President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has cautioned leaders of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) against forming factions within the party, urging them to embrace unity and principle-based politics.
Speaking during a thanksgiving ceremony for the Minister for the Presidency, Babirye Milly Babalanda, on Saturday in Buyende District, President Museveni emphasized the importance of internal cohesion within the ruling party and warned against selfish political agendas.
“You leaders need to be clear about this. Have politics of principles, not politics of selfishness,” Museveni said. “If you have differences, it’s understandable, but now you are all NRM.”
The President reminded the gathering that the NRM was founded on inclusivity, in contrast to the older sectarian-based political parties, and stressed the need for internal dialogue rather than infighting. He also drew lessons from the past, citing the mistakes of former President Idi Amin.
“When we fought Idi Amin, he did not understand patriotism, Pan-Africanism, and socio-economic transformation,” Museveni said. “We must continue to promote these values.”
President Museveni also addressed the issue of poverty in Busoga Sub-region, calling on citizens to focus not only on development but also on creating personal wealth.
He explained that while development involves public infrastructure such as roads, schools, and electricity, wealth is a private responsibility.
“You can have development and remain poor,” Museveni said. “That is why, in addition to development, we must add the word wealth. We don’t want poor families.”
He encouraged Ugandans to engage in productive economic sectors including agriculture, manufacturing, services, and ICT, and to embrace government initiatives such as the Parish Development Model (PDM) to combat poverty and unemployment.
“Globally, government jobs are not enough to solve unemployment. Most jobs are in the private sector,” Museveni noted. “Here in Uganda, public service jobs number about 480,000, yet factories alone employ over 1.2 million people.”
At the ceremony, the President contributed 100 million Shillings toward the construction of a Seventh-Day Adventist Church in Buyende and pledged government support to tarmac several roads in the region, including Kamuli Road, Jinja–Budondo Road, and Walukoko–Luuka Road.
Minister Babalanda, in her speech, expressed gratitude to God and President Museveni for support during her recovery from COVID-19 in 2021. She revealed that her illness came just after being appointed minister and left her bedridden for six months.
“I battled the virus, but it weakened me greatly,” she said. “Despite my condition, I went ahead and took the oath but immediately returned to the hospital. By the mercy of God, it was only my physical presence that was absent—the Office continued to operate normally.”
She said the thanksgiving event was organized to glorify God for sparing her life and to reaffirm her commitment to serving the nation with humility and perseverance.
The event was attended by religious leaders, local officials, and hundreds of residents from Buyende and surrounding areas.
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