I am in power to fight poverty, says Museveni

“If some other leaders had come out to join me in fighting poverty, this country would be very far. But I am alone that’s why I have to come to Buyanja [Sub- county in Rukungiri District] every now and then and some other parts of the country telling people how to get out of poverty.

Everyone else is silent, they are concentrating on other issues and some are fighting me,” Mr Museveni said.

He said religious and cultural leaders have ignored the campaign.

The church leaders, he said, are concentrating on preaching about the Bible whereas the cultural leaders are busy with ‘unproductive things.’

“There is nothing big I am looking for in leadership,” Mr Museveni said while visiting select farms in Rukungiri District in western Uganda last Saturday.

“I only want to see people getting out of poverty and able to take their children to school and have enough food to sustain their families,” he said.

According to government figures, the poverty levels have fallen over the last 20 years from 56 per cent to below 30 per cent.

Critics though dispute the claims that poverty has reduced; they point out that many households across the country continue to live on one meal a day and can hardly afford other basics of life.

Some even blame his National Resistance Movement government’s policies such as privatisation for driving many households into poverty since many workers in parastatals were retrenched.

The drop in poverty levels is attributed to, among other reasons, more unemployed people getting jobs.

During the tour, Mr Museveni visited an apple nursery and farm owned by businessman Lauben Mwesigye Kishokye.

Mr Kishokye owns at least 40 acres of apple orchard.

The President said apple cultivation is a solution to poverty, and, thus, called for horticulture in rural areas.

Poverty

If some other leaders had come out to join me in fighting poverty this country would be very far. But I am alone.