President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has commended the communities in  Busoga in Eastern Uganda for taking part in the protracted struggle that brought the National Resistance Movement (NRM) government into power in 1986.

Commending the people of Busoga for their role in the struggle, he revealed that his first engagement with some politicians in the region was in 1972. 

He said that his group included: Eng. Sam Kasadha, William Nkoko, Rashid Ntale and James Mbigit, (driver our tipper lorry and Badru Lubanga, the photographer).

"In the second mission, we had the likes of Mzee Kirunda Kivejinja and they supported us all the time. After the victory you have been supporting the NRM,” said Museveni in his address to thousands at St. John SSS Wakitaka Playgrounds in Jinja City.

The President who was in company of the First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, Maama Janet Museveni, made the remarks today while officiating at the 38th NRM victory anniversary celebrations. The commemoration ran under the theme: “Building a Country we all cherish”.

The day, which is celebrated annually on 26th January to commemorate the 1986 successful military takeover of the NRA/M government after the five-year armed struggle led by Museveni.

President Museveni noted that he was happy that Ugandans were celebrating this year's victory day in Jinja, attributing the decision to the support the people of Busoga have been giving to the ruling government.

He took the opportunity to lecture the community on generating income. 

He urged the locals to listen carefully to the NRM message if they are to overcome poverty and create wealth for their homesteads. 

He emphasized the need to embrace the four-acre model with calculation in order to enhance their livelihoods.

“When I came here in 2018, I told you what you should do. In 1995, I was here talking about the same thing. You never heard me talking about sugarcanes because to recommend sugarcanes to someone with four acres and less is to condemn him to poverty; sugarcane and cotton are not crops for a person with small land. We need them but they should be grown by people with medium or large pieces of land,” the President noted.

“For the small pieces of land we recommended coffee, fruits, zero grazing for dairy cattle, food crops, then in the backyard you put pigs if you are not a Muslim, chicken for eggs, then finally fish farming, you can have fish farming in a friendly environment.”

President Museveni also cautioned the locals against encroaching on swamps in the name of rice growing. He urged that the swamps should be preserved so that the water from them is pumped to dry land for irrigation.

On the other hand, President Museveni rallied the people of Busoga to support his renewed fight against the saboteurs of the Universal Primary Education (UPE).

“When we were coming, me and Maama, stopped at Nyenga and the wanainchi came; there were many children who gathered. Now those wanainchi are free inspectors of government programs.

They monitor government programs free of charge, like that group; I asked them if these children go to school, they said some, but many don't go to school. I said, why? They said they were sent out of school because of fees. In 1996 after that election, we introduced UPE.

“We said the money you have been paying the government will pay it, don’t pay any more. And we have been sending that money to these schools, but the Head Teachers and the PTA don't respect that, they take the money and go ahead to charge fees from parents and that is how children are sent away from schools. We told these people, stop charging these parents money and if the capitation grant, we are sending is not enough say it so that we add more. In the coming Financial Year, the government will start a new campaign to deal with the issue. I want support from all of you so that we don't tolerate anybody who undermines that program,” he added, according to a release from the Presidential Press Unit.

President Museveni also revealed that during the Nyenga stopover, the residents informed him together with Maama Janet that they have never received the Parish Development Model (PDM) funds, thus noting that, “So Maama Janet said she will go back to that particular place with the MP of the area to find out what happens to the money of that Parish. That was free Intelligence from the wanainchi.”

“Then they told me that this road from the Bridge to Mukono through Buikwe was finished two years ago but potholes have started developing and indeed I started to see the potholes when I was coming. So, I want Gen. Katumba to find out what happened, we have just finished that road.”

For the jobs for the young people, in one of the speeches I told you that if you adopt the method of commercial agriculture like the method of Nyakana in Fort Portal, you can employ 10 people like him. We have like 9 million families in Uganda, let us say the ones in the villages are 7 million, and most of them have land. If each one employs 10 people, we shall have 70 million jobs, more than the population of Uganda, we shall have to import more workers from other countries.”

President Museveni further pledged to the locals that the government was in plans to work on the major roads in the subregion.

“There are many roads we want to do but we shall start with the major ones like the Jinja Bridge- Budondo- Butagaya-Matumu road, Kamuli to Bukungu, Iganga through Luuka to Kamuli and Kaliro.”

At the same event, a middle-aged man one Moses Ssimbwa took to the microphone and confessed that he was used by the opposition to falsely accuse the government of torture.

“I'm a road accident victim whom they (opposition) took to Nairobi where I claimed that I was tortured by the Ugandan government.

They told me to accuse government of torture. I said so because I needed money. Mr. President, I'm very sorry for all that I did.

 I'm here to ask for forgiveness for all that happened. The politicians use us because we want money. I am here today to expose the dirty linen of the opposition. 

I spent three years in hiding until I called Hon. Babalanda for help because my health situation was not good. My leg got injured in the accident but not torture,” Mr. Ssimbwa said. 

By press time, leaders in the opposition had not commented about Ssimbwa. 

In response, President Museveni said, “We in the security system that we know and at the right time we are going to expose this bogus group, the opposition. They go talk with Europeans to see how to force Uganda to be a foreign puppet, but they don't know how strong the NRM is. Like some people announced that we are not giving more money to Uganda, but we are moving forward because of the strength which we have, we built it on our own with the support of our two brothers Mwalimu Nyerere and Samora Machel.”

When she took to the podium, Vice President, Jessica Alupo congratulated President Museveni and the people of Uganda on the 38th NRM victory day anniversary and urged the Busoga communities to support the President of Uganda and the NRM government.

The Minister for Presidency, Babirye Milly Babalanda congratulated President Museveni and Ugandans at large for reaching the 38th NRM victory day anniversary.

She also congratulated President Museveni for the success of NAM and G-77 Summits where he assumed chairmanship for both international fora.

“On behalf of the people of Busoga who have a permanent bond with you, we welcome you here today. The people of Busoga contributed greatly in all the stages of the protracted struggle,” she said.

“I commend my young sister Natasha Museveni Karugire who is documenting the people who contributed to the struggle.”

During the event, at least 52 Ugandans (some deceased "received medals and one of the medalists was the former Kyabazinga of Busoga His Royal Highness Henry Wako Muloki who contributed greatly and largely in the external wing of the struggle.

Dignitaries at the events included: The ceremony was also attended by the Chief Justice, His Lordship Alfonse Owiny-Dollo, the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Rt Hon. Thomas Tayebwa, the NRM First Vice National Chairman, Alhajj Moses Kigongo, several ministers t, Ministers, Members of Parliament, Members of the Diplomatic Corps, security agencies leadership, religious and cultural leaders, among others.