Uganda is unstoppable Museveni declares as he announces war against corruption is key in socioeconomic transformation

Uganda’s President has outlined eight essential factors of success for Uganda and the wider Africa.

In a pivotal address during the 61st National Independence Day Celebrations in Kitgum District, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni outlined eight critical factors for Uganda’s success and broader African prosperity. Rejecting identity politics in favor of the politics of interests, he emphasized the need for economic infrastructure, the private sector’s role in wealth creation, social infrastructure, regional integration, international contacts, and, significantly, the elimination of corruption. The President vowed to crush corruption and warned that corrupt individuals are parasites detrimental to Uganda’s progress.

Furthermore, President Museveni addressed environmental protection, highlighting the importance of safeguarding wetlands, forests, rivers, lakes, and water-towers. He stressed the need to protect these vital environmental assets, which provide air, water, and food—the fundamental elements of life. With these eight strategies, President Museveni proclaimed Uganda’s unstoppable potential and dismissed the need for aid, asserting that it’s the mishandling of these strategies that hinders progress.

Additionally, Museveni issued directives regarding wetlands, emphasizing the relocation of those residing in wetland areas in Bukedi-Busoga in Eastern Uganda and Kigezi sub-region in the west. He pledged to come up with a comprehensive executive order to protect the environment. Finally, the President addressed the issue of cattle rustling in the Acholi sub-region, assuring the public that the government is intensifying efforts to combat this criminal activity and rooting out any collaboration between leaders and rustlers.

“While we recognize and respect the respective identities of our people (religion, tribes, gender), we insist that, in order to ensure the economic and social prosperity of our people, we must not forget their needs (food, jobs, market for their products, sources of raw materials for their industries, shelter, etc.). Our people need the supra-tribal Ugandan market and the Pan-African market, for their products to ensure their prosperity,” he expounded.

“Hence, the two principles of the NRM of patriotism and Pan-Africanism. Otherwise, we have told you, repeatedly, we shall build a Latin America in Africa instead of building a United States of Africa in Africa. You all watch on TV channels, the misery of the Latin American populations, walking on foot fleeing man-made poverty in their respective countries, their tremendous natural resources (the rivers, the forests, the minerals, the good climate for some of them, the ancient heritage of indigenous Indian Peoples, etc.) and culture notwithstanding, to the man-made affluence in the USA simply because the latter (the USA) emphasised integration while the former (Latin America) emphasised fragmentation.”

The President explained that emphasising the four principles of the NRM which include patriotism, Pan-Africanism, social-economic transformation and democracy, creates adequate space for guaranteeing the prosperity of the wealth creators (the farmers, the artisans, the manufacturers and, the services groups), by giving them a big enough market and also, by expunging sectarianism which act helps them in building strong national institutions such as the Army, that guarantees our security.

He noted that the ideology of patriotism and Pan-Africanism, also promotes harmony among the People.

“With these 8 ingredients, Uganda is unstoppable. With these eight, talk of aid is laughable. We do not need aid. It is the mishandling of these eight, that is the killer. We welcome the aid as long as it does not cripple us.”