President Museveni praises Odrek Rwabwogo on ideology

Oct 23, 2015

President Yoweri Museveni has officially signed off the NRM ideological and mentorship training manual authored by businessman Odrek Rwabwogo.

By Vision Reporter   

President Yoweri Museveni has officially signed off the NRM ideological and mentorship training manual authored by businessman Odrek Rwabwogo.


The President also cleared Rwabwogo to continue the training sessions across the country, he (Rwabwogo) had stopped when his bid for the Vice Chairman of the party for the western region, was halted by the party's central executive committee.

Rwabwogo had exerted immense pressure on both Generals Matayo Kyaligonza and Kahinda Otafire when he challenged them for the post of Vice chairman for the west and attracted massive support from young people and a cross section of leaders in the party.

At a meeting at State House Entebbe which went late into the night and, attended by leaders of all the five regions of the country who included NRM district chairmen, LCV chairmen, MPs, youth leaders and various elders, the President praised Rwabwogo's teaching and mentorship drive in the NRM calling it "the Renaissence of the Movement". He likened Rwabwogo's work to that of the Balokore movement of the 1940s who he said "saved the church from collapse".

He said "Rwabwogo had exercised his democratic right to stand and hadn't consulted me. I hadn't seen his work. I didn't know that he was so focused on our ideology and can help write the syllabus of the a Party's ideology. Now I am convinced that he should continue with his team and we should find a way to support this work.

Rwabwogo seems to have been listening to me closely and learnt a lot from me. I thought he was simply a businessman focused on his milk sales. I had no idea he could clearly and ably trace the process of social formation and how to change society for better".

Some of the elders  from western region who were led by Mzee Tushabe Karobwa of Kabarole and Mzee  Mutiti Nyendwoha of Bulisa, asked the President to consider revamping the teaching of the NRM ideology at all levels in the country in order to save the party from the current organizational weaknesses.

Mathew Bagonza, a youth leader from Hoima, Mr. Wasswa Masokoyi from Mbale and Ms. Irene Atek from Gulu who all represented the youth, asked the President to create an ideology mentorship department in his office to continue work begun by Rwabwogo.

"In the east we are suffering because of the death of the kind of teaching Rwabwogo has been doing. He had helped breathe life in our structures" said Masokoyi.

The President said, "CEC only counseled Rwabwogo to not mix the ideological awakening work he was doing with the search for a position. Position will have its right time and it will come. You can't be a mulokore leading the awakening revolution and you also say I 'want to be a priest'. Many of the Balokoles were not priests. They were ordinary people like Rwabwogo who helped the church. People will misunderstand you when you mix Bulokoleship with a position. There is a proper time for this position. It will come when you focus on the work so that people understand you well when your time comes. You must separate ideology from tactics and strategy".

In his remarks, Rwabwogo who had earlier made a ground breaking presentation to the President mixing audio-visuals with charts and graphs, tracing the evolution of man  and society, the work and values of the NRM, said "this battle for me was never about a position. We were seeking for a platform to advance the ideals of the Movement and to tell the story of this liberation organisation that gave us a better country. We reached all the corners of Uganda before we were stopped and we spoke to lower level leaders who had never seen this kind of teaching. We would like  to reach the 20 million youth born after 1986 and make this organization their first port of call for good politics".

Rwabwogo thanked the President for inspiring generations of youths and for allowing the team to return to work.

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