Museveni arrives for State-of-the Nation Address

President Yoweri Museveni will deliver the State-of- the Nation Address to Parliament. The function will be held this afternoon at the Kampala Serena Hotel International Conference Centre.

The State-of -the Nation Address comes on the heels of key events such as Museveni's and the 10th Parliament's swearing-in following the February 18 general elections.  

The election of the Parliament Speaker, Rebecca Kadaga and her deputy Jacob Oulanyah were also recently paving way for Parliament to begin playing its function of making laws and scrutinizing the executive.

The Constitutional of Uganda under Article 101 (1) requires the President to deliver State-of- the Nation Address. The address happens at the annual opening of Parliament, it focuses on the current political and socio-economic state of the nation.

The article requires the President at the beginning of each session of Parliament; deliver to Parliament an address on the State-of-the Nation. The President may, also, in consultation with the Speaker, address Parliament from time to time, on any matter of national importance.

The address is not supposed to be a mere constitutional ritual but it should give the President opportunity to provide accountability on particular Government commitments since the last State-of -the Nation Address.

In the address the President is expected to provide key highlights of the budgets and government priorities. He is expected to list achievements made in the development towards reaching middle income status and achieving Vision 2040.

Some of the challenges facing the government are corruption, unemployment, low levels of investment and infrastructure development. There is anxiety about progress of the Standard Gauge Railway and progress on the construction of Karuma and Isimba and many mini hydro projects to boost power generation efforts urgently needed to push economic growth.

The government is also expected to improve its performance of the education, health, agriculture and economic sectors. In the economic sectors more emphasis is required to improve export performance to enable the country earn more foreign exchange.

Museveni recently told his outgoing Cabinet that when the National Resistance Movement (NRM) came into power Uganda had so many problems but majority have since then been resolved. He added that the next term will be much easier, as Uganda will have started exploring its oil. He promised that his new term would be for work.

 "We have finished the issue of the pipeline and are going to start exploring our oil. By 2019, we shall start earning money from the oil. Where we are going is becoming easier," he said.