President Yoweri Museveni has commended the Teso religious leaders for embracing governments efforts in transforming the lives of the people through wealth creation.
The President made the remarks while meeting Teso religious leaders led by the Soroti Catholic Diocese Bishop the Rt. Rev. Joseph Eciru Oliach. The President is in Teso sub region for his scientific Presidential elections campaign.
“I am pleased to note that the Bishops and other religious leaders are working for wealth creation in Uganda. We are building factories. If we maintain peace there will be a lot of progress. The economy is growing through the foreign investors who are solving the problems of shortages. They create jobs and generate for us taxes. Our own Ugandans must actively participate in order to gain more benefits,” he said,
Museveni added that, working only for the stomach is a source of poverty. He emphasized that Ugandans must produce for both the stomach and incomes.
President Museveni pledged to support and facilitate the upgrading of religious institutions with particular reference to schools and worship houses.
He urged the religious leaders to continue participating in the sensitization of Wananchi in efforts to eradicate poverty. He said that people who own small pieces of land can rear exotic dairy cows which can produce at least 20 liters of milk each per day and also urged them to engage in fruit production. He said that cotton growing should be left for the large scale land owners who have better opportunities in the product.
He said that since fruit growing has taken root in Teso sub region, there was need to identify and advice the people over the other products that the small scale land owners can benefit from. He proposed that they do fish farming and observed that under commercial production of fish they have the capacity to generate Ush 68 million per acre per year. He said that the small-scale land owners have got various opportunities in dairy production, piggery, poultry rearing and mushroom growing.
He criticized leaders who call on the people to merely work hard without giving guidance over the lucrative ventures that they can engage in. He urged the leaders to help him in fighting education officials that are frustrating free education through Universal Primary Education and Universal Secondary Education programs. He said that some education officials have been levying illegal fees in various schools.
The Soroti Catholic Diocese Bishop, the Right Reverend Joseph Eciru Oliach saluted President Museveni for the NRM manifesto that has targeted the renovation and expansion of Soroti referral hospital.
He said that they were committed in the value addition of oil crops such as simsim and soya. He requested the President to assist in the revival of the meat canning factory and the revival of the Serere Livestock Breeding Centre.
