Yoweri Museveni has tasked newly elected leaders in Masaka City and Masaka District to closely monitor government programmes in their respective areas to ensure they benefit the intended communities.
Speaking during a meeting with the leaders at the Masaka State Lodge, the President said several government initiatives aimed at improving livelihoods have previously failed due to poor supervision and lack of accountability.
Museveni noted that over the years, government introduced a number of programmes including Entandikwa, National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS) and Operation Wealth Creation, all designed to uplift citizens from poverty. However, he said many of them did not achieve their objectives because of weak monitoring systems.
According to the President, after earlier initiatives struggled, government entrusted the army to manage Operation Wealth Creation by distributing seeds and seedlings to farmers.
He expressed disappointment that some officials allegedly turned the programme into a business by selling the seedlings instead of giving them freely to farmers.
“I was dismayed when the army engaged in corruption, which is why I had to develop the Parish Development Model, but it has also not been used as intended,” Museveni said.
He explained that the Parish Development Model (PDM) was introduced to directly empower communities, but reports indicate that in some areas, leaders of PDM SACCOs have been selecting themselves without consulting members and allocating funds to themselves instead of supporting the most vulnerable households.
The President also advised politicians to avoid selling their personal property in an attempt to appease voters during elections, warning that such practices can push leaders into poverty.
Museveni gave an example from his own life, saying selling his cattle simply to give voters money would be irresponsible.
“These are cattle I inherited from my late father, Amos Kaguta. Instead of selling them, I should concentrate on herding,” he said.
Museveni further revealed that his visit to Masaka was partly intended to investigate reports of vote manipulation during the recently concluded elections and to understand how some candidates lost.
He cited the case of Justine Nameere, who was declared the winner for the Masaka City Woman Member of Parliament seat following a court-ordered vote recount that overturned the earlier victory of Rose Nalubowa of the National Unity Platform (NUP).
However, the President later asked members of the media to leave the meeting, explaining that the remaining session would focus on resolving internal party matters.
