BULAMBULI – President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has encouraged leaders in the Bugisu sub-region to help their communities embrace commercial agriculture as a source of economic generation.
Speaking in Bulambuli district during his review of the Parish Development Model (PDM), the President emphasized the necessity of channeling government resources into agricultural projects to combat poverty.
“Agriculture is the cure for poverty, and we are currently sending sh100 million per parish annually. In three years, we would have sent sh300 million. In the third year, the first borrowers will repay, giving us another sh100 million, and in five years, we will have sh500 million from the government plus sh300 million from the borrowers. So, the parish will now have sh800 million, and if we do it for another term of five years, the Parish bank will have sh1.6 billion. This money will never come back to the government; it will remain in the Parish,” he said.
The President also emphasized the necessity of implementing the 4-acre model agricultural strategy, which encourages small-scale farmers to prioritize high-value crops and livestock.
“In the 1996 Manifesto, we specified seven tasks that could be completed in a short area. That is how we introduced the four-acre model. We advised that if you have enough land, avoid cotton and sugarcane because they require a large amount of space. However, if you have four acres or less, choose coffee, fruits, grass for cow pasture, and food crops for your home. Then, in the backyard, you set up chickens for eggs, piggery, and fish aquaculture for those near marshes. That’s what we suggested in our 1996 manifesto,” he remarked.
President Museveni further revealed that he is going to order the arrest of all those involved in the theft of the PDM funds.
“Now the witch intends to steal Sh1 million from the impoverished. This time, I’m going with them. Tomorrow, I’ll ask the people whose money was deducted. I’ve also stopped the bank’s deductions from the recipients’ money. The government should be responsible for paying these bank costs. “My people must get sh1 million full,” he stated.
“I’m going to arrest everyone engaged in the theft of PDM funds because I have their phone numbers and we’ve filed a police case against them. Anyone who interferes with PDM is indeed an adversary.”
On the other hand, President Museveni warned leaders against identity politics based on tribe, religion, and discrimination against women, explaining that it is detrimental to national development.
“Imagine that at independence, there were only two women in Parliament: Florence Lubega and an Indian lady. So I’m wondering what kind of individuals these are. When we arrived, we couldn’t socialize with such people, so we designated a special place for women in each district. Due to identity politics, no political party received more than 40% of the votes in the 1962 elections. DP was for Catholics, UPC for Protestants and some Muslims, and Kabaka Yekka for Baganda. The system failed because to bad politics; they were unable to develop viable political parties, an army, police force, or civil service,” he stated.
“The NRM is a mass-line party that works for all Ugandans. NRM has always believed in the masses, and we’ve seen that when people listen to us, our mass line initiatives work. Immunizations for all have worked, as evidenced by the population growth from 14 million to 46 million. Our line is always called ‘bonna’ (mass).
President Museveni further stated that he will direct the Ministry of Lands, Housing, and Urban Development to assist Bugisu residents, particularly those living in areas prone to natural calamities such as floods, in constructing standard houses.
“The right solution is to have cement blocks for building standard houses.”
He also prohibited the importation of furniture because the products are now manufactured in Uganda.
“I had a problem with the Ministry of Education, which was importing furniture from India. When Maama learned about it, she objected since she is a freedom warrior. Then I reinforced her, and we put an end to this deceit.”
Capt. Mike Mukula, the vice chairperson of the NRM in charge of the eastern region, described President Museveni as a revolutionary leader who has fought tirelessly to secure Uganda’s socioeconomic transition.
“Uganda is now one of the seven fastest-growing economies not only in Africa, but also globally. “That man you see there has worked day and night and has not taken a vacation in the last 30 years just to get Uganda to where it is today,” he explained.