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President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has urged the people of Bunyoro to engage in wealth creation activities such as commercial agriculture in order to fight poverty, increase their household incomes and create jobs.
While addressing the youths at Bunyoro Youth Empowerment Symposium in Masindi on Friday 20th September 2024, the President urged that demanding for roads, electricity and hospitals may not necessarily solve their household income problems.
“There’s a difference between development and wealth. Government can develop the country through offering better services such as roads, electricity and hospitals among other infrastructure, but it cannot put food on your table or create wealth for you; you need to work to kick poverty out of your homes,” the President said.
The function organised by the Minister of State for Youth and Children Affairs, Hon. Balaam Barugahara, aimed at tackling youth unemployment and promoting community development.
According to Hon. Balaam, Masindi, like many urban areas, has seen a rise in unemployment, particularly among young people, thus contributing to urban crime.
President Museveni reiterated to the youths that the antidote for poverty is wealth which moves hand in hand with development and creation of jobs. He urged the people to differentiate between development which benefits all and wealth which benefits an individual or family.
“Wealth enables you to construct yourself a good house. Even if you have electricity in the area, you will not have it in your home if you don’t have money to pay for it. Even if we make the roads, it will not take away the poverty in your home. A tarmac road will pass by your home, and you will remain poor,” H.E Museveni said, giving an example of the people in many of the areas that have witnessed good roads across Bunyoro sub region but have remained poor.
He said in the 1960s when he introduced dairy farming in the cattle corridor areas of North Ankole and Kiruhura there was no tarmac road but the people there became rich.
“In 1967, I went and bought land in Rwakitura and there were no roads and electricity. The areas were all bushy. It was the same situation when I bought land in Kisozi. By the time the good roads and electricity came, I was already a rich man, selling my milk and beef. Therefore, you people of Bunyoro should focus and concentrate on the basics and the rest will follow,” the President stated, promising to return to the area for a comprehensive discussion about the Parish Development Model, Emyooga and the issue of the infrastructure in the area.
He further encouraged the people to focus on his message of the 4-acre model and the seven activities, a message he has been preaching since the 1960s. The model encourages diversification, with one acre dedicated to coffee cultivation, another to fruit trees, the third to staple crops for household consumption, and the fourth to pasture for livestock. He added that at the backyard, a farmer can rear poultry and piggery.
He said this is among the ways through which jobs are created, giving an example of Hon. Fred Byamukama [Minister of State for Transport] who makes profits of shs.800 million per year from the activities; of poultry, coffee, piggery, dairy (6 cows) and fruits like pineapples all on the 4 acres. A total of shs.660 million alone is obtained from selling eggs.
Another model farmer the President mentioned was the Proprietor of Kana Farm in Rwengaju village Kabarole district, Mr. Richard Nyakana who earns a fortune from a single acre that has 8 cows giving him 120 litres of milk per day, poultry giving him 102 trays of eggs and employing 15 other people apart from his family.
“If you have money like Balaam and set up a hotel, you will be able to provide jobs to other Ugandans. As a rich man, my farm in Rwakitura creates jobs for other Ugandans in that area,” the President noted.
About other government programs, President Museveni encouraged the youths to make use of the existing government programs such as the Emyooga at the sub county level and the Parish Development Model aimed at getting them out of poverty.
“For every parish, we’re sending shs.100 million every year which means 300 million shillings in 3 years. And the idea is that you borrow and return after 24 months,” the President said, adding that shs.1 million per family means 100 homesteads per parish per year.
“In all what we do, we should desist from being diverted and get to know the medicine for poverty is wealth,” he added.
The President promised to send shs.260 million to rehabilitate the historical Kabalega Primary School which the leaders said is in a sorry state, a total of shs.20 million for boda-boda SACCOs and 14 tractors in the SACCOs of religious institutions (Catholic, Anglican, Muslims and the Pentecostals) in the region.
The Minister of Finance, Planning and economic Development, Hon. Matia Kasaija said funds amounting to shs.1 billion have already been secured to rehabilitate Masindi Hospital and the Ministry of Health will soon begin the work.
The ceremony was attended and addressed by the Minister of state for Bunyoro Affairs Jennifer Namuyangu and other leaders.
The event also attracted attendance from Ministers; Hon. Phiona Nyamutooro (Minerals), Hon. Alice Kaboyo (Luwero Triangle and Rwenzori region), Hon.Mary Mugasa (Public Service), Hon. Byamukama Fred (transport), Hon. Jacob Oboth Oboth (Defence), Beatrice Akello (Economic Monitoring), Victoria Rusoke (Local Government) and Government Chief Whip Hon. Hamson Obua Denis.
Others were members of Parliament, LC.5 Chairpersons, district leaders from Masindi, Kakumiro, Kikuube, Kiryandongo, Hoima, Fort Portal and Religious leaders.