Most MPs are IDPs in Kampala - Museveni

Jun 19, 2013

President Yoweri Museveni has expressed worry that local leaders have not bothered to sensitize people about enterprises from which people can earn their livelihood.

President Yoweri Museveni has called on political leaders to sensitize their electorates to work hard and engage in enterprises that can help draw them out of poverty.

He stressed the significance of emphasizing wealth creation.

“To make people wait for the government to bring Entandikwa [start-up capital] is very bad. Government comes to help you in your assignments. Each person should know how best to work to get out of poverty.

“The leaders should help people get out of poverty. The tendency of people saying if the government does not provide, we will remain poor is bad. You should tell the people to struggle to get out of poverty. Entandikwa should be an additional by government,” said Museveni.

He made these remarks at the closure of a two-day and 19th Local Government Association annual general meeting at Imperial Botanical Beach Hotel in Entebbe on Tuesday.

The President pointed out that amid critical calls for attention on infrastructure in the country, people ignore the need for wealth creation and income improvement through modern agro-production, value addition including maize milling, houses for rent and shops among others.

His worry is that local leaders have not bothered to sensitize people about enterprises from which people can earn their livelihood.

And for this, Museveni blamed MPs for not spending time with their area people to sensitize them on the need to fight poverty in their households.

Most of the legislators have become internally displaced people living in Kampala, the president mused, because they ran away from the burden of the people asking for support in their constituencies.

Museveni cited the West Nile region where poverty rates remain high. “You still see poverty in West Nile near the tarmac road.”

He asked the leaders to prioritize their development plans in accordance with the resources at hand in order to have an impact on the ground.

The President backed the principle of decentralization in helping bring power nearer to the people and wondered if the elected leaders have used the power given to them to fight corruption and to defend the interest of the people to achieve development in their areas.

His direct concern is that despite the power leaders hold in fighting graft, the problem still exists at the local government level.

There is still a weakness in agriculture and agro processing while services like shops, boda bodas (motocyclists) and much more are doing well, observed Museveni. So he pressed on the need to encourage agro processing of products like milk coolers, honey extraction etc to widen economic development.

His stark belief is that the local economy can grow through commercialization of agriculture, services, agro processing, ICT, Industrial parks, and artisanship to attract reasonable labor.

Local leaders were appealed to inspect all the government development programs so that their objectives are achieved.

As it stands, many schools perform poorly because of the absence of inspection by local authorizes, among other factors.

PPU

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