President Yoweri Museveni has called on the youth to take the wealth creation issue seriously saying by acquiring skills that are marketable; they can create employment for themselves and for others.

“We have taken time to tell people about wealth creation but people think it is cheap politics and mere talking. Wealth is found in four sectors: commercial agriculture, factories, services and the Information Communication and Technology sector. Wealth for one person means jobs for other people,” he said.

Mr Museveni was yesterday speaking at the pass out of youth entrepreneurs from Ntungamo district. A total of 11,735 youths under the ‘Free and Rich program’ were passed out at the function held at Kyamate Secondary School. The youth have been empowered with business and entrepreneurial skills by coordinators through workshops held daily in every Sub County, parish and cell in Ntungamo district.

Free and Rich Uganda is an initiative that was started by the First Lady and Minister for Karamoja Affairs, Mrs Janet Kataaha Museveni to help the youth in Ntungamo acquire entrepreneurial skills and start businesses to create employment opportunities and also fight poverty.

The President cautioned the youth against waiting for public service jobs saying those are few and that public service sector could not employ them all. “The public service sector has no wealth and there are few jobs,” he said.

He said that government would increase funding to the wealth funds so as to chase poverty in the country and advised the youth to task their elected Members of Parliament to promise to increase funding to the wealth creation funds.

“There are four wealth creation funds: NAADS, Women Fund, Youth Fund and Microfinance fund. You should ask the MPs to promise to increase the funding to the wealth funds before they start asking for salary increases, “he said.

President Museveni said he would prioritize the wealth funds in his next term of office.

“We are going to prioritize the wealth funds as we did with the electricity and road funds. We are going to put 1000 billion shillings in NAADs from 200 billion shillings. The youth and women funds will each get 234 billion while the microfinance fund will get 180 billion shillings,” he said.

Speaking at the ceremony, Mrs. Museveni thanked the youth in Ntungamo for embracing the program.

“I want to thank the project leaders and coordinators for providing a good example to their colleagues and empowering them. Let Ntungamo be known for such development programs and not bad things,” she said.

Aijuka Rodgers, the Director Free and Rich Uganda thanked the First Lady for choosing him to lead the program and for supporting the youth to start income generating projects. He said the program would expand to other parts of the country and teach the youth how to start income generating projects and grow them into big enterprises.

Later, the President presented certificates to the youth that were passed out.

The function was also attended by the Bishop of South Ankole Diocese Nathan Ahimbisibwe, the national coordinator for patriotism in the office of the President Lt Col Henry Matsiko, Gerald Karuhanga, Youth MP Western Uganda and Stephen Tashobya, MP Kajara County, Ntungamo District.

Stories Continues after ad

Retired Bishop of Mbale Diocese Samwiri Wabulakha has denounces independent Presidential candidate John Patrick Amama Mbabazi.

The Go Forward team had included Bishop wabulakha’s name on Amama Mbabazi’s campaign task force for Bugisu sub region.

However the retired Bishop has since rejected his inclusion on the task force saying he was not ready to work for the Mbabazi team.

When Eagle Online talked to the Bishop, he confirmed that his name was the fifty sixth on the list but wondered why they included his name without his consultation.

“I am not going to be part of the Go Forward campaign team in Bugisu because I belong to a political party called Yesu Yeka which does not allow me to participated in partisan politics.

He also added that he is an old man who has served God diligently and was not willing and ready to indulge himself in the current dirty politics that Uganda is faced with.

“I am peaceful in retirement and I am in any way interested in stressing myself by working any Presidential candidate,”

He is the second cleric after retired Bishop of Soroti Diocese Charles Bernard Obaikol Ebitu, denounced his inclusion on the list and demanded an apology from Mr Mbabazi.

Stories Continues after ad

A South African traditional king from Nelson Mandela’s Thembu ethnic group has begun a 12-year prison sentence for arson, kidnap and assault of his subjects, after a long battle to stay out of jail.

King Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo reported to the Mthatha correctional centre in Eastern Cape province on Thursday, after failing in an 11th-hour bid to evade incarceration by seeking a retrial or a presidential pardon.

In 2009, the king was convicted of manslaughter, arson and assault charges for offences committed more than two decades ago. He was sentenced to 15 years in 2009, but in October the supreme court dropped the manslaughter charge and reduced his sentence to 12 years on appeal.

This week he sought to further extend his bail, but a high court judge in Mthatha, the largest city near Mandela’s rural home of Qunu, threw out the request. “We confirm that King Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo handed himself to the head of Mthatha correctional centre,” the justice ministry said in a statement.

He is expected to serve his sentence in Wellington prison, outside Mthatha. The 51-year-old, a self-confessed marijuana smoker, was found guilty of torching dwellings that housed some of his subjects and tenants who had resisted eviction.

He was also convicted of publicly assaulting three young men who had already been brutally beaten by his henchmen, and of kidnapping a wife and children of one of his subjects whom he considered a dissident.

The supreme court concluded that the king ruled with fear and trepidation and that “his behaviour was all the more deplorable because the victims of his reign of terror were the vulnerable rural poor”. It also accused him of “obstructive” action for changing his lawyers 11 times, causing 34 postponements of the case.

Dalindyebo became king of the Thembu, a Xhosa ethnic group that boasted Mandela as its most prominent clan member, in 1989. The royal family will meet next week to discuss whether a successor should be chosen due to their monarch’s imprisonment.

Kings have no official power in modern South Africa, but still command loyalty among millions of people. They are recognised in the constitution as traditional leaders and receive government funding.

Two years ago the king publicly disparaged the president, Jacob Zuma, an ethnic Zulu, but later apologised.

Stories Continues after ad

A huge fire has engulfed a 63-storey hotel in central Dubai ahead of a New Year’s Eve firework display.

Despite the blaze at the Address hotel, the display at the nearby Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world, started as planned at midnight.

Officials say the fire has been brought largely under control and 16 people suffered mostly minor injuries.

It is unclear what caused the blaze, which broke out as large crowds had gathered to ring in the New Year.

People were asked to leave the area around the Address Downtown Hotel, which was evacuated.

As I watched the flames engulf the massive building, I knew right away it was the Address Hotel in Dubai’s downtown district that overlooks Burj Khalifa. I also knew that it was fully booked five years in advance.

There were also thousands of people in the streets below and in the adjacent buildings, all waiting to view the highly anticipated New Year’s Eve fireworks display, among them my youngest sister.

After checking on my sister, I hastily decided to head out to downtown Dubai in the hope of seeing the scene on the ground for myself.

As I approached downtown, I realised that the normally brightly illuminated Burj Khalifa was only half-lit and I could barely see the imposing structure amid the black smoke from the Address Hotel.

I did not expect to spend the next four hours right outside the downtown area, in one of the worst traffic jams I have ever encountered.

As the clock struck midnight, I resigned myself to ringing in the New Year among thousands of strangers, all gazing out of our cars towards Burj Khalifa’s spectacular fireworks display, alongside a burning hotel.

It started on the 20th floor, officials said, and had not spread inside the building, they claimed.

The Dubai government tweeted that 14 people had suffered minor injuries, one moderate injuries and there was one “heart attack case” due to “overcrowding and smoke”.

Irish singer Anita Williams, who was performing at the hotel when the fire began, told the BBC that people left in a “stampede”.

“We left everything. There was debris falling down. It [the fire] just shot up through the entire hotel.

“Everybody was screaming, everybody was running… I thought: ‘This is a film’.”

The fireworks display went ahead as smoke continued to billow from the hotel.

Alternative accommodation would be offered to evacuated guests, the Dubai government said.

The BBC World Service Middle East editor, Sebastian Usher, says the display is a huge prestige event for Dubai, and authorities want the images that people look back on next year to be of the fireworks – and not of the blaze.

Tom Stroud, from London, who is staying near to the hotel, said: “It happened so quickly. There was smoke billowing everywhere and people running away.”

A tourist, Michelle Duque told the BBC: “All of a sudden we saw this huge black plume of black smoke coming between the Khalifa Tower and the hotel.

“The flames burst out really big and before we knew it the whole of the Address Hotel was covered in orange flames.”

Stories Continues after ad

The Forum for Democratic Change flag bearer Dr Warren Kizza Besigye has thanked Ugandans for the support and love they have shown him during the ongoing presidential campaigns.

In his New Year message to Ugandans posted on his twitter page, Besigye thanked the Ugandans who have welcomed him and his team wherever they have gone since the campaigns started in November.

Besigye together with seven other candidates including incumbent president Yoweri Museveni and former Prime Minister John Patrick Amama Mbabazi, are contesting for the topmost office in Uganda and have been engaged in countrywide campaigns for the past two months.

“I take this opportunity to thank the millions of Ugandans who have welcomed wherever we have been since campaigns started,” Besigye wrote.

Besigye said the year 2015 has drawn to a close and for some Ugandans it has been a good year but for most it has been difficult.

He further stressed for those directly involved with the campaigns the last few months have been trying.

“You have shown incredible courage and for that I thank you,” he said.

He also appreciated the financial and material support that has been rendered to him wherever he has been in the campaigns.

“You have given sacrificially to my campaign, a sure sign of your support and trust. I thank you. You have shown incredible courage, and for that I thank you. I applaud you and thank you most sincerely,” he said and lauded those on his campaign trail ‘for resisting bribery and corruption and moving on empty stomachs and empty wallets’.

“I thank you. I commend the FDC team, every man, woman and youth that is working under the blue flag,” Besigye said.

Stories Continues after ad

A section of members of the Democratic Party that supported Go Forward candidate John Patrick Amama Mbabazi have expressed regret at their decision.

Speaking in Masaka town earlier today the Mukono Municipality Member of Parliament Betty Nambooze Bakireke, who was participating in theBulungi Bwa Nsi, said they erred in supporting the former Prime Minister and are ‘to reverse their stand.’

Bulungi Bwa Nsi is a clean-up activity common in Buganda and according to the DP, the party wants to use it as one of its platforms for recruitment of members.

The outspoken Nambooze was in the company of Bukoto East MP Florence Namyanja, Joseph Sewungu of Kalungu East and EALA MP Fred Mukasa Mbidde, all of who had opted to back Mbabazi against the FDC’s Dr Kizza Besigye as opposition joint candidate in the 2016 presidential elections.

The quartet alongside other DP stalwarts and other oppositionists were part of The Democratic Alliance formed mid this year, where the DP members formed the largest chunk of Mbabazi’s backers.

Indeed, it was DP party president Norbert Mao who declared  Mbabazi as the TDA flag bearer.

Early this week Kawempe North MP Latif Ssebagala also said he was abandoning his alliance with the Mbabazi ‘Go Forward’ team.

Stories Continues after ad

• Popes visit was blessing, campaigning for NRM is a joy

President Yoweri Museveni has has urged Ugandans to join hands and declare the year 2016, a year of prosperity and of building a strong foundation to secure Uganda’s future.

In a New Year message, the President called on Ugandans to love one another, celebrate our diversity and resist division and stay united to achieve greatness.

“If we love one another, celebrate our diversity, resist division and stay united, we will achieve greatness. Let us all join hands and declare the Year 2016 to be our year of prosperity. The year of building on the strong foundation we have laid to secure Uganda’s future. I wish you a happy and prosperous New Year,” he said

The President who later addressed a press conference at Kisoro State Lodge said he was happy about two this in 2015; the Pope’s visit and the fact that he is campaigning happily for the NRM party.

“The Pope came here, I was not excited but I was happy. His Holiness came here and blessed my people and also blessed me. This is one of the exciting campaigns for the NRM in 2015 especially in the countryside. At the rallies people turn up in large numbers that I find it hard to exit from the next rally. You see these people walking on foot in large numbers. This is because of the small contribution we have made for our country,” he said.

President Yoweri Museveni who is currently in Kisoro soliciting for votes has urged Ugandans to join hands and declare 2016 a year of prosperity, building on strong foundation that has been laid in order to secure the country’s future.

On political lies, Museveni said people aspiring to be public leaders and yet tell lies are bad news for the country.

“Telling lies is worse for the country. A president is next to God you just don’t go around telling lies. When you say you want to be President, but just go around telling lies, that is not good for the country. When I hear people saying veterans are not yet paid, yes I know it, I’m a veteran myself. Why didn’t you pay veterans at one go? It’s because we had to get electricity,” he said.

On whether he received an invitation to the Presidential debate, the President said his staff have not informed him about it.

“I don’t know. My staff have not told me about it (presidential debate suggested by interreligious council). I have four rallies a day, I don’t know about the time. Debating! I have no problem with debating, because I was president of the debating society in 1965,” he said.

On election violence, the President said government will not tolerate civilian to civilian violence.

“The state is there, it should be there to discipline those indiscipline people. When I’m moving around I see FDC people making signs to me, I do this (Thumbs up) to them. Just settle down convince your people. If they vote for you or not just wish them luck,” he said.

On the fight against corruption the President said it will be fought by integrity hunting.

“The Permanent Secretaries should be the watchdog. Initially I didn’t interfere because I thought the system would sort itself.  In KCCA you don’t know how much trouble I took to put Musisi, ooh, ooh, ooh. It was a war with Mayor Lukwago, the councilors, but now you can see the change in Kampala,” he said.

The President said the Uganda Revenue Authority Executive Director Doris Akol was fight a war on sub-standard products.

“The country had been turned into a cheap market of all sorts of useless things from abroad. When the shilling was losing value it was because of importation of all sorts of things. Imagine someone importing hair. My daughters, all this hair you import from abroad is for what? You’re killing our market with some other people’s goods which are not being taxed,” he said.

President Museveni said that the strategic goals of the people of Uganda and their African brothers and sisters should be, prosperity and strategic security. He pointed out that the prosperity aimed at is through production and not through parasitism.

He highlighted NRM achievements especially from 2006 when government resisted spending on consumption in favor of development and wealth creation. He said through prioritization,

the NRM government has been able to implement special programs like roads, electricity, education and health as well as successfully  implementing immunization program among others.

He castigated presidential aspirant like Kiiza Besigye who chose to visit a hospital not yet rehabilitated and lying to the public and not pointing out the many other hospitals that the NRM government has rehabilitated.

Stories Continues after ad

Uganda will become a middle income country in the next five years and an upper middle income country by 2040, President Yoweri Museveni has said.

In an end of year message to Ugandans, Mr Museveni said his government had prioritized six key areas which will spur development and these include defence and security; health with emphasis on immunization; universal education with skills training; roads; electricity and information communication technology (ICT).

‘The UPDF has ensured total peace in the whole country by defeating Kony, defeating ADF and disarming the Karimojong warriors.  There is now total peace in the whole length and breadth of Uganda’ Mr Museveni said of defence and security.

On economic integration the President noted that through regional blocs like the EAC and COMESA had contributed to the sustained development under the NRM government since 1986, with a consumer market of 150 million and 400 million people created in the two economic blocs, respectively.

‘When we talk of prosperity, we are talking of prosperity through production and not through parasitism.

It is this realization by the NRM and its precursors that the most fundamental legitimate interest of the people is prosperity that led us to evolve the principles of patriotism and Pan-Africanism’ Mr Museveni wrote in 13-page message.

Enumerating the key developmental indices Mr Museveni said there would be a government secondary school in all the 1500 sub counties; a technical school in every constituency and professional colleges at the regional and national level.

Further, the President noted, that the literacy rate had risen from 43 per cent in 1986 to 75 per cent today, with 11 million people attending all levels of education including university education, which today has seen the emergence of 32 universities, up from only one (Makerere University) in 1986.

On roads, Mr Museveni stated that 20 major roads across all regions of the country would be tarmacked in the next five years, adding that progress has already been registered with some of the roads. He also said the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) would be constructed to ease transportation in the EA region.

On agriculture, Mr Museveni urged Ugandans to avoid land fragmentation, and instead focus on irrigation and the use of fertilisers to boost production through both large and small scale commercial farming.

‘I, again, advise Ugandans to stop dividing the land and the wealth as a consequence of inheritance and only divide the net income from the land and the wealth (after removing costs) among the beneficiaries. As we wake up to the importance of commercial agriculture, we shall discover the need for irrigation,’ he noted.

He however, decried the low consumption and absorption levels of the products, giving an example of milk and maize. Of the two billion litres of milk produced annually in Uganda, only 800 litres are consumed, while only one million tonnes of maize, out of 4 million tonnes produced annually are absorbed in the region, he stressed.

Mr Museveni also noted that the country would soon have a cheaper and better supply of electricity to boost the much-needed industrialization drive, following the completion of the Karuma and Isimba Hydro electricity projects, which will sell a unit at US cents 5 and 4.8, respectively.

‘With increased supply of affordable electricity, we are on the verge of large-scale industrialization, starting with value addition to all our agricultural product and minerals.  Our people are now educated and can run manufacturing enterprises.  With the expanded Innovation Fund, we shall support as many of our groups, mainly youth or women, to process as much of our agricultural products as is necessary,’ the president underscored, and disclosed that on completion of the Ayago dam the country would produce 4356 megawatts of electricity by 2035.

Other sectors of interest that will boost development, he said, are oil and gas exploration; safe and piped water distribution; youth skilling; service delivery and tourism.

Full message below.

Fellow Ugandans,

I greet all of you and congratulate you on finishing 2015 and wish you a prosperous 2016. I extend condolences to the families who lost their dear ones in the year that is just ended.

The UPDF has ensured total peace in the whole country by defeating Kony, defeating ADF and disarming the Karimojong warriors.  There is now total peace in the whole length and breadth of Uganda. 

The strategic goals of the Uganda people and their African brothers and sisters should be: “prosperity and strategic security”. When we talk of prosperity, we are talking of prosperity through production and not through parasitism. 

It is this realization by the NRM and its precursors that the most fundamental legitimate interest of the people is prosperity, that led us to evolve the principles of patriotism and Pan-Africanism.

In pursuit of the need for the prosperity of our people, the NRM stands for patriotism within Uganda (rejecting sectarianism of religion or tribe and gender chauvinism) and for Pan-Africanism in Africa. 

With economic integration, in search of prosperity, we aim at the formation of the common market of the whole of Africa.  We have already succeeded in the resurrection of the EAC and the formation of COMESA. Uganda will become a middle-income country by 2019 and an upper middle income country by 2040.

The ultimate security means the ability to guard our Sovereignty by, if necessary, defeating any aggressor on the globe.   The guaranteeing of our sovereignty should not depend on anybody else except ourselves and some like-minded allies of similar interests and a common destiny, if necessary.

We always talk of transformation – Society moving towards a middle-class and skilled Working Society.

NRA has been fighting against the disorientation of failing to prioritize and trying to be everywhere and ending up being nowhere.  Trying to do everything and ending up doing nothing. Where we successfully resist such disorientation, we make good progress.  Since 2006, we started resisting the mistake of spending on consumption before we spend on development and wealth creation. We were also able to prioritize among priorities.

As for the roads, by combining our own funds and some limited funds from outside, I am in a happy situation to inform the Ugandans that all the major roads will be tarmacked in the next five years or less.

These are: 

Moroto-Nakapiripirit; Ishaka-Kagamba; Mpigi-Kanoni; Kanoni-Sembabule-Villa-Maria; Musita-Lumino-Busia; Olwiyo-Gulu; Gulu-Acholibur; Acholibur-Musingo; Mukono-Kayunga-Njeru; Mukono-Kyetume-Katosi; Mubende-Kakumiro-Kagadi-Ndaiga; Mbarara-Kikagate; Tirinyi-Pallisa-Kumi; Hoima-Kigoroobya-Biiso-Wanseko; Masindi Port-Apac-Lira-Kitgum; Kapchorwa-Bukwo-Suam; Mbale-Maghale-Lwakhakha; Rukungiri-Kihihi-Ishasha; Atiak-Moyo; Moroto-Kotido-Kaabong; etc., etc.

Some of the above mentioned roads are already completed, some are on-going and others will be commenced on later.  It is unprecedented in the history of Uganda to have so many roads being worked on at the same time and most of them being funded by the Government of Uganda. 

With the railway, we are going to build a Standard Gauge Railway either with a soft loan from China or, later, using our oil money.  The ICT backbone has been done with a loan from China.

On the side of human resource development, we have gone far.  The immunization has stopped our children from dying young.  The infant mortality rate is now 54 per 1000 live births. It used to be 156 per 1000 born alive babies in 1986. 

On my advice and strong insistence, the NRM Parliamentary Caucus and Cabinet, following the Conference of Statistics House in 2006, prioritised six areas: Defence and Security; Health, especially immunization; Education, including the innovation of UPE, USE and UPET – i.e. mass education as opposed to elite education; the roads; electricity; and ICT. 

Our line since 2006 was: “spend something everywhere but spend decisively in some sectors”.  As a consequence of this, we boosted the budget for the roads from 398 billion shillings (2005/06) to the current level of 3,442 billion shillings (2015/16). The budget of energy from 178 billion shillings (2005/06) to 2,858 billion shillings (2015/16); the budget of Education from 634 billion shillings (2005/06) to 1,360 billion shillings; the budget of Health from 510 billion shillings (2005/06) to 1,328 billion shillings (2015/16); the budget of Defence from 350 billion shillings (2005/06) to 1,565 billion shillings, etc., etc.  Yet the budget of water is still 547 billion shillings (2015/16); Agriculture and NAADS is still 815 billion shillings (2015/16); the Ministry of Gender, including the money for the Elderly, the Youth fund etc. is still 153 billion shillings; the money for restocking and cattle compensation is still 20 billion shillings (2015/16); and the money for veteran pensions is 70 billion shillings (2015/16). 

On account of prioritization, we are delivering on the infrastructure. By building Karuma, Isimba and a number of small mini-hydros, our generation capacity will, by 2020, stand at 1,974 megawatts compared to the 60megawatts of 1986.  With Ayago, our generation capacity will go to 4,356megawatts, by 2035. 

Our petroleum plan is to build a 60,000 barrel per day, refinery, expandable to 120,000 barrels per day.  Apart from getting our own petroleum, diesel and kerosene for aviation fuel, the residuals will feed the petro-chemical industries so as to produce plastics, fertilizers (again, but from another source) and pharmaceuticals.

Some of the oil will be exported through the pipeline.  Even if we are to sell only 120,000 barrels per day, according to a price of US$60 per barrel, that will give Uganda an additional income of about US$ 3 billion.  This money will be dedicated to infrastructure, science innovation and some of the high level science education institutions.  It is considerable.  We have been doing so much with so little.  What will happen now that we are getting quite abit of additional money?

On the side of education, phenomenal achievements have been realized.  About 11 million Ugandans are now in schools – primary, secondary, tertiary and university.  The literacy rate has risen from 43% in 1986 to 75% today. We now have a total of 1,078 government secondary schools in each of the 971 sub-counties.  In the next five years, we are going to have a Government secondary school in all the 1,500 sub-counties of Uganda.

However, literacy and numeracy must be accompanied by technical skills.  We are, therefore, going to build a technical school per constituency in addition to some professional colleges at national and regional levels.

Pursuing mass education as opposed to elite education, we have increased classrooms in permanent materials from 40,440 in 1986 to 104,906 today; we recently repaired 648 secondary schools and built 132 brand new secondary schools; we have expanded University Education from one university in 1986 (Makerere) to 32, both government and private universities today; and we are expanding technical and vocational training. 

Right from the resistance days, we realized that without the industrialization of our country, the future was bleak if not doomed.  For many decades, Uganda has been losing money and jobs to the outside countries such as UK in the past and to China today. 

A kilogramme of ginned cotton sells at US$.1.37.  The same kilo turned into yarn sells at US$ 3.  That yarn woven into fabric sells at US$5; and the final garments from the original one kilo of lint cotton, would sell at US$ 8-10.  Therefore, by selling only lint cotton (i.e. after ginning), we are losing the spinning jobs, the weaving jobs, the printing jobs and the tailoring jobs, apart from getting only US$1.37 out of a total of the eventual value of US$.10.   What is true of cotton is true of coffee, oil seeds, copper, gold, etc.  This is the modern slavery that must be ended. 

By, correctly, prioritising infrastructure, we are now able to support our manufacturers – local or foreign sourced.  I am glad the power from Karuma will be 5 US cents per unit.  The one from Isimba will be 4.8 US cents per unit.  Unfortunately, the one from Bujagali has been 10.1 US cents per unit.

By ensuring peace and developing infrastructure, we have also laid the basis for the developing of our huge services sector.  Our huge and incomparable tourism sector, starting at the very low base of 47,000 visitors in 1986 and bringing in only US$ 6.5million dollars per annum, now attracts 1.4 million visitors per annum and earns US$ 1.4 billion per annum. 

I am told that there has been a slow-down of tourists because of the ignorance in the West, US and Europe, where the Ebola outbreak in West Africa scared tourists from coming to Africa. Our tourist authorities should inform all and sundry that Uganda is a World Leader in combating Ebola. 

These factors should be put out clearly by those concerned. The other services such as Banking, Insurance, the Professional services, etc., are developing well.  Indeed, the sector is growing at the rate of 5.3% per annum.

On the issue of ending the bottleneck of market fragmentation caused by colonialism, with the support of our brothers and sisters in the EAC and COMESA, we have created a market of 150 millions in the EAC and 400 millions in COMESA.

Indeed, the surplus of our milk production (2 billion litres while the consumption in Uganda is only 800 million litres) or maize (4 million tonnes while consumption in Uganda is only 1 million tonnes), is being absorbed in the region.

Uganda is very well endowed for agriculture.  Strangely, however, many of the families in agriculture have been living in poverty, just on account of ignorance, mainly, complicated by problems of poor leadership and some parasite arrangements in some parts of the country. 

I congratulate all Ugandans because when I fly over Uganda nowadays, I notice a spirit of Okusiimuka, Kuzukuka, Co (Acholi), Okwenyu (Ateso), Akenyun (Karamoja), Enga-oduasi (Lugbara), all of which mean “waking up”. What do I mean by “waking up”? The “waking up” I am talking about is more and more Ugandan families entering small scale commercial farming with “ekibaro”, “Cura”, “Otita”, “Aimar” ─ i.e. with the aim of maximizing financial returns per acre as we have been recommending to you ever since 1995.

On the issue of land fragmentation, I, again, advise Ugandans to stop dividing the land and the wealth as a consequence of inheritance and only divide the net income from the land and the wealth (after removing costs) among the beneficiaries (Abasika, abahunguzi, okakare, olewange).

As we wake up to the importance of commercial agriculture, we shall discover the need for irrigation.  Where will the water for irrigation come from if we have dried the swamps?  This is what we discovered in Kabale with the apple grower in Rukiga County. 

The swamps can be used economically by the people that are near them but in an eco-friendly way such as fish farming which can be done on the periphery of the swamps. Fish farming is much, much more profitable than the other forms of agriculture and yet we can, then, preserve the swamp, the water, the bigugu, etc. 

Value addition is very crucial as already pointed out under industrialization. Through research, we have already developed improved seeds and breeding stock. 

Some Ugandan families had joined commercial coffee growing in the colonial era, different from the traditional coffee for chewing.  Indeed, Uganda has been producing 4 million bags, of 60 kgs, per annum for a long time. 

Out of this, Uganda earns US$ 400 million per year.  The NRM is now, however, up-scaling the industry of coffee to new heights. 

We have improved seeds for coffee, maize, cotton, beans, millet, etc. as well as dairy cattle, goats, pigs, poultry, etc.

We gave freedom to the private sector to operate, reinforced it by privatizing Government companies and liberalizing marketing, not to forget the return of Asian properties.  The only impediment to the private sector operations is corruption by Government officials. 

With increased supply of affordable electricity, we are on the verge of large-scale industrialization, starting with value addition to all our agricultural product and minerals.  Our people are now educated and can run manufacturing enterprises.  With the expanded Innovation Fund, we shall support as many of our groups, mainly youth or women, to process as much of our agricultural products as is necessary.

Production of maize in 1986 was 200,000 tonnes per annum.  It is now 4 million tonnes.  Much of this maize needs to be processed into flour for human consumption and into animal feeds (for chicken, pigs, etc., etc.).  Milk production in 1986 was 200 million litres per annum.  It is now 2 billion litres per annum.  There is some processing capacity but we need more processors. 

Industrialization will not only be based on agricultural products or minerals.  It will also be based on human skills in the form of light and heavy engineering (e.g. manufacturing spare parts of automobiles and, eventually, manufacturing heavy duty equipment).  Our scientists have already started with Kiira electric car as well as pick-ups and other vehicles.  They are just awaiting funding from the Innovation Fund.  At the small artisanal scale, I used the Najeera youth group to show what can be done in the cities for the youth. 

Skilling the youth has already started.  We are intensifying the effort by the plan to build a technical school in each constituency.  We already have a total of 57 technical and 42 vocational schools. 

Safe water for drinking now covers 73% for the urban population and 65% for the rural population.  We need to cover the other 23% for the urban and 35% for the rural population. I have directed the Ministry of Water to simplify the formula for providing the drinking water to the people.  Initially, it should be one borehole per village.  The villages are 60,000, including the town ones.  We already have 105,000 boreholes.

The towns and trading centres with piped water are 1,100 with a combined population of 8.2 million people.  By this systematic method, we are going to cover everybody in Uganda by supplying them with safe-water in the next 10 years.  Uganda, however, must also move from rain-fed agriculture to irrigation agriculture. 

The use of fertilizers in Uganda is very low.  The use of fertilizers in the USA is 132 kgs per hectare; in the EU, it is 150 kgs per ha; in India it is 157 kgs per ha; in China, it is 364 kgs per ha; in Latin America (Brazil), it is 175 kgs per ha; however, in Uganda, it is 2.5 kgs per ha. 

How much more shall we achieve if fertilizers, NPK, are used?  The sugarcane growers use fertilizers.  We shall help the tea growers to use fertilizers in the coming financial years.  Fortunately, we are building our own fertilizer industry for phosphates at Sukuru hills. Our oil and gas in Mwitanzigye will give us the Nitrogen.  We only need to get the potassium from South western Uganda-Katwe area- to complete the circle of NPK (Nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium).

Conclusion

If we love one another, celebrate our diversity, resist division and stay united, we will achieve greatness. Let us all join hands and declare the Year 2016 to be our year of prosperity. The year of building on the strong foundation we have laid to secure Uganda’s future.

I wish you a happy and prosperous New Year.

Stories Continues after ad