President Yoweri Museveni has commended Serere district council for utilizing properly funds sent to the district for the construction of the Administration Block.
" First of all I congratulate Serere district council and the chairman for not 'ainyam' (misappropriating) money donated to them and properly using it for building the Administration block. This is because the disease of people in Uganda is ainyam (eating in Ateso language) funds," he told the cheering gathering.
The President was yesterday speaking at a rally at Serere district headquarters after commissioning the Ug. Shs. 510 million new district administration complex.
President Museveni particularly thanked the LC5 Chairman of the district Mr. Opit Okojo whom he described as a buffalo for overseeing the proper use of the Ug. Shs. 100 million the government contributed towards the construction of the offices.
The President, who is also the NRM National Chairman, at the same function received over 500 converts from the opposition who decided without any coercion to cross over to NRM.
The NRM National Chairman Mr. Museveni welcomed the converts and called on old members to welcome them with open hands and work together with them in order to build the nation.
" I ask the old members to welcome home converts and work with them. Don't say that I have worked with NRM for a long time. Even Saul who used to persecute the Church was converted and became a leading Christian when converted and became Paul. So welcome these young people, they will help you to unify your area," he counseled.
The converts in their memorandum said they were blind folded, misled and kept in the dark by opposition leaders who told them that the NRM government was planning to grab their land and sell it to foreign investors and also distribute the rest of the land to his clanmates, that the NRM government was in the process of selling off lakes and that it was using the Karimojong to steal cows from the Iteso. The opposition also claimed that the issue of Cattle Compesation wasn’t going to be recognized by government and that the NRM segregates the youth of Teso from being employed. They also claimed that President Museveni was preparing his son Muhoozi to be the next President of Uganda.
Commenting on the memorandum of the converts, President Museveni used Ateso words Ileich meaning shame and esabet or lies to describe the actions of the opposition.
He told the gathering that some of the political actors have no shame for they oppose anything good that government does for the people. The President cited the disarmament of the Karamojong warriors or Karacunas. He said the exercise was strongly opposed by Alice Alaso who is the woman MP Serere district and Pulkol. He explained that because of the firm stand NRM government took on the matter, the districts in that region including Karamoja itself are now enjoying total peace.
"So on the issue of peace in Uganda, NRM gets a tick 10/10 and the opposition get a cross (X) 0/10,” he told the cheering crowd. He added that a similar scenario happened in Parliament last year
2013, where MPs were demanding for an immediate salary rise of teachers and civil servants in disregard of important programs like infrastructure. President Museveni said because of his persistence, Shs.1.7 billion was saved for infrastructure development.
"The opposition have no shame. I hear that Alaso now claims that electricity in the area is her work. Please, the roads, electricity, many senior secondary schools, health centers and more so peace are all the work of NRM," he said.
President Museveni added that his daughter Alice Alaso who is the woman MP Serere district even opposed in Parliament the creation of Serere district that was curved out of the mother Soroti district. He however, advised the people of Serere to concentrate on wealth creation now that peace is prevailing in all parts of Teso. He reminded them of the NRM 1996 manifesto that recommended each family with at least 4 acres of land to abandon the traditional substance farming and adopt intensive modern commercial agriculture.
He introduced to the army officers who are to oversee the new program of the distribution of planting materials in Teso sub-region in an exercise code named 'operation wealth creation'. They include Lieutenant Colonel Omoding who will be assisted by Major James Micheal Ochom and Major Robins Olinga.
The ceremony was attended by the NRM Vice Chairman Eastern region Captain Micheal Mukula, the Minister for Teso Affairs Ms. Christine Amongin Aporu, district and religious leaders.
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