home in Ndejje, Luwero District.
According to the President, most leaders have failed to help their people to fight poverty due to their failure to follow and spread the National Resistance Movement (NRM)’s wealth creation message.
“When you come to an area, people tell you we want roads and electricity but from long ago, we told you that all those roads and electricity are what we call development, you can have development, but you still have poverty in your house. Wealth is direct to the home,” he said, adding that places like Ngoma, Kapeeka and neighbouring areas don’t have good roads but most families there are rich, simply because they listened to the NRM’s wealth creation message and undertook commercial agriculture with “ekibaro”.
“They have cows, they sell milk, and they have a lot of money. If I rear pigs here in Nakusibyaki, Nakikonge, Kalasa or Mugogo and I put my pigs on a pickup, the road which I use, even if it’s not tarmacked, can the pigs say that we cannot go to Kampala because the road is not tarmacked?” he inquired.
“The message of the LC1 Chairman confirms what I have been telling you, seek me first the Kingdom of heaven, the rest will be added onto you. When it comes to life on earth, our advice is seek first homestead incomes, the rest will be added onto you.”
President Museveni also castigated leaders who frustrate government programs which are meant to develop the country. “Now here there’s paralysis. The President can bring up something which he thinks is very crucial but Parliament blocks it. Now the good thing is that I’m a patient person, most of the time I keep quiet, even if I don’t agree with them, I keep quiet,” he said.
The President cited an example when he brought an idea of how to build Bujagali Dam and Parliament blocked it, something which highly affected the country since it ran short of electricity a few months later.
“I kept quiet but very soon the results came. By 2005, we had a shortage of electricity, we even had elections during that load-shedding period but because people love NRM, we won all the same,” he recalled.
“When we came back, I called the cabinet first and Parliament, I said please let’s invest more in roads and electricity. If Parliament had not agreed at that time, we were going to have a showdown, so that we can resolve this business of stand-off.”
President Museveni explained that due to his decision at that time, the country now has good roads and enough electricity with a surplus. He further justified his move to rationalise what he referred to as parasitic government authorities and agencies.
“Those groups by 2016 were employing 3,905 people and those people were using Shs2.2 trillion. The Ministries were 18,000 people and the army I don’t want to give you the number but a big one. But I can tell you that when the army was smallest in 1991 we had 41,000 soldiers. By this time in 2016, they were more than that. All these (Ministries and the army) were using Shs2.6 trillion,” the President noted.
“Now the third category of Public servants were being paid under the local government, those are the government teachers, health workers, local government administrators, those at that time were 192,000. Those were using Shs 3.5 trillion. Imagine 3,000 people using almost the same amount of money as all the other thousands of people.”
President Museveni said that by rationalisation, the government will be able to save more money that would be channelled to other developmental programmes. “Therefore, this standoff must stop. If you want your country to develop, the people you elect must work with the Head of government. We cannot have this permanent paralysis situation,” he urged.
“Another problem is URA. That one is part of the authorities actually. They are paid a lot of money. The theory is that if you bribe them with a lot of money, they work better; but they don’t. The more money you pay them, the more corrupt they become. That war we are also fighting.”
On the other hand, President Museveni congratulated Hon. Nankabirwa for being consecrated as a Canon, the highest honour conferred upon a lay Christian in the church of Uganda for their previous commitment to serving the faith.
The 15th Kampala Diocesan Synod Meeting held at the Cathedral on Thursday, June 13, 2024, chaired by Archbishop Dr Stephen Kaziimba Mugalu, announced Hon. Dr. Ruth Nankabirwa as Canon in charge of Public Relations.
“I’m happy to be here on the invitation of our daughter Ruth Nankabirwa. In the 1950s, we had only one Canon in the whole of Ankore, Canon Rudingwire, the father of the late Rwenziba. I thought it was unreachable. Now I’m happy now that we have a number of canons, the mother of Mrs. Kabonero, Jacqueline Mbabazi, and others. I congratulate you. And because of that, on this occasion, I will give you 5 Friesian cows. Congratulations to the Ssegujjas,” President Museveni observed, describing Hon. Ruth Nankabirwa as a good example to those she leads and her community.
He also commended her for being supportive and a strong cadre of the NRM who has been spreading the party’s message for some good years.
“Sometime later I came to learn that she was a real disciple of the NRM line with her family, as you saw what she has done here. She has 8 acres of mangoes here and a forest, but for me, I’m more interested in the mangoes, coffee, the diary, and those seven activities. I had never come here, but she told me that they had implemented part of our message, and I want to thank her for that,” H.E. Museveni mentioned, upon information by Hon. Ruth Nankabirwa that in a good season they harvest up to Shs. 60 million from an acre comprising 400 mango trees.
According to President Museveni, Hon. Nankabirwa has been instrumental in fostering politics of interests, especially through discouraging the bad politics of ethnicity and religion, which led to the collapse of governments in the 1960s, and since then, the NRM government has been advising people to separate culture from politics.
“That’s why we restored the kingdoms—to promote the language and culture without getting involved in politics because the politics belong to the ordinary people. We had these arguments in the Constituent Assembly democratically, and people like Nankabirwa were supporting decentralisation to enable the cultural leaders to concentrate on language and culture, which we restored. Therefore, Nankabirwa has been part of that army that has been fighting for unity of Uganda, East Africa, and Africa,” the President stated, adding that as a wealth creator who produces milk, beef, and bananas, this helps him access markets, which he doesn’t get from fellow people in Ankore who have the same products as him.
He also appreciated the LC1 Chairperson of Ndejje, Mr. Mulindwa Charles Bemba for bringing out the importance of homestead incomes and the problem of mis-budgeting by leaders and gifted him a brand-new motorcycle.
The Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Thomas Tayebwa praised Hon. Nankabirwa for being a good friend.
“When you appointed me the Government Chief Whip, the first person to congratulate me was my sister Hon. Ruth Nankabirwa and she was the first person to take me for lunch but above all Mr. President, she offered mentorship to me for one week on how to run the Office of the Government Chief Whip,” he said.
Rt. Hon. Tayebwa also thanked President Museveni for not forgetting his cadres. “The President has always reminded us that in the NRM house, there’s enough space for the NRM loyal cadres. The reappointment of Dr. Ruth Nankabirwa confirmed that message and now Ruth has set a very good example for us by showing that the moment you are loyal to NRM it will never forget you.”
On her part, Hon. Nankabirwa, who was in the company of her husband Mr. Fred Ssegujja, said she welcomed the news of her appointment as Canon with open arms.
“I’m ready to serve God with the help of my husband Mr. Ssegujja. I know the President is part of the reason why I was called to serve due to the responsibilities that he has been giving me all this while right from school,” she said.
“I thank you, Your Excellency, for gracing our function. I want to thank you for the responsibilities you always entrust us with ever since I joined you. I don’t think that I have disappointed you. I’m so proud of you.”
The Minister also reiterated that she will not stand again in elective politics, saying that she decided to dedicate her rest of the time to serve God and the government, for the development of Uganda.
The Archbishop-Church of Uganda, Dr. Stephen Kaziimba Mugalu thanked President Museveni for always supporting the activities of the Church of Uganda.
He also thanked Hon. Nankabirwa for her contribution to the Church of Uganda, including her immediate duty of representing the Church in the cabinet of Uganda to enhance cooperation between the church and the state, a role he says has been done with distinction.
The ceremony was attended by people from all walks of life, including the third Deputy Prime Minister, Hon. Rukia Isanga Nakadama, senior cabinet ministers, Members of Parliament from Uganda, and those of the East African Legislative Assembly.
Others were former Vice Presidents: H.E Edward Kiwanuka Ssekandi and Dr. Specioza Wandira Kazibwe; former Prime Minister, Rt. Hon. John Patrick Amama Mbabazi; former Minister of Foreign Affairs’, Sam Kuteesa; and religious leaders from all denominations and delegations from Kiboga and Luwero districts.
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