Ofwono Opondo’s address to UPDF’s Battle 27 set for Somalia

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The 1,800 soldiers at the Peace Support Preparation Training Centre will be heading to Somalia in mid-April.

This Government is fighting corruption and abuse of office. All this is done to protect Ugandans. Even UPDF soldiers like you aren’t allowed to misuse your positions in office.

Social services are also readily available. Critical infrastructure is there, if there’s no Government school, hospital, industry at least there will be a private one.

There was a time when Uganda had an economy which couldn’t sustain its people. That was over 30 years ago. We have now built an economy where commodities are always ready for consumers.

Vision 2040 is a 30 year strategic plan to transform Uganda into a peaceful and prosperous nation. We should see more roads, the quality of life of Ugandans should also change for the better.

To achieve the changes we need for Uganda, we have 5 year development plans. We promote peace with our neighbors. We want other nations to prosper& that’s why we send our UPDF soldiers to other countries. While in AMISOM, we expect you to be lawful.

UPDF officers attending the address in Singo

We ensured that all Ugandan children are free from the 6 killer diseases. We also provided universal education to make sure children remain in school. This is one factor that ends up reducing early marriages.

After health and education the Government of Uganda believes that critical infrastructure ought to be put in place. One is roads, providing clean water, ICT, institutional infrastructure and electricity. That’s why the biggest budget goes to those sectors.

The cost of doing business reduces with infrastructure in place. This makes our country attractive for investors as well. It becomes more appealing for our country to be peaceful and that’s where your job comes in as UPDF.

The government knows without the role of UPDF, no sector would develop. That’s why you’re important. The tourism sector won’t grow& neither will the oil and gas yet Parliament projected our budget now at 34 Trillion to be at 45 Trillion if oil is well utilized.

Government is building roads that are leading to the tourism centers. We are ensuring all services like water and electricity are in those places continuously. This is one of the sectors that’s very essential for revenue collection.

There’s something called the African Agenda 2063. The understanding here is, even if Uganda worked so hard, it wouldn’t develop without other countries. That’s why we are making sure the SGR is completed for revenue and inter-connectivity.

Uganda is peaceful but we’re hosting millions of refugees. Districts like Yumbe are teaching Sudanese kids. South Sudan should be peaceful for our transformation. That’s what Africa Agenda 2063 teaches. This is why we send soldiers to neighbors.

It’s in our strategic interest as government to make sure everyone has a means of earning income. This avoids over dependency which gives way to corruption. You soldiers are going to Somalia but have about 4 relatives depending on you for instance.

The President Kaguta Museveni says, “The reason as to why Ugandan is moving at a slow pace is because of ideological disorientation.” We need to harmonize our views not just as Uganda but the whole of Africa. If we don’t, we risk being recolonized.

Many of you have already started borrowing thinking when you come back from Somalia you’ll be loaded & paying debts. You need to have financial literacy. Don’t be like those who went before you. If you didn’t have a bicycle, why buy a car yet you can save that money?

According to Kaguta Museveni in Uganda like in Africa, Governance is weak both public & private. Many think the leader is the President, we think members of Parliament are the leaders. We should start seeing ourselves as leaders. We must solve this bottleneck.

Steve Mungereza
Steve Mungereza
Sociopolitical Analyst. Coverage of National and Regional news stories.

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