As it happened | Museveni delivers State of Nation Address

WATCH PRESIDENT MUSEVENI DELIVER THE STATE OF NATION ADDRESS 2020





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3:13pm  |  President Museveni begins State of the Nation Address

The Speaker has invited the President to deliver his address. He is doing so remotely - from State House. Museveni starts off by pointing out the ten-point programme his Government has been following:

Restoration of democracy

Restoration of security

Consolidation of national unity and elimination of all forms of sectarianism

Defending and consolidating nation independence

Building an independent, integrated and self-sustaining national economy

Restoration and improvement of social services and rehabilitation of war-ravaged areas

Elimination of corruption and misuse of power

Redressing errors that have resulted in the dislocation of some sectors of the population

Cooperation with other African countries

Doing all this following an economic strategy of a mixed economy


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2:58pm  |  One function, two venues

In her opening of today's parliamentary sesssion, Speaker Rebecca Kadaga underlines that today's is the fifth and last State of the Nation Address of the 10th Parliament.

Today, the President is expected to give a highlight of activities and achievements of his Government in the last one year, as well as the plans for the year ahead.

Kadaga is keen to add that today's session is unique in that it is being conducted in two separate venues - Parliament and State House - due to the coronavirus restrictions. She adds that COVID-19 has stretched the capacity of Commonwealth parliaments to remain fully functional. On the guidance of the World Health Organisation - Uganda and the Ministry of Health, Parliament has had to continue operating but with restrict guidelines observed to prevent the spread of the deadly coronavirus.

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2:48pm  |  Time for anthems

The band at Parliament is leading the national and East African anthems. President Museveni and his wife Janet are taking part remotely from State House.

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2:00pm  |  Scientific SONA

At a time when improvisations have to be made to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the President will deliver the State of the Nation Address to Parliament via zoom. You may also want to know that the delivery will also be broadcast on all TV and radio stations.

The initial scheduled time for the address was 2:00pm, but from the look of things, this will delay a little bit.


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1:38pm  |  Public transport roars back to life

Until today, Ugandans have for weeks had to make do without public transport as one of the many measures enforced to check the spread of the deadly coronavirus. But resumption of public transport has not been all smooth going. The demand for public transport like commuter taxis and buses has shot up, yet one of the conditions for their return on the road is that they must carry half the number of passengers they would normally transport. The impact of this has inevitably trickled down to the travellers, who now have to pay more to be moved from point A to B.

All passengers are also required to wear face masks when in the vehicles and out in the public.

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1:30pm  |   Welcome everyone

Hello and welcome to this afternoon's live text coverage of the State of the Nation Address by President Yoweri Museveni. He is expected to touch on a wide range of subjects, including the coronavirus pandemic that has dealt a significantly huge blow to the economy.