The CEC Committee of the ruling party, National Resistance Movement (NRM) has resolved that all the party’s primaries including those of Members of Parliament, be conducted by lining up.
The five-day retreat which commenced on Saturday at Chobe Safari Lodge in Nwoya district, is presided over by President Yoweri Museveni, who doubles as the party’s National Chairperson.
The President called for the retreat to discuss four areas including Ideology and strategy, Economy, Constitutional amendments and resource mobilisation.
According to Rodgers Mulindwa, the party’s communications officer, decision now awaits amendment of the party’s constitution.
“The members of the Central Executive Committee (CEC) have agreed to recommend to members and other organs, the amendment of the Party Constitution to provide for lining-up as a mode for all internal elections,” Mulindwa said in a statement.
While opening the retreat yesterday, Museveni said that their focus should be on the ways of economically transforming the 68% of the population in the villages who are still marred in subsistence agriculture.
“Our problem now is the 68% of our people still in subsistance farming. This is our weakest point. We need to discuss this, agree, talk same language and act together,” he said.
CEC will today consider papers on the economy of Uganda with emphasis on how to transform the lives of the 68% households who have not emerged out of the Subsistence Production.
According to the President, Maruzi government Ranch in Nwoya district, will soon become a big palm oil plantation like Kalangala for oil and soap production. He says there are big sugarcane projects in Atiak and Amuru and that Nwoya is experiencing large scale commercial agricultural production.
On her part, the party’s Secretary General, Justine Kasule Lumumba cited an immediate need to curb corruption in the country, saying it hinders development.
“We must widen our knowledge about corruption in an effort to fight it. This is because it is negatively affecting the implementation of our manifesto and achieving vision 2040,” Lumumba said.
To enhance resource mobilisation for the party, CEC also set up a sub-committee chaired by the first National Vice Chairman of NRM, Moses Kigongo, and National Treasurer, Rose Namayanja Nsereko as its Secretary.
The committee is expected to report back to CEC within a period not exceeding one month.
Meanwhile, on Friday, CEC members visited and inspected the soon to be completed Karuma Hydro Power Dam and they will at a later stage discuss the findings and evaluation of this energy project.
Themed “Building on solid achievements, consolidating the unity of NRM and transformation of Wanainchi towards achieving vision 2040”, the retreat is expected to end on Wednesday February 20.