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SPEECH
BY
H.E. YOWERI KAGUTA MUSEVENI
PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF UGANDA
ON
INDEPENDENCE DAY
UNDER THE THEME:
“A DECLARATION OF AFRICAN INTERDEPENDENCE AND OUR SHARED DESTINY”
KOLOLO 9TH OCTOBER, 2022
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Excellencies, Heads of State and heads of delegations
from the brotherly countries of the EAC and from
friendly countries,
Their Excellencies the First Ladies,
H.E. Vice President of Uganda,
Rt. Hon. Speaker,
His Lordship the Chief Justice,
Rt. Hon Prime Minister,
Hon. Ministers,
Hon. Members of Parliament,
the Rt. Hon. Secretary General of the NRM,
Members of the Diplomatic Corps,
Ladies and Gentlemen.
First of all, I thank their Excellencies the Heads of State
for agreeing to come and share with us this joyous
occasion in spite of their busy schedules. I also thank
the brother countries that sent delegations. Secondly,
I congratulate all Ugandans on this occasion of the 60th
Anniversary of Uganda’s Independence. It has been
quite an eventful 60 years. Naye Abaganda tugamba
nti: “Ekitatta Muhima tekimumarako nte” – “if a
Muhima (a Munyankore) doe not die, even if the cattle
die, he will always get new cattle”. In spite of the
numerous problems over these 60 years, Uganda is
now standing and marching forward. It is not only
Uganda that faced problems; so did many African
countries. That is why, on this occasion, I would like
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to ask the African political class the following two
questions. Two historical questions are: “Are there
Professors of Economics in Africa? Is the African
Political Class determined to build a Latin America
in Africa Instead of the United States of Africa in
Africa?”
President Yoweri Museveni inspects Security Parade.Photo by Abu Mwesigwa/PPU.
Even by the time we defeated Idi Amin in 1979, our
thinking on the philosophical, ideological and strategic
issues, was well crystalized. Philosophy, tries to
understand man and his motivations. Ideology deals
with ideas about the management of Society and
strategy deals with the methods, used to implement
whatever plans you have for society.
On the side of philosophy, we had discovered that while
there may be some ultruistic actors in Society, the
majority of people were ego-centric. Hence, the wisdom
of using the private sector in the economy, without
banishing completely the use of parastatals.
On the side of ideology, we discovered that in order to
create prosperity for our people through the production
and sell of goods and services, we need to emphasize
the four principles of: patriotism (loving Uganda), panAfricanism (loving va Africa), socio-economic
transformation and democracy. In order to use our
understanding of philosophy and our ideology to create
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prosperity for our people, we evolved a strategy of 10
points programme. Point no. 5 of that programme, read
as follows: “Building an independent, integrated and
self-sustaining national economy”.
By that time, we had already discovered that one of
Africa’s problems, has been the curse of confining itself
to the export of raw-materials where we always get less
than 10% of the actual value of the end product out of
those raw-materials and the resultant loss of jobs to
the cleverer-led outsiders. The external parasite
groups, are always interested in perpetuating that
haemorrhage of resources and development energies
from Africa to other places. What is most infuriating,
however, are the comprador bourgeoisie (agents of
foreign interests) in Africa, who do two things. First of
all, they oppose our value addition efforts, so as to
frustrate our industrialization efforts. Secondly, they
are always importing everything from outside,
including trivialities like dead people’s hair. It is these
processes, that have stunted Africa’s growth.
It is a scandal, if there were people to recognize real
scandals. The global value for trade in coffee is US$460
billion. The coffee-growing Countries get only US$25
billion and Africa gets US$2.5 billion Uganda taking
US$800 million. The global automobile business is
US$2.86 trillion; Africa’s share is 30.44 billion. The
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global pharmaceutical business is US$ 1.42 trillion;
Africa’s share is US$16 billion. The global business for
furniture is US$654.20 billion; Africa’s share is
US$4.86 billion. The global business for textiles is US$
1 trillion; Africa’s share is US$ 31 billion. The global
business for cereals is US$1,337 billion; Africa’s share
is US$275.80 billion. The global business for milk is
US$308.8 billion; Africa’s share is US$18.06 billion.
The global business for fruits is US$622.80 billion;
Africa’s share is US$56.30 billion. The global business
for electronics is US$1,062 billion; Africa’s share is
US$82.16 billion. The global business for electrical
equipment is US$1,540.25 billion; Africa’s share is
US$120 billion. The global business for beef is
US$414.98 billion; Africa’s share is US$333.90 million.
The global business for fish is US$544.20 billion;
Africa’s share is US$46.87 billion.
It is this, that prompts me to ask the Question: “Are
there professors of economics in Africa?” Of course, it
should be the political leaders that should evolve
policies about these issues. The question, however, is:
“If the political actors do not see this haemorrhage, why
should the academicians not see it? Are they not
supposed to scan the global system as to what is going
on where and why?” Are professors and academicians,
not supposed to use their knowledge to see what is good
or bad for their people? It is a tragedy.
5 President Yoweri Museveni inspects Security Parade.Photo by Abu Mwesigwa/PPU.
Here, in Uganda, we have had to fight the neo-colonial
politicians, civil servants, parasitic importing
merchants, on account of this haemorrhage. Through
struggle, we have caused vertical integration in some
sectors outlined here below:
(1) Maize – to produce maize flour
(akahuunga); animal feeds; and
we are targeting starch and
ethanol.
(2) Milk – processed liquid milk, ghee,
butter, powdered milk, casein
proteins, cheese, yoghurt.
(3) Cotton – textiles, vegetable oil, animal
feeds, gun-powder being planned.
African market is flooded by dead
people’s clothes (emichwijuro)
from the USA and Europe known
as second hand clothes – thereby
exporting money and jobs.
(4) Sugar cane
(ebikoijo) – raw sugar, industrial sugar,
ethanol, rum, animal feeds,
electricity.
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(5) Cattle – beef, leather (recently).
(6) Fish – Fish fillet (there are 14 factories
operating now); Nile Perch maw is
being developed as a big export
earner.
(7) Bananas – banana flour; banana starch;
banana juice (Eshaande –
Omubisi); banana wine; banana
gin (waragi); alcohol sanitizers
(anti-corona);
– big war with the political class
and the bureaucrats over this
banana project; bananas good for
potassium and carbohydrates;
apart from vitamin C in ripe
bananas (amenvu).
(8) Fruits – fresh fruit exports; fruit juice
(Teju); fruit pulp; later jam.
(9) Sorghum – beer brewing.
(10) Pines – ceiling boards; furniture; until
recently, furniture for Uganda,
including Government
Kasoma,a member of UPDF reacts during a march past.
Deputy Speaker of Parliament Rt.Hon.Thomas Tayebwa with his wife Mrs. Rukundo Anita Tayebwa.Photo by Abu Mwesigwa/PPU.
President Yoweri Museveni with the first lady being received by the Vice President H.E Major (rtd) Jessica Alupo at Kololo for the function. Others are:the Chief Justice Owiny Dolo,Deputy Speaker Rt.Hon.Thomas Tayebwa, Prime Minister Rt.Hon.Robinah Nabbanja and the Minister For Presidency Babirye Babalanda.Photo by Abu Mwesigwa/PPU.
Members of the UPDF are seen in a march past during the function.Photo by Abu Mwesigwa/PPU.
President Yoweri Museveni is seen during the function.Photo by Abu Mwesigwa/PPU.
Kenyan new President with the first Lady Racheal arive at the function.Photo by Abu Mwesigwa/PPU.
Somalia President H.E Hassan Sheikh Mohamud is seen during the function.Photo by Abu Mwesigwa/PPU.
Members of the UPDF are seen in action during the function.Photo by Abu Mwesigwa/PPU.
President Yoweri Museveni with the first lady being received by the Vice President H.E Major (rtd) Jessica Alupo at Kololo for the function. Others are:the Chief Justice Owiny Dolo,Deputy Speaker Rt.Hon.Thomas Tayebwa, Prime Minister Rt.Hon.Robinah Nabbanja and the Minister For Presidency Babirye Babalanda.Photo by Abu Mwesigwa/PPU.


Dorothy Kisaka,KCCA ED with other guests.Photo by Ronald Kabuubi/KMA Updates.

Prime Minister Emeritus of the Republic of Uganda Rt.Hon.Amama Mbabazi is seen in attendance.Photo by Abu Mwesigwa/PPU.
Prime Minister Emeritus of the Republic of Uganda Rt.Hon.Amama Mbabazi is seen in attendance.Photo by Abu Mwesigwa/PPU.
Hon.Major General Ambassador Mwesige Fred is seen in attendance. Photo by Abu Mwesigwa/PPU.
Prime Minister Emeritus of the Republic of Uganda Rt.Hon. Dr.Ruhakana Rugunda,the Archbisahop of Uganda Rt Rev.Dr.Stephen Kazimba and other religious leaders in attendance.Photo by Abu Mwesigwa/PPU.
President Yoweri Museveni inspects Security Parade.Photo by Abu Mwesigwa/PPU.
Photo by Abu Mwesigwa/PPU.Members of the UPDF are seen in a march past during the function.
President Yoweri Museveni with the first lady and Minister Of Education Hon.Kataha Janet Museveni with heads Nations.Photo by Abu Mwesigwa/PPU.
Members of the UPDF Brass Band are seen in a march past during the function.Photo by Abu Mwesigwa/PPU.
The Secretary General Of East African Community Dr. Peter Mathuki during the function.Photo by Abu Mwesigwa/PPU.
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departments was being imported
from China, India, Dubai etc.;
imagine that!!
(11) Gold – Gold refinery – (for electronics,
jewellery, etc.)
(12) Limestone- Cement; cement blocks; pavers.
(13) Scrap metal
– steel bars (emitayimbwa); steel
gate doors.
(14) Used car batteries
– Recycled batteries
(15) Rubber – car and motor cycle tyres.
(16) PVC – plastics; textiles; blankets.
(17) Palm oil – soap; cooking oil.
(18) Sesame seeds (sim sim)
– Cooking oil; soap manufacture.
(19) Marble – marble tiles; sanitary ware.
(20) Clay – Industrial ceramics.
(21) Granite – pavers; building blocks.
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(22) Tea – tea leaves processing (there are 31
factories).
These achievements, have been in spite of the stiff
opposition we have been facing from the parasites and
their foreign backers, such as the Monitor Newspaper.
To take an example, this paper, on the 22nd of May,
2022, it said that: “Coffee deal stinks; but key culprit
will not be punished”. In other words, Museveni is
committing a crime by trying to add value to the
Ugandan Coffee.
Since 1986, I have been trying to get investors to add
value to our coffee. On the 12th of November, 1997, I
wrote a letter to Hon. Mayanja Nkangi to complain
about lack of movement on the issue. Our farmers, are
paid an equivalent of US$ 70 cents per kg of low-grade
coffee. The same kilogram, when roasted, ground into
powder and packaged, it sells for US$12.9 in a Super
market. This is the slavery I cannot accept. How can
it be that the Economics Professors of Africa, do not see
this? How can it be that the Ministries of Finance of
Africa, do not see this? On the 12th of November, 1997,
I wrote the following letter to Hon. Mayanja Nkangi,
who was our Minister of Finance at that time. It went
as follows:
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10
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After that, I engaged the Nestle group in Davos. They
made it clear that they already had their factory for
coffee processing in the UK and would not build a new
one. Hence, we had to remain as Raw-Material
producers, getting only 5% of the value of the coffee we
grow. They, moreover, try to muddy the water by
claiming that “blending” of the different coffees can only
take place in Europe etc. We told them that Uganda
had all the varieties and the blending would be done
here. That has been the war, I have been involved in
until I got the Vinci Company to help me. You heard
how some of the MPs were talking in that war.
Mwalimu Julius Nyerere, had built a coffee processing
factory in Bukoba, in Tanzania, near the border of
Uganda. When I heard of that, I linked our people with
that effort. They were producing an end product known
as “Star Coffee”. Unknown to me, the officials of
Uganda, allowed that effort to die out or get stunted.
What blindness and betrayal this is!!
To add to the story of coffee, there is the story of iron
ore. Uganda has got the purest iron ore (obutare) in the
world – 70% pure. The nearest is the one of Peru which
is 58% pure. An Indian company, working with some
locals, had planned to export this high-grade raw
material to India and to be paid US$47 per tonne. Out
of 1000kgs of this butare, when you process you get
700 kgs of steel. A tonne of steel, at that time, was
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selling at US$550. Today, a tonne of steel is US$ 700.
I stopped that theft. If I had not stopped that theft, it
would have meant that Uganda would be donating
money and jobs to the outsiders and would be losing
its natural resources and would remain perpetually
underdeveloped. I cannot be a part of this. We have
now, finally, got investors that are ready to build a
vertically integrated steel industry, that will produce
high strength products that we need for hydro-power
dams, for high-rise buildings, for the standard gauge
railway and for our auto-mobile and military
industries. Each year, Uganda spends US$362million
on the imported steel and steel products. East Africa,
spends US$2.5billion on steel products if you include
automobiles which consume alot of steel. Yes, we have
12 factories recycling scrap metal. This recycled steel
helps us to get mitayimbwa (steel bars) for low-strength
buildings. The products of recycled steel cannot,
however, be used for high-strength structures like
dams, the standard gauge railway etc. Hence, the
endless haemorrhage. Why should this be tolerated?
Why should this be happening in Africa 65 years after
Ghana’s independence? This crime of donating Africa’s
resources at a pittance to clever outsiders, applies to
copper, cobalt, tin, coltan, etc. Any wonder that African
youth do not have jobs and must go for semi-slave jobs
abroad? Those jobs are donated by African planners to
the outsiders. This is the war I have been fighting here
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in Uganda for the last 60 years. I thank those elements
in NRM that seriously support this position.
I appeal to all the others to support these liberation
efforts. It is a matter of survival and crucial for our
prosperity.
The second question I want to pose, again, is: “Is the
political class in Africa determined to build a Latin
America in Africa or a United States of Africa in Africa?”
This question should have been answered at
Independence. Mwalimu Nyerere, Nkrumah, Modibo
Keita, Sekou Toure and, may be, Lumumba (he was
killed too early), raised this question and tried to
answer it in a correct way. Their voices were, however,
smothered by the collaborators and, instead, the
nebulous OAU was created. In the last 500 years, two
good laboratories have emerged on the global stage:
Latin America and the North America continent.
European populations expanded into the two
continents of the Americas that were inhabited by
Indians of the West. The European populations, came
from Spain and Portugal to take over Latin America and
from the UK to take over North America. After 500
years, there is great prosperity in North America and
misery and poverty, in Latin America. Yet, in terms of
natural resources (water, forests, agricultural land,
minerals, etc.), Latin America, may be richer than
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North America. What, then, accounts for the
difference? The difference, partly, emerged from the
political-economic-organization of the two continents.
Latin America is excessively fragmented, politically and
economically, comprised of 12 countries and, if you
include the Caribbean, the total number of countries
rises to 25. The North American continent, on the other
hand, is comprised of only 3 countries: Mexico, the USA
and Canada. The USA is a 3 million sq. miles unit, with
a population of 332.4 million people. It is that big
market, that stimulated the growth of the USA
economy. It is not easy to be a successful business
person in Honduras (population 10,432,860), ElSalvador (population 6,336,392), Panama (population
4,408,581), etc., etc., on account of the small
populations. In Latin America, they never even
attempted to form a common market, like the one of
Europe. A common market, however, would not be free
of problems of discordance. You have seen Britain
walking out of that body and you have seen the
tensions with Hungary, Serbia, etc.
Hence, the best formula, if possible, so as to create a
framework for guaranteeing the prosperity of People, is
the USA formula – which entails both political and
economic integration. Here, in Africa, it points to the
creation of political federations, like the one of East
Africa. Such a Federation, would guarantee, not only
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the prosperity of the People through a big market that
would guarantee off-take for the producers of goods
and services, but it would also ensure strategic security
of People. Nobody would dare to threaten their
security. They would ensure their four dimensional
strategic security – on land, in the air, at sea and in
space. It would also deal with the problem of the
suppressed fraternity of the African Peoples. The 54
countries of Africa created by colonialism, do not pay
the slightest attention to the four linguistic groups of
Africa. The four are: the Niger-Congo; the NiloSaharan; the Afro-Asiatic; and the Khoisan. These are
the four clusters (obushaba) of nations (amahaanga)
based on languages. Obviously, the 54 countries do
not pay attention to this. Hence, here in East Africa,
you find the interlacustrine Bantus of this area, are
scattered in Uganda, Congo, Rwanda, Burundi,
Tanzania and Kenya. Yet, these are Peoples, whose
dialects are mutually intelligible. Some months ago, at
Munyonyo, I found a group of young people seated.
When I engaged them, I found they were Kenyans (in
itself a task to discover who is a Ugandan or a Kenyan).
I, then, asked one of them, a girl, what her name was.
Her answer: “Kwambuka”. “Kwambuka!! “Where do you
come from?”, was my next question. Her answer:
“Kisii”. “What does Kwambuka mean in Kisii?”, I asked
the young lady. The answer: “It means crossing a river
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or valley”
, the young lady answered!! That is exactly
what it meant in the Runyakitara dialects.
It is not only the Interlacustrine Bantu that are
fragmented in these countries. How about our Luos (in
South Sudan, Congo, Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia and
Tanzania). The Kalenjin (Uganda, South Sudan and
Kenya) and the Ateker (South Sudan, Congo, Uganda,
Kenya, Ethiopia and Tanzania)? When you talk of the
Luo (the Nilotics), you are talking of the Alurs, Acholis,
Langis, Japadhola, Luos, Anywak in Ethiopia, Kumam,
etc. When you talk of the Kalenjin, you are talking of
the Sabiny, Pokot, Nandis, Kipsigis, etc. When you talk
of the Ateker, you are talking of the Kakwas, the Bari,
the Topotha, the Turkana, the Karimajong, the Itesot,
etc. Where do the Masai belong? Are they Ateker or
Kalenjin? Help the author, please. However, I know
that they are, certainly, Nilo-Hamitic. In the case of
East Africa, we have the added bonus in the form of
fraternity of the Swahili language speakers.
It has, therefore, been long, ever since the NRM and its
pre-cursors, started supporting the struggle for the
realization of the dream of the East African Federation.
If we had achieved that by 1963 as the elders had
intended, this part of the World would be very far.
Some of the political elite, let down Africa in 1963 by
frustrating the effort. If the Federation had been
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launched in 1963, you can be sure that Idi Amin would
never have taken power in Uganda, there would have
been no genocide in Rwanda or the killings in Burundi,
Congo would have stabilized long ago, the problems of
South Sudan, would have been solved much earlier and
the problem of Somalia may not have turned out the
way it did. Even today, the sort of problems we are
facing, would be easily solved. Take the problem of
high food prices. A few years ago, Uganda produced
5million tonnes of maize. Uganda consumed only one
million tonnes because Ugandans have other foods. It
is only institutions and the animal feed manufacturers,
that use maize. There was, therefore, a surplus of 4
million tonnes which had no market in East Africa on
account of the non-tariff barriers (protectionism). The
prices collapsed and the farmers in Uganda, walked
away from growing maize. Only now to be told that
there is a big demand for maize and even people are
dying. The story of maize, is the same as the story of
milk, sugar, etc.
In my opinion, East Africans will be better off, if the
most efficient East African producers, are encouraged
so that the whole of the region benefits. Recently, I was
told of some attempts by some Ugandans to block rice
from Tanzania in order to “protect” the inefficient rice
growers of Uganda!! I could not accept such blindness.
Why, first of all, punish Ugandans to consume
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expensive rice while our Tanzanian brothers can
produce cheaper rice? The other blindness is that you
should remember that if you block Tanzanian rice,
Tanzania will also block something else from Uganda.
Where, then, is the future of prosperity for our region?
Why block East African products and open our markets
for subsidized goods from Europe, China, Brazil, etc.?
Those should be the ones to be blocked because they
are unfairly selling in our market. Foreign
Governments subsidized goods versus our
unsubsidized goods. If you allow subsidized Brazilian
products to kill the market for Uganda’s sugar in East
Africa, what return benefits will East Africa get from
Brazil?
East Africa is a potential super-power of the League of
India or China etc., if we integrate economically and
politically, assisted, fortunately, by the Swahili
language, which is part of the heritage of this area.
If our Economics Professors wake up and see the
haemorrhage the NRM revolutionaries have been
seeing ever since the 1960s on account of only
producing raw-materials and the political class
determines not to build a Latin America in Africa but
instead build a United States of Africa in Africa, a very
prosperous and secure future for Africa will be ensured.
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In spite of the missed opportunities in the East African
Region and in spite of so many avoidable mistakes that
were committed by different actors, Uganda, finally,
stabilized and started, not only growing, but also,
undergoing social-economic transformation, ever since
1986. The small independence enclave colonial
economy of 1962 of the 3Cs and 3Ts, had by 1986,
shrank by 25%. The 3Cs were: Coffee, Cotton and
Copper; and the 3Ts were: tobacco, tea and tourism.
By 1986, all the 3Cs had disappeared, except coffee
that was still limping on. All the 3Ts had disappeared,
except tobacco which was still limping on.
Having lost 24 years of the 60 years, the NRM, our
Movement, had fortunately, had many years of
clarifying our philosophical, ideological and strategy
positions on almost all issues of society and economy.
We had already distilled our four principles of
patriotism, Pan-Africanism, Social-economic
transformation and democracy. To realize the four
principles, we put forward the 10 points programme,
out of which point no. 5 was the one guiding us to build
an integrated, Independent and self-sustaining
national economy, that rejected the slave role of
confining ourselves to producing raw-materials.
The principle of patriotism struck a bloc at the politics
of identity (sectarianism of religion and tribes) and
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pushed forward the politics of the legitimate interests
of all sections of our People. That is why, ever since
1989, the NRM always won all elections by absolute
majority in both popular votes and the electoral
colleges. In the 1962 Independence elections, no Party
could win by absolute majority because they had
fragmented the electorate into sectarian groups that
could never attract broad support. Guided by our
principle of Pan-Africanism, when we won power, we
worked with Mzee Hassan Mwinyi, Mzee Benjamin
Mkapa, Mzee Daniel Arap Moi, supported by Mwalimu
Julius Nyerere who was still alive, to revive the EAC,
which was re-inaugurated on the 30th of November,
1999. Guided by the same principles, we stood with
the African brothers in Sou th Africa, Namibia, South
Sudan, Rwanda, Burundi, Somalia, etc. It is this
principle, that educates us not to aim at building a
Latin America in Africa but build a United States of
Africa in Africa – to ensure the prosperity of our people
and the strategic security of Africa. Our belief in
patriotism and Pan-Africanism, enabled us to build a
strong national Army for the first time since the
collapse of the Bachwezi Empire around the year 1500
AD. This is, partly, on account of the ideology of antisectarianism. We do not look at soldiers with sectarian
lenses, but with soldiership and ideological lenses for
patriotism. That is how we were able to build an Army
that could go for so long and anywhere for either no pay
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or low pay. This strong Army, has been always backed
by a vast structure of popular support in the form of
the RCs (diluted to LCs by the career politicians who
came later).
This peace architecture, has enabled the economy to
recover and thrive. By the end of the last financial year,
the size of the economy was US$45 billion, having
grown from US$1.5 billion in 1986. The economy had,
therefore, expanded 30 times since 1986 and we had
entered the lower end of the Middle-Income status with
a per capita GDP of US$1046. This was in spite of the
population growing from 14 million in 1986 to 43
million now. We could have achieved more if it was not
for the obstructions, we normally get from careerist
politicians and administrators or neo-colonial agents.
One of the big mistakes, has been the refusal by the
careerist political and administrative class, to
transform the pre-capitalist traditional society into a
food-secure and commercially active class with ekibaro
(cura, aimar, otita – esaabu) – looking for the most
remunerative enterprises compared to the family land
size and, generally, getting involved in the money
economy by the whole society. This is in spite of the
guidance we have been giving the Country ever since
1995 when I made the Country wide tour, giving facts
of what can be done after I had carried out the
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successful transformation in the cattle corridor. On
account of this criminal negligence by the political and
administrative classes, by 2013, the homesteads that
were still in the subsistence sector were 68%, having
been 96% in 1969. That is when I involved the Army
in OWC. The figures show that there has been a decline
in the homesteads that still work for ekidda kyonka (tic
me la keken – kufanyiya tumbo peke yake) – working
only for the stomach. With the Parish Development
Model and the Emyooga, not forgetting the bigger
Industrialization and modernization programme, we
are sure to, finally, involve all the homesteads in the
money economy with ekibaro (cura, aimar). We have
sent money to the Parish SACCOs and to the Emyooga
funds at the constituency. This is going to unleash
massive production of food, beverages, other rawmaterials, that must be processed by factories.
Moreover, the agriculture will now be firmly anchored
on irrigation. Therefore, the erraticness of production
in agriculture, is over. This, in turn, means that
damage to the water bodies must stop because we need
the water for irrigation.
Out of the 60 million acres of Uganda, 8,958,000 are
covered by water bodies and wetlands and assuming
we have forests covering 30% of the country, that would
leave us 15.3 million acres. If 10 million acres were
used for intensive agriculture of the 4 acres model, that
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would give us 2.5 million small farms. In the Rwengaju
area, our small scale farmers, using only one acre, are
employing 15 people per farm. Using this conservative
figure, the 2.5 million small farms, would employ 37.5
million People. Assuming the other 5 million acres
were for medium scale farming using farms of 100
acres each, we should have 50,000 farms. These, in
addition to the intensive agriculture activities of the
small farms, would, use extensive agriculture, to
produce maize, sugar-cane, cotton, tea, tobacco, etc.,
products that only make economic sense when they are
produced on large scale. These would create their own
jobs. All this is just in agriculture. How about industry
(manufacturing)? How about services? How about
ICT?
The problem, therefore, is not jobs. The problem is the
neo-colonial thinking that is always off the point and
not able to understand the strong potential of Africa.
Now that we have solved the problem of electricity, we
are moving full steam on all the opportunities of value
addition in agro-processing (fruit processing, animal
feeds from maize, cassava flour and starch, banana
flour and starch, ethanol from different sources, etc.);
paper from forest products; ceiling boards from forest
products; vertically integrated steel industry; full
processing of copper; fertilizer industry from our
phosphates; the pathogenic economy of vaccines and
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pharmaceuticals and diagnostics and sanitizers; the
knowledge industry of auto-mobiles and electronics;
etc., etc.
With our East African brothers and sisters, the sky is
the limit.
Recently, there was yet another manifestation of
Imperialistic arrogance and hegemonism by elements
in the European Union Parliament whereby they
decreed from Brussels that the East African Crude Oil
Pipeline should not be constructed, until those
arrogant actors permit us to do so. Parasitic elements
from that part of the World, have been causing
problems for Africa and the World for the last 500
years. It all started with 1453 AD when the Turkish
Ottomans captured Constantinople and blocked the
land route for Europe to the East for trade in silk,
spices, etc. The Europeans, led by Portugal,
legitimately, started looking for an alternative Sea route
to the East to outflank the blockade. Partly due to our
internal weaknesses, caused by the bankrupt tribal
chiefs, what started as a search for alternative route to
the East, soon became a mega-slave trading
phenomenon, colonialism, exploitation, looting and
genocide in Africa, Asia and the Americas. By 1900,
the whole of Africa had been colonized except for
Ethiopia.
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However, soon, the Africans and other colonized
Peoples, re-organized and launched a massive anticolonial movement in Africa, Asia, Latin America and
the struggle for equal rights by the Black nation in the
USA. The ANC was founded in South Africa in 1912.
By 1994, the arrogant imperialists were defeated in
South Africa. Earlier on, the colonized Peoples had
achieved victories in Indonesia, India, Indo-China
(Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos), Mozambique, Angola,
Guinea-Bissau, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Kenya and the
whole of Africa, either through armed struggle or
through peaceful mass struggles.
1994, with the liberation of South Africa, should have
marked the end of imperialist arrogance and meddling
in the affairs of their former victims. However, some
elements are incorrigible as you can see from this
resolution. The patriotic forces in the World are,
however, much stronger and the patriotic forces in
Uganda are much stronger and very capable in all
dimensions. The imperialists use the mistakes and
weaknesses of Africa. Otherwise, Africa is invincible as
was shown by the victories in Mozambique, Angola,
Zimbabwe, etc. East Africans, therefore, should not
worry that those arrogant People can stop the oil
project in East Africa. If any actor tries to delay our
project, we shall decisively deal with that betrayal
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according to the relevant laws. We shall develop all the
aspects of the project with willing partners. Initially, I
was not interested in the pipeline. I was only interested
in the refinery to produce petrol, diesel, aviation fuel,
etc., for the East African market. It is Total who
insisted even when Uganda has to give away US$12.7
per barrel to use that Pipeline. In the end, we
supported the pipeline because it contributes
something modest to our Tanzanian sisters and
brothers, who, under Mwalimu’s leadership,
contributed so much to Africa, including Uganda, in
the anti-colonialism effort. Besides, the pipeline
corridor, provided by the Tanzanian Government, will
bring to us gas from Tanzania and Mozambique
because our gas resources are not that big. We need
gas for fertilizer manufacture, to produce chemicals,
etc. Therefore, down with the imperialist, parasitic
meddlers. However, Africa should know that even
during the anti-colonial struggle, we had progressive
Whites that were on our side. Lord Fenner Brockway,
Sir Dingle Foot, Prof. George W. Shephard, etc., worked
with Mzee Musaazi in our anti-colonial struggle. Even
today, there are progressive forces in Western Europe,
who can work for the common good of humanity, who
are not part of White Chauvinism. We shall seek them
out. Most importantly, the oil project and other
projects are unstoppable. The NRM has always had a
correct philosophical, ideological and strategy grasp of
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all issues. Nothing can derail us. In spite of the good
movement in the World to curb the emissions of
greenhouse gases and move away from oil as a fuel for
cars, our oil will remain valuable. We shall still need
the oil for textiles like the shirt I am putting on. It is
65% polyester which is from oil. We need hydrocarbons for fertilizer (nitrogen), for plastics (pvc), for tar
for our roads. As you saw, we are moving on the electric
vehicles, electric piki pikis, using hydrogen for steel
manufacture etc. However, our oil will remain useful
for other non-polluting purposes. All living things have
carbon in them. Carbon is not a problem. The problem
has been the greed of foreigners who jump from this to
that looking for money without careful and honest
study. Before the coming of foreigners, Africa was
using solar energy, wind energy, etc., for drying things,
processing millet (okweera) and using carbon
(charcoal) for okuheesha (blacksmithing), in a
controlled way. With the more understanding of
natural laws (science), if we do away with greed, all
these products can be used safely and sustainably.
When oil will no longer be needed for driving cars, it will
serve us longer for use for the other purposes.
I thank everybody. In particular, I thank their
Excellencies: H.E. Evariste Ndayishimiye, President of
Burundi and Chairman of the East African
Community, H.E. Salva Kiir Mayardit, President of
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South Sudan, H.E. Hassan Sheikh Mohamud President
of the Republic of Somalia, H.E. Dr. William Samoei
Ruto, President of the Republic of Kenya, H.E. Dr.
Hussein Ali Mwinyi, President of Zanzibar and
Chairman of Revolutionary Council, representing the
President of the United Republic of Tanzania, His
Excellency Lihau Ebua Jean Pierre, Vice Prime Minister
and Minister of Public Service representing H.E. Felix
Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Hon.
Prof. Manasseh Nshuti, Minister of State for East
African Affairs of the Republic of Rwanda, Hon. Dr.
Peter Mutuku Mathuki, Secretary General of the East
African Community Affairs and Hon. Sadio Camara,
Minister of Defence of the Republic of Mali, for
honouring us by positively responding to my invitation
to be with us on this occasion. This is part of undugu.
Thank you so much.
Yoweri K. Museveni
P R E S I D E N T
9th October, 2022