President Museveni addressing Kalisizo residents on his tour of Rakai district

By Henry Mukasa
and Ali Mambule

THE National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS) support is not for the rich, but the poor, the President has said.

Addressing a rally at Kasasa sub-county, Rakai district yesterday, President Yoweri Museveni wondered why rich people went for NAADS money.

The residents had complained that the rich were also getting NAADS inputs.
“What type of rich people are these? May be you call them rich basing on village standards,” Museveni said.

He argued that a rich man like himself could easily obtain a bank loan. NAADS, he said, was meant to create role models for the rural poor to emulate.

Despite this, he urged the poor to learn the skills which the rich use to accumulate wealth.

Addressing a rally in Kakuuto town in Rakai district, Museveni explained, however, that the rich remained “our local brothers and sisters”.

“If they became rich before NAADS, what skill did they use? Learn from them,” Museveni advised.

Illustrating his point, Museveni said although he did not get a free ranch from colonialists, he learnt how to manage one. This, he added, had made him wealthy and his bank account was now his granary.

The President is on a four-day tour of southern Uganda to promote the Prosperity-for-All programme.

In Kalisizo town, Museveni toured Dr. Martin Kasirye’s poultry farm of 7,000 birds. He earns about sh156m annually from the sale of eggs.

On Wednesday, Museveni toured various farms in Rakai and donated sh3m and a shelter to coffee farmer Specioza Nanyonga.
At Mityebiri, he toured the livestock farm of Edward Sempijja and donated a feeds mixer to him. The President also promised a tractor to the district. Sempijja, in turn, gave Museveni a cow and two goats.

Museveni also promised the farmers fertilisers and food relief for widows and orphans suffering the effects of a severe drought.

The President said the impact of the drought would have been less if the people had engaged in income-generation activities instead of living “on the edge”.

Local leaders asked for an ambulance for Kakuuto hospital, milk cooling plants, prisons land and electricity.
Rakai chairman Vincent Semakula in addition asked the President to help revive Sango-bay sugar factory.

At Mutukula, residents said Tanzanians enjoy free entry to Uganda, but Ugandans do not have the same privileges. Museveni requested to speak to a Tanzanian official but no one turned up.