President Museveni has cautioned leaders especially the Members of Parliament against using personal money to solve the problems of their constituents.
“They do this because they love you and are trying to please you but they are trying to do so in a very dangerous way to themselves. I have been telling them that don’t use your small money for the public, the government can do that work. You just monitor what the government is doing and follow the government’s plans. Now you have seen, that we have sent Shs100m per parish through the Parish Development Model. This year, the following year, we shall do the same.”
He also pledged that soon the government will be able to improve the infrastructural development in Dokolo such as electricity and water bridges.
The President made the remarks at Atabu Primary School Playground, Dokolo while campaigning for the NRM flag bearer for Dokolo District Woman Parliamentary Seat By-election, Ms. Janet Adongo Rose Elau.
The voting is slated for Thursday 21st, March, 2024.
On the issue of wealth creation, President Museveni urged the people of Dokolo to embrace the four-acre model type of commercial agriculture to help themselves move out of poverty.
He advised that through the Parish Development Model, they will be able to secure funds to help them carry out the project.
“In the first acre grow coffee, the second acre put fruits especially mangoes, oranges and so on, acre number three grow pasture for the milk cows, acre number four put food crops like cassava. Then if you are near the wetland, do fish farming, in the backyard put poultry farming and piggery if you are not a Muslim. These are the seven activities I recommended. It is in writing and where people have done it are doing very well.”
The NRM Secretary General, Rt. Hon. Richard Todwong, thanked the NRM secretariat leadership and all team members for being on the ground and campaigning for the party flag bearer.
“If we had more time, definitely, we would have reached village by village, but we didn’t have much time, most of the campaigns were structured around the sub-counties,” Rt. Hon. Todwong said.
“We did not do the register update in Dokolo because of the campaigns which were going on and I would like to assure the people of Dokolo that next week, we shall send their books and start registering in the villages after elections,” he added.
The NRM Director for Mobilisation, Cadre Identification, Recruitment and Placement, Hon. Rosemary Nansubuga Seninde, assured President Museveni that with God, they will be able to win the by-election.
“With no doubt, you’re coming here, Your Excellency, is going to add a lot to this effort. Your Excellency, the time we came here was not easy, but we thank God that in the one month we have spent here we have been able to do a great job,” Hon. Nansubuga said.
“Your Excellency, we have been able to meet traditional leaders, religious leaders, and special groups and we have made rallies in all the parishes; meeting people coming from various villages. All these have shown massive support for our candidate. And I want to thank the people of Dokolo for receiving our candidate. Every time we have come to you, you have shown your readiness to support NRM and this is the time to show that you support NRM by voting for Adongo.”
At the second rally held at Amatiburu Primary School Playground, President Museveni reiterated his call against the politics of identity.
“Why do you emphasize the politics of identity when the People’s needs are the same? Their needs such as hunger, poverty, health, and infrastructure are all the same, why do you look at their identity against their needs?” he wondered.
“In 1966, Obote fought with Mutesa, and the constitution collapsed. In 1971, Amin came in and we had to fight now. Again, in the fighting, the same issues came up. For us, we were pushing for no sectarianism, but other groups had different ways of working. The politics of identity led to the collapse of the economy.”
President Museveni also explained that due to NRM’s correct analysis of not accepting tribalism and religious sectarianism and working for the unity of the people of Uganda, the government has been able to deal with challenges affecting Ugandans.
“When we came in, we had other challenges like the wars in South Sudan, Kony and all that, the cattle rustlers in Karamoja and the Western Nile armed groups but because of our correct strategy, we were able to overcome all that. Therefore, we have been able to get peace in the whole of the country and the ADF who are remaining in Congo we are hitting them every day. The NRM government has proved that it can bring peace and it can also deal with other needs of the people.”
The President also tasked the people of Dokolo to work towards improving their household incomes through commercial agriculture.
“This has been our poverty eradication prescription in our homes. We started with NAADS, then Operation Wealth Creation and now we have brought the PDM. Those who have listened to us are doing very well. There’s one of your NRM people called Nyakana near Fort Portal. The man is earning more than Shs250m from one acre where he rears 8 dairy cows and eggs from hens,” he said.
“As we are campaigning now, I want to remind you of our answers towards people’s needs. The politics of NRM is not politics of Identity but politics of people’s needs. The needs are in two categories; some are “ours”, some are” mine” and we have shown you a solution to each one of them. When I talk of the four-acre model, I’m talking about the small people but the people with big land can do other things like ranching and sugarcane. Then we have got Emyooga, for other activities like carpentry, welding etc. So, there’s no excuse. You NRM people when you are mobilising, mobilize people on how they can solve their needs using government support.”
The Dokolo South MP, Hon. Felix Okot Ogong thanked President Museveni for making Dokolo a district and creating two constituencies for them which has since improved service delivery in the area.
The rallies were also attended by the Government Chief Whip, Hon. Hamson Obua, Minister of Health, Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng, the Minister of State for Economic Monitoring, Hon. Beatrice Akello Akori, NRM leaders, among others.