President Yoweri Museveni has urged Ugandan religious leaders to join government and fight against poverty in the areas that they serve as they preach the Word of God.
The President was speaking during the Annual National Thanksgiving Service held at State House, Entebbe under the theme’ Blessed are the peacemakers; for they shall be called the children of God’. The service was hosted by Museveni and the First Lady Janet Kataha Museveni who also happens to be Uganda’s Minister of Education.
“68 per cent of homesteads are in subsistence farming. They don’t care about making money yet we are in the era of money economy. You Christians and Moslems must take the lead in chasing poverty from Africa. You cannot have a nation of Moslems with poverty. You, the Christians in the village, how are you shining? You cannot escape by just praying,” he said.
Museveni said NRM Government’s prioritization of the sectors moved the Harvard Centre for International Development to indicate that by 2025, Uganda would be the fastest growing economy in the world.
“We always take the narrow path if necessary. In 2006, the government took a strong stand to suppress the budget and focus on infrastructure, electricity and the army. The Harvard report is one example of reaping what we sowed after taking the narrow difficult path,” he said.
The President said government took tough action and decision that has helped numbers increase in Lake Victoria, which he said would open up fish factories again. He said the UPDF played an important role in the replenishment of fish stock as they apprehended culprits who were catching immature fish.
He urged religious leaders to continue preaching the message of reconciliation, forgiveness and love. He congratulated Ugandans for finishing the year of 2017 and wished them a prosperous year 2018.
