PRESIDENT MUSEVENI'S SPEECH IN KASESE ON JANUARY 30

SPEECH BY H.E YOWERI KAGUTA MUSEVENI

PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF UGANDA

DURING THE 26 JANUARY NRM ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS

 

30^th JANUARY 2013                                     KASESE

   Fellow Country men and Country women.  I greet you and salute you on this 27^th Anniversary of the NRM’s Liberation of Kampala  on the 26^th of January, 1986.

The final attack on Kampala started on the 24^th of January, 1986, when our Forces crossed the Busega swamp and spent the night at Rubaga.  The following day the 25^th of January, our Forces fought the whole day and only entered the sprawling Lubiri barracks at night fall.  The following day, the 26^th of January, our Forces started assaulting Kampala Central through Bakuli, Kampala Road up to Radio Uganda.  This was the 1^st Battalion, led by the late Fred Mugisha.  Meanwhile, the 11^th Battalion, under the late Chefe Ali, was assaulting Nakulabye, Makerere, Wandegeya and Summit View.  The 7^th Battalion, under Matayo Kyaligonza and the late Stanley Muhangi, was assaulting Makindye barracks while the 5^th Battalion, under Ahmed Kashillingi and the late China was blocking Entebbe Road, at Kisubi.  I held the 3^rd Battalion under the late Patrick Lumumba in reserve, at Bulange (Republic House).   The 13^th Battalion, under Ivan Koreta, was blocking Gulu Road at Matugga.  The Task Force, under the late Jet Mwebaze, operated in eh area of Bwaise and was supposed to cross and block Mukono Road but they did not achieve this.  Meanwhile, the 19^th Battalion, under the late Peter Kerim, the 15^th Battalion, under Samson Mande and the 9^th Battalion, under Julius Chihanda were on the Hoima-Masindi axis.  I held the 21^st Battalion, under the late Benon Tumukunde, at Kasese because I afraid of the possible Mobutu’s intervention from that side.  Salim Saleh coordinated the attack on Kampala while Tinyefuuza coordinated the attack on the Hoima axis.

Radio Uganda and the Summit View were captured by about 1500 hours on the afternoon of the 26^th but Makindye held on up to about 1900 hours.  Meanwhile, at around 1400 hours, a worrying situation developed on Entebbe Road, when a large Force from Entebbe broke through the 5^th Battalion at Kisubi and was approaching Kampala from the rear.  I had to dispatch the 3^rd Battalion, under Salim Saleh and the late Lumumba to block this force at Najjanankumbi.  I, therefore, remained without a Reserve.  By 1900 hours, however, good news from all around came in ─ Makindye barracks had been captured and the 900 force at Zana from Entebbe had also surrendered.  The following day, the 27^th of January, 1986, I made a broadcast on Radio Uganda, announcing the victory.

When I call these forces Battalions, our young commanders to today should not think that they were the same size of our present Battalions of 760 officers and men.  None of these Battalions was less than 1,500 officers and men.  In fact 19^th Battalion was 1,900 officers and men.  We had arranged this in order to economize on the Command.  The few good Commanders we had would each command many companies (A, B, C, D, E, F, K, etc).  Therefore, the Liberation Battalions would accomplish bigger tasks than the standard Battalions.

Since that time, Uganda has moved a great distance.  The economy, which was 3.5 trillion shillings is now 50 trillion shillings (about US$ 20 billion). This means that the economy has expanded in size 14 times since 1986. Income per person which was US$ 264 in 1986, is now US$ 580 per person in spite of the population growing 2.3 times from 14 million people to 34 million people.  If the population had grown at a slower rate, Uganda would already be a middle-income country.  I do not, however, regret the growth of our population.  It is a great resource in itself.  We have struggled to educate this bigger population and we are succeeding.  As you, for instance, saw just recently, about 565,663 of our young people sat for Primary Leaving Education (P.L.E.) last year.   How many of our children sat for P.L.E. in 1986?  The figure was 150,000!!  The children in the secondary schools were only 123,479 students 1986.  The figure is now 1.23 million students.  These are big achievements.  In 1986, the share of industry in GDP was only 9.9% while services’ contribution to GDP was only 36.1%.  The relevant figures are now 26.8% and 44.8%, respectively.  The total export of goods and services in 1986, was only US$ 411 million in 1986 and this was because of the high coffee prices of that time; otherwise, the figures went as low as about US$ 260 million in 1988 and it further fell to US$ 177 million in 1990 because of the fall in the world coffee prices.  Last year our export earnings were US$ 4.5 billion.  Non-coffee exports of goods went from almost zero to US$ 1.7 billion last year.  The International Reserves grew from US$ 16 million in 1986 to US$ 2.9 billion in December, 2012.  Government tax revenue collections went from five billion shillings in 1986 to 6.6 trillion shillings last financial year.  Private investment increased from 5.2% of GDP in 1986 to 19% of GDP in 2012.  Remittances from Ugandans living abroad went from almost zero to US$ 879 million last financial year 2011/12. Therefore, if you add the remittances from to the export earnings of goods and services, the total inflows are US$ 5.4 billion. Inflation was 240% in 1986 but is now 5.5%

However, the economy could have grown much faster if it was not for some ideological confusion on the part of some of the actors that we are, sometimes, forced to work with.  The first problem was the delay in the modernizing our Army, after we had reduced it from 100,000 to 50,000 officers and men.  Some quarters took the views that we should spend less on the smaller army.  We, therefore, ended up with an under-equipped and smaller Army.  This made our people in the North to suffer under Kony and the cattle rustlers of Karamoja for much longer than was necessary.  When the Army was reduced in 1991, we should have straight away adequately equipped it.  It was not until 2001 that we took the decision to cut 23% from all the other ministries in order to start properly equipping the smaller Army ― a delay of 10 years.  The moment we did that, that was the end of Kony terrorism and the cattle rustling in Karamoja.  ADF terrorists are still in Congo.  However, if they dare cross the border, they know what happened to them last time in 2006 ― 100 of them entered Semliki valley, only 13 of them went back to Congo.  This delay in equipping the Army properly was an unnecessary mistake that cost us development time.

The other problem has been the mistake of delaying industrial projects ― rehabilitation of Kilembe mines , expansion of Lugazi sugar works, the implementation of the Amuru sugar project, the Dairy Corporation expansion and modernization, the Tororo Fertilizer factory, the Muko (Kabale) iron-ore processing project, the delay of the Bujagali hydropower project etc., etc.  The delays are caused by the need for compensation, arguments about land rights, arguments about the environment issues, internal political sabotage, etc.  I do not have time to deal with each of these arguments here.  However, delays of these projects affects the tempo of the growth and transformation of the economy.  Most importantly, it affects the job creation for the youth.  The development-minded people must resist sabotage to the future of our children.  What Africa lacks most, starting with Uganda, both in the past and today, are factories.  We were colonized because of lack of factories.  We are still lagging behind other continents because of lack of factories, not because of lack of clans, lack of forests, etc.  We have had plenty of these in the past.  Why did we remain backward?

Another cause of delays of industrial projects are either corrupt or indifferent officials.  Muko iron–ore project has been delayed because incapable people were given concessions.  Why do you give a concession to somebody who has no financial capacity to implement the project?  Kilembe Mines here, is delayed because of mis-applied procedures.  Kilembe Mines is not a procurement issue.  It is an investment issue.  Kalangala is now booming because we successfully resisted these misguided and quite often selfish schemes.  The Palm oil project has been successfully implemented. 

Soon, I am going to address Parliament, on the issue of corruption and criminality.  The NRM, from the bush days and from the very inception, apart from our patriotic and Pan-Africanist orientation, was motivated by the fight against criminality and corruption such as extrajudicial killings, raping of women, bribes, embezzlement, poaching of animals, etc.  We stopped extra-judicial killings by soldiers and other security staff, we stopped the poaching of animals in the National Parks, we stopped illegal roadblocks by soldiers, etc.  Why does somebody imagine that we cannot end embezzlement and bribery?  The recent successes in breaking into the rackets of suspected thieves is just a tip of the iceberg of what the NRM will do to reduce or even eliminate corruption.  Who broke into the suspected rackets of mega thieves in the office of the Prime Minister (OPM), the Ministry of Public Service, the Ministry of Finance, the Bank of Uganda (BOU), the Ministry of Heath, etc.?  It is the NRM sympathizers and the Police ― the young police officers whom we deliberately recruited to build the capacity of that institution. Who insisted on recruiting university graduates of high integrity into the Police?  It is the NRM and some of its precursors such as the UNLF in 1979.  Before that time, the Police and the Army were the preserve of the uneducated or the semi-educated.  Could those have coped with the high level fraud that you are witnessing today? We are going to win the battle against bribery and embezzlement as we won the other battles.  The only inconveniences we have in the fight against corruption, criminality, terrorism and political indiscipline is the practice of giving bail to the suspects indiscriminately.  I am going to propose an amendment to the relevant laws in this respect.

 

In order to improve Service Delivery and accelerate the industrialization of our country, there are two factors we must deal with ― pay the Scientists well as well as paying the Judges well and, eventually, pay all the Public Servants well.  When the money is, however, still scarce, let us start with the Scientists and the Judges – so that both our Scientific innovators and our Judges are comfortable.  One group to push the economy and the other one to administer justice fairly.  The next clusters of public servants to deal with on the issue of salaries will be the teachers, the health workers, the army and the other security personnel.

The Ugandans say: “Kamwe kamwe nigwo muganda” – ‘one by one makes a bundle’, “akwata empola atuuka wala” – ‘the one who makes modest efforts, in the end covers a long distance’.

I congratulate all of you on the 27^th Anniversary.

HAS NRM TRANSFORMED KASESE AS CLIAMED?

During the National Resistance Army gorilla war in the 1980’s, Kasese was one of the main bases that led to the capture of state power on January 26, 1986. Twenty seven years later, the NRM celebrations are now coming to Kasese.

The celebrations scheduled for January 26 were postponed to four days later due to unknown reasons that can only be revealed by the people inside the NRM main circles. However, our concern in this article is not about the celebrations but it is on what has NRM done to transform Kasese?

The District NRM chairman Dr. Crispus Kiyonga has been one of the most outstanding members of the government (Cabinet) since 1986 when NRA captured. He has a story to tell about the good deeds of the NRM in Kasese. It is very much known that he has nothing to say about the worst the government might have done to the district vast with natural resources.

Dr. Kiyounga who is also the Member of Parliament for Bukonzo West Constituency while speaking on the transformations of the NRM in the district where he is considered a giant politician and farmer, says many have been done.

He points out the industrial transformation. One of the cases in point is the expounding of the Hima Cement Factory. Although this is not a government entity but Dr. Kiyonga believes that the conducive environment given by the 27-year regime has given has helped the owners to do its business well.

Hima Cement now employees hundreds of Ugandans in skilled and non skilled labour whereby Kasese district is benefiting. From the factory, the district is getting unspecified millions of royalties including scholarships to the best performing pupil in Primary Leaving Examinations every year.

The district’s giant politician also talks of Kasese Cobalt Company limited a company that is reportedly in its phase out. But it has been a source of employment to many people in the country including those from Kasese.

Dr. Kiyonga proudly speaks of the plans to establish an industrial zone in Kasese Municipality and also the impending re-opening of mining activities in Kilembe as the upcoming boast in the industrialization of Kasese district.

Another form of transformation in the district is on education according to Dr. Kiyonga. The number of people with at least a bachelor’s degree in Kasese was countable when the current regime captured power in 1986. But the minister says there has been a great change to the fact that some now have PHD’s and also education has been boasted with a number of private institutions that major in skills training.

“When we came to power, the degrees in Kasese were very few but here we speak on hundreds of people who have achieved in education. We are now proud of a young man called Kule Balitazale whom I hear has been promoted from a secondary school headmaster to a level of an assistant commissioner. This is an achievement”. Dr. Kiyonga told UBC TV’s Matters of Policy talk show.

The minister also points a finger at the agriculture diversification in the district as another achievement of the NRM government. Through NAADS and general agriculture improvement has been recorded in Kasese. The hot culture has been thriving in the district because even a juice called the RWENZORI juice has been produced and is on sale in supermarkets across the country. This is from the mangoes in the minister and other people’s farms.

On infrastructure, the minister speaks proudly of the roads that have been opened in the mountainous areas to help the transportation of agriculture produce to the markets. He speaks of the “free drive” from Kilembe road through Mahango, Kitabu to Nyaruzigati joining the Kasese-Bwera road. Another example given by the minister is the Rugendabara-Kasangali road in Busongora North.

Other transformations aired out by the minister include, access to safe drinking water, improvement in the production of coffee and recognition of the Rwenzururu Kingdom.

To crown it up, the minister believes that it is only the NRM government that has transformed Kasese district in the matter of security. He talks of the wars ranging from the Rwenzururu Kingdom movement struggle geminating from misunderstandings in the Tooro Kingdom in 1962 to the recent Allied Democratic Forces Rebellion that rocked the district.

But the UPDF is now in charge of security and the border with the DRC is secure despite reports of ADF remnants regrouping across the border.

Kasese district is where it is not easy to determine whether the NRM has the edge over the opposition parties that are led by the Forum for Democratic Change. NRM has three members of parliament equal the number of FDC. Dr. Kiyonga describes the recent by-election for the woman MP as a leakage after NRM lost to the opposition chief whip Ms. Winfred Kiiza Nyabahasa.

He is quoted to have said “Kasese is still so much in our hands (NRM) because the district council is dominated by NRM. Hon. Winfred Kiiza just leaked through our hands recently but we have got the medicine”.

Some analysts say that the 37000 difference in the last year’s by-election determines the re-birth of FDC which has been dominating on presidential decisions before the recognition of the Rwenzururu Kingdom.

Other achievements of NRM.

•  The tarmacking of Katunguru, Bwera-to Kilembe road by SBI Construction Company.
• Recognizing Obusinga BwaRwenzururu-2009.
• Constructing Bwera Hospital in Mbondwe Lhubiriha town council.
• Fighting the ADF war that terrorized the area in 1996.
• Elevating Kasese town council to the Municipality status.
• Formation of Mbondwe Lhubiriha and Hima town councils.
• Rehabilitation of Mubuku Irrigation scheme-which is still under the rehabilitation process.
• The appointments of Dr. Crispus Kiyonga as Minister ever since NRM government come to power.
• At least seven people from Kasese have worked as RDCs (Aminadab, Isingoma, Bwebale, Bamusede, Muranga, David Masereka  and Pulikeria)

Reminder of the 10 point program of the NRM.

Democracy, Security, Consolidation of National security and elimination of all forms of sectarianism, Defending and consolidating National Independence, Building an independent/ integrated and self-sustaining national economy, Restoration and improvement of Social services and the rehabilitation of the war ravaged areas, Elimination of corruption and misuse of power, Redressing errors that have resulted in the dislocation of sections of the population

and improvement of others, Co-operation with other African countries in defending human and democratic rights of our brothers in other parts of Africa, and Following an economic strategy of mixed economy

TWO FISHERMEN DROWN ON LAKE GEORGE

Police in Kasese are investigating circumstances under which two fishermen living at the Kahendero landing site in Muhokya sub-county are being feared dead with a possibility of drowning in the waters of Lake George.

The Officer in Charge of Criminal Investigations Mr. Godwin Tumugumye confirmed that two fishermen are missing and there is belief that they had drowned in the water.

“Two bodies are under water of Lake George, I can confirm. There is nothing big police can do apart from investigating what might have been the cause. We are waiting to see the bodies retrieved by fellow fishermen so that we can order a postmortem test”. Mr. Tumugumye said.

Asked to identify the dead, the OC/CID said he was going to attend to another serious incident that has occurred in the district.

However, the Chairman LC II of Kahendero parish Mr. Dan Kantongole identified the victims as Makumbi Salongo, 50, and Habib Tinka, 35 all famous fishermen at Kahendero landing site.

Mr. Katongole said that Salongo was the first to drown in the water on Friday afternoon when he and a colleague identified as Kabuyo were trapping small fish to be used on the hooks about two kilometers from the landing site.

He said that a search was conducted in the water by the fishermen on Friday evening but in vain prompting another team to go back to the water on Saturday morning.

However, the Saturday morning search became tragic as one of the local divers called Habib Tinka never returned from the water where he had dived to find the body of Salongo. The search stopped discretely.

“Two of our fishermen are missing in the water and they have died we believe. On Friday only Kabuyo returned with the boat and said Salongo drowned. But when we reach the same place another person drowned. We do not know what is happening” Mr. Katongole said.

According to Mr. Katongole, the current incident comes with challenges and a lot of speculations because it has always been easy to retrieve bodies of other people who drown and killed by Hippopotami.

The death of the two fishermen whose bodies are hardly traced is likely to be as a result of being eaten by crocodiles, some residents speculate. Crocodiles have not been reported to causing harm on Lake Geroge although young ones have been seen at Hamukungu landing site of recent.

However, there is a possibility of the reptiles accessing Lake George because they have been injuring people on Kazinga Channel that connects Lake George and Lake Edward. It has been a story of crocodile attacks on Lake Edward especially in Katwe-Kabatoro town council where two people were eaten up two years back.

By press time, a six man team led by the Vice Chairman of the Beach Management Unit at Kahendero had boarded an engine boat to resume the search for the two bodies.

Mr. William Walakira the older brother to one of the victims (Salongo) described the death as  “ a threatening situation” because it was not so shallow where the two drowned to the extent of their bodies not being recovered.

He said the deceased has left behind a widow and five children.

THUGS HAVE VANDALIZED THE FENCE ON THE KASESE CATHOLIC DIOCESE ADMINISTRATION BLOCK

Police in Kasese are investigating circumstances under which unknown thugs have been attacking the Kasese Catholic diocesan administration premises leaving the fence vandalized.

Police was called to the scene at about 1am on Wednesday morning to respond to an attack by thugs who diocesan officials claimed was the fourth time the fence has been broken into.

The vandalized fence goes around the administration block and the residence of Bishop Egidio Ngaijanabwo.

However, the complainant in the matter Rev. Fr. David Kiiza said apart from the metallic poles that make the fence, no other diocesan properties have been stolen but the place is now insecure.

“Nothing else has been stolen from our offices apart from the metallic poles around our fence. No body has been hurt also in the many times the thugs have attacked the diocesan administration house”. Fr. Kiiza said.

Police on Thursday morning applied the services of a police dog which traced the thieves and ended at one of the welding workshops in Kilembe Quarters in Kamaiba parish a suburb of Kasese town.

Detectives led by the Officer in Charge of Criminal Investigations Mr. Godnwin Tumugumye then condoned the workshop before carrying out a search for the materials.

Mr. Tumugumye said on reaching the scene where the police dog stopped, the owner of the workshop and his workers fled. However, one suspect was arrested about one hour after as he allegedly returned to the scene after changing clothes.

The OC/CID said that on searching the workshop a number of stolen properties were recovered. He did not however confirm whether metallic poles stolen from Kasese diocese were also recovered.

“There is substantial evidence to help police in investigations because some stolen materials have been recovered in this workshop. We hope that when the owner is finally arrested, it will be easy to investigate the matter to its end”. Said Mr. Tumugumye.

Mr. Tumugumye said that on searching the workshop in the presence of the Local council one leader and onlookers some of the materials that included a Railway slipper, a dismantled police uniport were recovered.

Police impounded all the recovered materials, metallic doors, tool boxes and metallic poles that were found in the workshop.