Museveni warns of intrigue and cliques in NRM

By John Masaba and David Lumu

President Yoweri Museveni has warned NRM party supporters and any other person bent on killing the cohesion in the party to stop.

Museveni said cohesion in the NRM party is very vital and that without it the party cannot stand the test of time.

The president was addressing Members of parliament at the party’s retreat at Kyakwanzi.

The president, who informed MPs that the main purpose of the retreat was to iron out differences in party, said some people in party had formed cliques which were affecting the cohesion in the party.

“We shall defeat everybody bent on disorganizing the NRM,” he said.

During the retreat, the president also called upon the MPs to join the government in coordinating and supervising NAADS.

He informed MPs that since 2001, the government had sunk sh800b in the project, but said the programme has not yielded the desired results.

He blasted NAADS officials whom he said had involved themselves in politics instead of carrying out their appointed roles of mobilizing farmers to embrace the programme.

He said the government was going to adopt a new model dubbed the ‘four acre plan’ which will see farmers practice mixed farming so to diverse their sources of income. On each farm, the president explained that each NAADS farmer would be required reserve two acres for elephant grass growing and livestock, one acre for coffee growing and another acre would be reserved for banana growing.

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Prime minister Amama Mbabazi talking to President Museveni at the NRM retreat in Kyankwanzi. PHOTO: PPU

The President explained that the model has been tried out in Luwero under the supervision of General Salem Saleh and Brig Proscovia Nalweyiso with an initial investment of sh5b and was doing wonders.

About the economy, President Museveni said the speed at which it was growing was unstoppable because of the good atmosphere the NRM government has created.

He said the government has carried out a mineral exploration and discovered that Uganda is has a lot of mineral wealth, which he said, can be exploited for about 400 years before they can they can be depleted.

He said that as a result he can sleep comfortably at State House knowing that the country’s future is secure.

Commenting about Uganda’s involvement in South Sudan, the president said Uganda was acting in the best interest of protecting the economy.

He said the deputy Governor of Bank of Uganda had given him figures which showed that Uganda gets $450m from exports to South Sudan per year and $250 from remittances from Ugandans working there.

This contribution, he said, could not be guaranteed unless there was security in Sudan, hence his decision to take UPDF there.

He predicted that if South Sudan is secured the country’s economy is expected grow steadily. He predicted that in financial year 2014-2015, Uganda’s GDP is expected to be about 70 trillion.

The President warned leaders in Uganda to avoid the careerism mentality in politics, saying politics is a calling and mission to serve country.

The president warned judges whom are said have made it a habit of granting bail to everybody, saying it was unacceptable. He said he is considering taking the issue to parliament to be decided on by MPs.

“This trend of giving bail to rapist, thieves, and defilers is totally unacceptable. We may have to use our numerical strength in the House to change this,” he said.

He said he has built a strong army, but some people were trying to corrupt them with sectarian tendencies.

“We will politely try to push them to desist form preaching tribalism. If they don’t stop, we shall confront them,” he said.