SONA 2024: Museveni talks tough on corrupt officials

______________________

Presented and edited by Joseph Kizza
____________________

 4:21 PM 

House adjourned until June 13

After inviting the present guests to an "evening session" back at the Parliament building itself, Speaker Among adjourns this special parliamentary sitting until next Thursday.

As usual, anthems close the function.

____________________

 4:20 PM 

Among thanks Museveni for 'fatherly advice'

The Speaker, back on the mic, thanks President Museveni for fulfilling his constitutional obligation and for his "fatherly advice".

"I take cognizant of the government legislative agenda for the fourth session and we pledge our utmost commitment towards prioritizing government business and making sure we exhaust it within the time that is required," says Among.

She tells fellow MPs that the President will return to Parliament next Thursday (June 13) to deliver the Budget Speech.

The Speaker recognizes the presence of her predecessors, including President Museveni himself (former Speaker of NRC), Prof. Edward Rugumayo (Speaker of the National Consultative Council), Edward Ssekandi (Speaker of 7th and 8th Parliament) and Al-Hajji Moses Kigongo, who deputized then-Speaker Museveni.
____________________

 4:17 PM 

President ends address

President Museveni wraps up his delivery by declaring the fourth session of Parliament open.

"Madam Speaker, it is my pleasure to declare the fourth session of the 11th Parliament open. I thank you very much and I hope that the coming session will be fruitful.

"God bless Uganda, God bless Africa. Apoyo Matek!"

____________________

 4:15 PM 

The President is keen to congratulate the joint security forces for "guarding the three million pilgrims that were at Namugongo recently [June 3]" for the Uganda Martyrs' Day celebrations.

He also thanks "all Ugandans for the good work you are doing".
____________________

 4:15 PM 

Mistakes vs dishonesty

Back on the issue of corruption, Museveni offers his advice:

"Make a distinction between mistake makers and dishonest people. Dishonesty is the worst.

"The dishonest and traitors are the ones we are targettting. The mistake makers, we can cancel them and make them know how to do things — because if we are to punish all mistake makers we would have nobody to work with."
____________________

 4:11 PM 

Museveni salutes Parliament, Judiciary

"Finally, I want to salute the Speaker, the Deputy Speaker and the NRM MPs. In the past, there was a risky and shallow tendency by some actors that would try to use Parliament to undermine the Ugandan revolution, which is part of the African revolution," says the President as he concludes his address.

"This of course was a miscalculation that was provocative but we managed to handle it peacefully."

Museveni goes on to congratulate the Speaker and her team "for working harmoniously with the Executive".

He also salutes the Judiciary, in the recent budgetting process, for coming together and synthesized a "rational and transparent budget for the country".
____________________

 4:05 PM 

The President goes on to thank the Anita Among-led 11th Parliament for the laws passed in the last one year.
____________________

 4:04 PM 

'Uganda is unstoppable'

"With the crushing of the corruption, Uganda — given our overall correct positions — is unstoppable," underlines Museveni. "Everything else is in place. It is only corruption and a few other mistakes that can sabotage what we are doing."

The President promises to expound on this next week in his Budget Speech.
____________________

 4:00 PM 

'Uganda's economy moving forward'

"Uganda's economy and society are moving forward, the mistakes by some actors notwithstanding," says the Ugandan President in his address.

"The foreigners interfering with our internal affairs are not a threat at all.

"The real threat to Africa's progress has been internal weaknesses such as undermining the private sector, wrong concept of army building, sectarianism, corruption, etc.

____________________

 3:57 PM 

'Fundraising also source of corruption'

The President says that another source of corruption has been "the fundraising that is borne mainly by opportunistic politicians overanxious to please part of their electorate by pledging money for the fundraising that they do not have.

"We are due to meet to resolve this diversion."

Museveni says that fundraising is "part of the pressure that makes leaders make mistakes".
____________________

 3:54 PM 

'Unregulated moneylenders'

"The situation of inexperienced careerist-minded leaders who do not listen to the advice of the NRM is further complicated by the bloodthirsty parasites in the form of unregulated moneylenders who charge extortionist interest rates from these desperate political actors when they come to borrow money for unuseful expenditures," says Museveni.

"I have already directed the Minister of Finance to cap the interest rates chargeable by moneylenders.

"The inflation rate in Uganda is 3%. Why should the commercial banks charge 20% interest. How about the moneylenders charging 36% or more? This is pure extortion.

"The PDM and the Emyooga funds are going to become to poor people's banks able to lend at 12% or less after 24 months."

Museveni also says that he has already directed the Attorney General to guide the Minister of Finance as to how "he can criminalize this extortion by the moneylenders".

____________________

 3:50 PM 

More on corruption...

"Public servants and political leaders that steal government are corrupt and will be crushed," says Museveni.

"There are, however, other actors that get bribes from foreigners to work for foreign interests. These are both corrupt and traitors and we are monitoring their activities.

"If they do not stop and with evidence we shall deal with them also.

"As part of fighting corruption, it is crucial to save the amateurish political actors who come into politics without knowing that leading people does not mean carrying them on your head. It means that you show them the way."
____________________

 3:48 PM 

'I now have proof'

"I have been hearing stories that there is a racket from the Ministry of Finance [Planning and Economic Development] to Parliament. I have been hearing but now I have proof.

"I have been hearing that from the Ministry of Finance, they arrange with the accounting officers of ministries to come to Parliament — working with some people there — to provide certain funds; you provide, you take a share.

"I didn't believe this but now I have proof that what I have been hearing as rumour is true."

____________________

 3:45 PM 

Museveni on the corrupt: 'We shall crush these traitors'

Another task — arguably the biggest — that Museveni underlines is the elimination of corruption in the public service and from among political leaders.

"I have been getting good information about corrupt actors among the public servants but also among the political actors," says the President.

"With firm evidence, we shall crush these traitors.

"I have been hearing that people, even in my office, take bribes from people to bring people to see me. Can you imagine? But fortunately, recently we arrested one of them. He is alleged to have extorted shares and money from an investor who has come in from somewhere. He is now in court.

"So we are moving. We are going to get them."
____________________

 3:42 PM 

'African centre of gravity'

Making further case for a regional federation, Museveni says: "The African race will enjoy football and music better if you also contribute to the creating of an African centre of gravity in the form of an East African federation."

____________________

 3:40 PM 

Museveni says one of the tasks of the Ugandan wealth creators is to ensure that all adults engage in wealth creation in the four sectors of commercial agriculture, manufacturing and artisanship, services and ICT using the provided funds of parish development model (PDM), Emyooga, UDB loans.
____________________

 3:37 PM 

Removing non-tarrif barriers

On pan-Africanism, Museveni says "we have revived the East African Community", with Somalia being the newest member.

He says this has boosted cross-border trade.

"Uganda exports goods and services worth $2.1 billion to the East African countries and goods and services worth $2.17 billion to the COMESA countries.

"There are, however, still non-tariff barriers. With His Excellency President William Ruto [of Kenya] recently, we agreed to remove all these barriers against sugar, milk, eggs, fruit juices, etc."

▪️  'We must fulfill historical mission of EAC'

____________________

 3:35 PM 

Museveni urges Ugandans to audit progress

"I call on the Ugandans, especially the Bazzukkulu, to audit what has been achieved vis-à-vis the the three historical tasks and the four ideological principles of the NRM, see what has been achieved and what remains to be done. Then you should do your own part to do what is not yet done," urges Museveni.

"With patriotism, we have been able to unite the majority of Ugandans. That is why the NRM always wins with a majority on the first round when we go for elections."
____________________

 3:30 PM 

Missed opportunity in 1963

"All the subsequent (from 1963) calamities that befell this part of Africa (eastern) would never have happened if we had achieved that goal [political federation] that time," says the President in reference to the collapsed East African Community six decades ago.

By calamities, he points out:

▪️ The seizing of power by Idi Amin in Uganda
▪️ The massacres in Burundi in 1972
▪️ The genocide in Rwanda
▪️ The collapse of the state authority in Somalia
▪️ The prolonged civil war in Sudan
____________________

 3:27 PM 

'If Uganda succeeds, I am insured'

President Museveni says the neutral dialect of Kiswahili "will easly be the official language of the potentially very powerful federation of East and Central Africa".

"This East African federation with one army, a common citizenship, in addition to wider common market will provide perpetual insurance for the freedom of the Black race and other freedom-loving people in the world.

"It will have a defence capacity to be present in the four dimensions of land, air, sea and space. How can you insure cars, houses and individual people's health and forget to provide insurance for the African race?

"This was a mistake in the past, how can we repeat the same mistake?"

Museveni says he "does not have an insurance policy for anything. If Uganda succeeds, I am insured. I have never bought an insurance policy. Never".

____________________

 3:24 PM 

'EA best candidate for political integration'

"While we always aim at creating a continental common market for the whole of Africa, we also aim at creating a regional political federation," says Museveni.

"While it is possible and desirable to create a continental common market, a political federation which represents a maximum form of integration should only be for peoples who are either similar or compatible and preferrably with a common language.

"This is how East Africa has always been the best candidate for political integration."
____________________

 3:20 PM 

Uganda turns to the skies

Touching on the second historical mission of strategic security for the African people, Museveni presents Uganda's space ambitions.

"Uganda, even when it becomes a developed country, cannot have an overambitious space programme. We are working on implementing a limited space programme for overhead observation and communication, broadcasting and telephone communication," he says.

"We shall have an overhead imaging satellite at an altitude of 600 to 700 kilometres in space and another one on communication and internet at 36,000 kilometres in space — which we shall share with other East African countries.

____________________

 3:16 PM 

'UDB loans not perfume, second-hand clothes importers'

"We don't give loans to importers of perfumes and dead people's clothes," says the President, referring to imported second-hand clothes in respect to loans given by the Uganda Development Bank (UDB).

He says UDB is for "manufacturing, agriculture and for some of the services".

"If you want to import perfumes, go to the commercial banks."
____________________

 3:14 PM 

Domestically, Museveni tells of how "we have guided our people that socio-economic transformation can be realized through education for all and prosperity for all by joining the four money-making sectors of commercial agriculture, manufacturing, services and ICT".

He adds: "The government has provided grants or soft loans for wealth creators to use in joining these sectors in case they do not have their capital."
____________________

 3:08 PM 

'Clear trade barriers for united market'

The President is keen to point out the existence of trade barriers in the East African Community, which he says are "road blocks to our prosperity".

He says "all the East Africans should work to remove these bottlenecks by implementing fully the common market protocols, the custom union protocols so that the fragmented markets of Africa become one market".

Museveni says a more united African market enables better negotiation with other countries such as USA and China or blocs, such as the European Union, for access to their markets.
____________________

 3:05 PM 

'Uganda at lower middle income status level'

Museveni says the established measures in the last nearly 40 decades since he came to power "have enabled Uganda's economy to grow from $1.5 billion in 1986 to now $55 billion by the foreign exchange method and $180 billion by the PPP (purchasing power parity) method.

"With $1,182 per capita, Uganda has now entered the lower middle income status," he says.

"We have just entered the ground floor of the middle income."
____________________

 2:55 PM 

'Uganda's 5 phases since 1986'

"The correct philosophy, ideology and strategy of the NRM have enabled the economy and society of Uganda to go through five phase since 1986," says the President.

He goes on to highlight and explain them:

▪️ The minimum economic recovery phase of restoring aspects of the small colonial enclave money economy of the 3Cs (coffee, copper and cotton) and 3Ts (tobacco, tourism and tea).

▪️  Expansion of the enclave economy with more production of coffee, tea, etc.

▪️  Diversification of the enclave economy by commercializing the production of bananas, cassava, milk, fruits, palm oil, cocoa, fish, beef, etc.

▪️  Adding value to some of the raw materials such as cotton, fruits, milk, tea, timber and sugar.

▪️  Knowledge economy through the production of vaccines, automobiles, etc.

____________________

 2:48 PM 

Offering historical context to his delivery, President Museveni says Uganda "was right to distill the principles of patriotism and pan-Africanism and to oppose groups that were pushing for parochialism and Eurocentrism globally".
____________________

 2:42 PM 

President Museveni begins address

President Museveni begins his State of the Nation Address.

He starts off by reminding Ugandans of the three historical missions: prosperity of the people, strategic security of the African people as well the brotherhood of the African people.
____________________

 2:27 PM 

In her communication, Speaker Among also congratulates President Museveni upon assuming double chairmanship of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and the G77+China during the two major global groups' back-to-back summits earlier in January this year.

____________________

 2:25 PM 

The Speaker continues to give a summarized account of what transpired during the third session of the 11th Parliament.

She says there was timely consideration of bills, reports and presidential appointees. She also speaks of the "tremendous improvement in quality of legislative output" during that time in which 47 bills were passed.

Additionally, during the third session, the House received eight petitions from the public.

____________________

 2:13 PM 

In her communication, Speaker Among says "the road to the Uganda we desire may be long and sometimes challenging, but we will be there some time".

She urges people not to be discouraged by "all the noises around" as well as by the "actions of detractors".
____________________

 2:07 PM 

Parliament in session

As per law, the Speaker of Parliament, Anita Among, delivers her proclamation in which she declares Kololo Independence Grounds as the precinct for today's special parliamentary session.

She then delivers her communication as the chair of today's session, welcoming everyone to today's first sitting of the 4th Session of the 11th Parliament.

Among says the State of the Nation Address is to reflect on Uganda's achievement in the previous year, the inherent challenges faced along the way as well as the government's legislative agenda going forward.

Here is the today's order paper.

____________________

 1:57 PM 

Anthems follow. The Uganda national anthem first, followed by the East African one.

Followed by a prayer...

____________________

 1:50 PM 

 BREAKING NEWS   President arrives at Kololo

Good afternoon everyone.

President Yoweri Museveni and the First Lady Janet Museveni, who is also the Minister of Education and Sports, have arrived at Kololo Independence Grounds in Uganda's capital Kampala for the State of the Nation Address.

The First Couple are received by the Speaker of Parliament, Anita Among, and other top government leaders.

This State of the Nation Address is marking the beginning of the fourth session of the 11th Parliament.