President Yoweri Museveni has urged leaders of the newly created districts in the country to use them for serving the people but not for self aggrandizement for a few individual leaders.

The President was yesterday addressing local government leaders of the newly created Ngora and Serere districts during the Leadership and management training seminar held at the BKC centre in Ngora district.

The seminar was organized by Professor Francis Omaswa under his Non-governmental Organization, the Iteso Development Forum. The five day seminar was aimed at sensitizing leaders of the new district on their roles and responsibilities as local leaders. Using a proverbial story of a hunter who waited all day and prayed for God to send him a buffalo but when it suddenly came he turned and took off, the President cautioned the leaders who included local councilors at all levels, not to run away from the responsibilities of serving the people, adding that if they are vigilant they can stop the cheating and corruption at any level.

president Museveni addressing a crowd

“You people asked for a district and you got it. Use the powers you now have for the service of the people but not for a few individuals. I thank Professor Omaswa and his NGO for calling you here to teach you how to run this new district,” he said.

The President advised leaders to watch and supervise government funds and warned against colluding with unscrupulous people to steal government resources.

“Under the colonial government we had District commissioners etc who would report directly to their masters, but when NRM came to power it created new positions at the district, County and Sub-county levels that were filled by officials including LC3 chairmen, LC5 chairmen and councilors, elected by the people themselves to supervise government programs and funds,” he said

He however expressed his disappointment that funds and drugs keep on disappearing from government coffers and hospitals yet the officials who are supposed to supervise and manage them are not vigilant.

“The purpose of creating those positions was to help government stop the stealing of government money. But the officials either don’t know their roles or they collude with district officials to steal governments money,” the President told the cheering crowd.

He said the district is an instrument for development and the challenge was for the leaders to use the opportunity properly.” Your job is to supervise all government funds and to ensure that all government money is put into proper use,” he stressed.

Later the President addressed a mammoth public rally at Boma grounds in Ngora district during which he launched the newly created Ngora district. He also donated 100 million shillings for the construction of the district headquarters and assured the people of the area that the road from Tirinyi via Pallisa to Kumi is to be bituminized as the funds are now available. He added that the road from Tororo-Mbale to Soroti is to be worked on.

The President however denied allegations by the opposition that government wants to steal land from Teso. “I have been in government for the last 24 years, show me only an acre of land that I have stolen from Teso,” he asked sending the crowd to answer in unison `none’.

He advised NRM supporters to be vigilant and get evidence on such baseless lies to enable government prosecute perpetrators.

President Museveni welcomed thousands of new members who crossed from the opposition parties to NRM and called on old members to warmly receive them to the Movement.

“These members had wasted a lot of time in the opposition groups. Welcome them. In Ateso we say engatu edou emina aitep (when clouds gather, there are signs that it will rain) they have seen the clouds in NRM. For the people in the opposition, which clouds were there to show that it is about to rain? All the problems you are talking about can only be solved by NRM because it has the capacity. Support a party that has the signs that it can solve your problems,” he told the cheering crowds.

At another rally in Kobuin Primary School in Kobuin Sub-county in Ngora district, President Museveni who was accompanied by the Kumi district Woman MP Agnes Akiror assured the people that the NRM government is to extend electricity to Kobuin, Opot ,Atoot and Kadok. He also assured them of a bridge linking Kobuin and Pallisa.

Later the President Mueveni took time off to address Teso Region Students Patriotism Convention that attracted students as well as their Head-teachers and teachers in change of patriotism from 83 schools in the sub-region. He explained that Patriotism clubs were initiated to wake up the youth and remove obscurantism which blocks knowledge. He added that Patriotic movements must answer the question of why one should love Uganda, Ugandans and East Africa.

“When you say you love Uganda or East Africa you love yourself, because you need all people for market to buy what you produce,” he counseled.

He emphasized that prosperity will depend on all Ugandans. Giving an example of himself as a dairy farmer, he said he depends on other Ugandans who buy his milk not his neighbours who also produce milk.

President Museveni further gave the students the example of Germany that had 39 little kingdoms but united in 1871 for purposes of creating a bigger market for their produce.

“If we want a modern Uganda we need markets. The Uganda market is not enough so we need East Africa the region and Africa.,” he asserted.

The President later donated foot balls and net balls to schools whose students attended the patriotism convention to help them keep fit like the Golden boy Kipsiro.

By PPU