Museveni advises his advisers

President Museveni has urged his advisers to get a clear understanding of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) ideology to be able to aid the success of government programmes, especially wealth creation.

Mr Museveni met his advisers for the first time yesterday at the National Leadership Institutes, Kyankwanzi, where they had camped for a week.

Organisers told Daily Monitor that the aim of the retreat was to audit government performance.

In his address, however, the President explained the four core principles of the NRM ideology, dwelling much on social economic transformation and Pan Africanism, and asked the advisers to monitor government programmes, and also sensitise the public.

Mr Museveni also wants ministries, departments and agencies to periodically engage with his advisers for their input in the implementation of different programmes.

“You as presidential advisers once you have got this contextual background of where we came from, then it is easy for you to find where you can make an input. Many of us can actually supervise the work of the RDCs, work with the minister, check some areas, go and talk to the people. You are not the ones implementing but you are the president to check,” he said.

Mr Museveni emphasised wealth creation through commercial agriculture, industry, and ICT. 

He underscored the four-acre model,  saying: “Up to 2013, 68 percent of the people were still working for the stomach only. To cause social economic transformation, you need two stimuli, education and business. They must learn how to engage in commercial activities…This is a mission of the NRM to change your people and it has achieved  something but it could achieve more,  when you see the amount of production which is going on, it is big  but we can do more.”

The Minister for Presidency, Ms Milly Babalanda, urged the advisers to be keen on aiding the President’s work.

 “Use your skills and expertise to advise the President. It’s unfortunate that some of you have failed to assist the President realise his dreams of eliminating poverty and underdevelopment because of your limited knowledge about government initiatives,” she said.

“Some of us had forgotten but now we are going to go as warriors from here,” Ms Amelia Kyambadde, the senior presidential advisor on Industry, said.

 “We have come to discuss issues that affect the ordinary people, the ghetto people and the country at large…the President has been busy and it’s not like I have to see him every so often. But he gets time and calls me to find out what is happening on ground,” Mr Mark Bugembe, aka Buchman, the presidential adviser on Ghetto issues, said.

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