By Nasser Kasozi Akandwanaho
President Yoweri Museveni has urged members of the NRM Caucus to focus on job and wealth creation for the population.
“If on one acre one can create 15 jobs how many jobs will one create from the land owned by 7 million households in Uganda,” Museveni said.
He was on Friday speaking at the party parliamentary caucus meeting held at Kololo independence grounds.
The president said that this strategy is employed, 70 million jobs is implemented with each household employing 10 people, this would be bigger than the population in Uganda and would therefore mean the country will have to import labour.
He also implored the MPs to address the issue of household incomes if they are to succeed as leaders.
“These little things you do like fundraising in church, attending burials, will only give you cheap popularity but eventually people will get tired and move on. I appeal to you to concentrate on the issue of the wealth of homes.
Once you teach your people about commercial production they will then get lasting support,” he said.
Museveni also called on the members of parliament to sensitize the people on enterprise selection and mix for income generation.
“You as leaders have a very serious problem of changing the attitude of your people that is where the problem is. The people need to understand that you can have a good life from small-scale commercial farming with calculation (ekibalo). Once your people understand you will have a walkover. I appeal to you to concentrate on these,” he added.
The President told the MPs that the country will only address the issue of jobs for the youth through wealth creation.
“Many people who say they are Baganda are telling lies they are Banyarwanda and Barundi. If you go to Kayunga and Busaana the people there are all Kakwa people from South Sudan. How did those people come here? They came here because of the limited commercialization that had already taken place in the growing of coffee, cotton and sugarcane within Uganda. We didn’t have enough workers that’s why they had to come from other countries to help,” he explained.
Museveni also cited the Namanve industrial park which currently has 74 complete factories and 147 factories under construction.
“When all the factories in that industrial park are constructed, they will total 500, employing 200,000 people on 2,000 acres,” he said.
He applauded the NRM Caucus for the cohesion they have noting that this will drive them to greater heights.
Speaking at the function, the NRM Secretary-General Rt. Hon Richard Todwong applauded President Yoweri Museveni who is also the national party chairman for choosing him to lead the party.
“I thank you for trusting me to lead the Secretariat of the party and the task you have given me and my colleagues will be delivered 100%,” he said.
He urged leaders at all levels to get involved in party activities aimed at fighting poverty among the local population.
“The party Secretariat is committed and will provide midterm performance reports to its members of parliament to give a check, link them to their constituencies and also check on their performance so that they know where to adjust,” he said.
Todwong said this would help them improve service delivery in their constituencies.
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