Parliament has paid tribute to President Kaguta Museveni for the Visionary Leadership for Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) in safeguarding the peace and security of Northern Region; Acholi, Lango, West Nile and Karamoja.
Dan Kimosho (Kazo County) while presenting the motion cited that Lord’s Resistance Army conflict in the Northern Region between 1986-2007 which he says occasioned humanitarian crisis, and wide spread human rights violations, such as death of thousands of civilians, abductions of children, rape, mutilations, displacement of civilians, torture, slavery, use of children’s soldiers and mass destruction of property but the Army, through the visionary leadership of Museveni was able to end the conflict.
Kimosho went on to shower President Museveni with praises arguing, “General Museveni facilitated and supported initiatives aimed at the reintegration of former Lord’s Resistance Army and other rebels, combatants, and abductees into society through programs for disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration.”
“The President has strongly championed peace and security within Uganda and neighboring countries like South Sudan. Somalia and Democratic Republic of Congo, by continuing to pursue the Lord’s Resistance Army remnants and ensure regional security,” Kimosho further remarked.
Catherine Lamwaka (Omoro DWR) while supporting Kimosho’s motion noted, “The biggest problem that we have right now as we celebrate the peace that has been ushered in, is managing the peace.”
However, Anthony Akol (Kilak North) wondered why Lamwaka failed to point out the post war challenges that Northern Uganda is still grappling with, despite the end of the wars that President Museveni is being praised for combating.
“But at the point when he was talking about how peaceful this area is, I thought that the seconder (Lamwaka) would raise some of the issues that we have in Northern Uganda, after the way, which need to be raised, but the fact that she is concluding without talking about the issue of compensation of the war affected people, where we are talking about lives lost, livestock compensation, we also have to talk about the conflict which is still going on in Apaa,” remarked Akol.
Museveni appreciated the Parliament for acknowledging the work done by UPDF in pacifying the north and says it is because of the ideological orientation of the UPDF, that it accomplished what had eluded past governments.
“I want to thank Parliament for passing a motion, recognizing the work of the UPDF and NRM in pacifying Northern Uganda and pacifying the whole country. What you need to know if you are going to make useful contributions is the ability of UPDF to do what has defied other Governments, because the security of Karamoja wasn’t new at all, it had been there, even in the colonial times. It only got worse after 1979, after the Matheniko, one of the tribes of Karamoja, looted arms in the Karamoja barracks, after the Amin soldiers ran away,” said Museveni.
Museveni noted that NRM’s strategy was having Health Centre IIIs at the Sub-county because most of the illnesses can be dealt with there. Noting, “Immunization, midwifery, malaria, they can be dealt with there. And you have seen how immunization has helped public health; polio has disappeared, measles has disappeared. The cancer for the girls, if all girls are immunized against uterus cancer (Cervical Cancer), so immunization has worked.”
Addressing the issue of increased street children, Museveni said that huge school charges are the major cause of this. He urged legislators to advocate for free education for all children under the Universal Primary Education and Universal Secondary Education.
“I beg all of you, the elites, to support my stance on providing thoroughly free education, particularly in public schools. Educating just 10 students in your constituency is not a sufficient solution. Let’s strive for a broader impact,” said Museveni.
