Monday, 28 February 2011

Ugandan President Museveni outlines priorities for next five years

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has outlined the fight against corruption, job creation, health, education and infrastructure development as priorities of his agenda in the next five years of administration.

Addressing his supporters here on Friday, Museveni, who won in a landslide victory in the country's presidential elections on Feb.18, said he will not compromise on corruption in the East African country.

The 67 year-old leader who has been in power since 1986 called on his ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) supporters and all Ugandans to join him in the fight against corruption.

He said the government has released a lot of funds for development programs but there has nothing seen on the ground.


"In the coming five years, corruption will stop. Don't fear these local thieves (corrupt official and leaders). I will not tolerate anybody who doesn't adhere to the laws. Anybody who is corrupt, we should fight," he told supporters at his victory party.
"Those who are corrupt are these kids we found in the streets. The real NRM historical and freedom fighters are not corrupt. They don't need bribes," he said, referring to the people who fought a five-year rebellion that brought him into power in 1986.

During his countrywide campaigns to seek a fourth re-election, Museveni promised voters to take action on high ranking officials implicated in financial scandals.

The country's vice president, foreign minister and security minister were implicated in a parliamentary probe investigating the abuse of more than 500 billion Ugandan shillings (270 million U.S. dollars) meant for organizing the 2007 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting held in Kampala .

In 2005, minister of health then Jim Muhwezi and his two deputies Mike Mukula and Alex Kamugisha were among other officials implicated in the mismanagement of Global Fund grants to fight HIV/ AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.

"There is nobody who is untouchable in Uganda. The problem is proof. If the truth is there, then we shall punish them," Museveni said.

He also told thousands of his supporters who turned up for the celebrations that his new administration will put emphasis on transport and energy infrastructure development.

He said the country's economy is doing well to fund both programs with or without donor funds.
Museveni said once the country starts producing sufficient electricity, more industries will be established, creating more jobs.

He said the education and the health sectors will also rank high during his new term which is scheduled to start in mid this year.

He told reporters recently that he hopes to transform Uganda from a low income country to a middle income country during the next five years.

Museveni, who was the presidential candidate for the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM),won a landslide victory in the country's Feb. 18 presidential elections by garnering 68.38 percent of the votes against the 26.01 percent by his rival Kizza Besigye.

The Ugandan leader is a known military strategist who launched a five-year guerrilla rebellion in 1981 to topple the government then.

He launched the rebellion after what he called rigged elections by then president Milton Obote.

He has been involved in many military and political struggles in the East African country since the late 1960s.
Museveni was among the Ugandans who toppled military strong man Idi Amin in 1979.

Some people see Museveni as a peacemaker following his involvement in creating regional stability. He has been involved in solving the north-south Sudan crisis, Burundi crisis and the Kenyan post election violence.

Internationally, Museveni has also been hailed for deploying peacekeeping troops in volatile Somalia. Uganda contributes the biggest percentage of troops to the African Union peacekeeping troops in Somalia.

In response to local and international criticism at his long stay in power, Museveni has argued that he should not be judged by the time he has spent in power but by what he has been able to do.

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