President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has said that Al-Shabaab terrorists should brace for tough times soon as a punishment for attacking and killing some UPDF soldiers currently serving under the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia( ATMIS).
On Thursday, the UPDF base at Bulo Merer, approximately 120 kilometers southwest of Mogadishu, was attacked by Al-Shabaab terrorists, and some soldiers were killed.
While opening the 10-day NRM parliamentary Caucus retreat at the National Leadership Institute-Kyankwanzi (NALI) on Sunday, May 28th, 2023, President Museveni, who is also the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, described the incident as unfortunate but maintained that Al-Shabaab will pay for the attack heavily.
“I spoke to UPDF commanders in Somalia on the possibility of supporting our ground troops with heavy war machines, including air defense. If the Americans don’t want to support our forces with heavy machines; we shall support them ourselves, like how we crashed the ADF here in Congo,” said Museveni.
Citing ideological bankruptcy as the possible cause of the attack, the president said one of the suspect factors is corruption by the new players in the Army.
“What we keep telling you is that the issue of abandoning the line of the NRA is the one that causes all these unnecessary delays and setbacks. It seems one of the suspect factors in that incident could be corruption by some of these new players in the Army who don’t have the NRA spirit of patriotism because in Somalia, the UN gives big allowances to soldiers. Now some of these people don’t look at the mission; they look at the money,” said Museveni.
He said the investigation is currently underway to establish the possible mistakes as to why and how the UPDF was attacked by terrorists.
“Somalia is a dangerous country, and because of the money, it seems some of our people who are selecting people to go to Somalia is not doing what we used to do in the beginning. We used to select and deploy as a brigade, and that’s how we defeated Al-Shabaab. They would go as a fighting unit, but it seems at some stage they changed and flouted selection criteria,” he said.
According to the president, Al-Shabaab terrorists had been terribly weakened and could not conduct any attacks. He described their attack on the UPDF as suicidal and said they would soon taste the soup.
While opening the retreat, the President also asked NRM MPs to focus on ideological strategic policies that can result in immense prosperity and create wealth for Ugandans.
The president told MPs that ideological bankruptcy is dangerous to the nation; therefore, they should reject sectarianism and promote unity and administrative cohesion.
“Four-acre model farming is the right way to go. I want you to discuss with me how we can stop this lack of coordination. I know what I’m doing; for me to bring something to parliament and it’s blocked, that’s not good. “It’s not acceptable; it’s not good; we have come very far,” said President Museveni.
Citing the recent proposal to support the Atiak Sugar Factory, which was blocked by Parliament, the President said this was wrong and wondered why the MPS is always blocking certain projects under the guidance of oversight roles.
“This is oversight backwardness. How can you block the proposal to add value to our coffee because you are in an oversight role? This is oversighted backwardness; you spend time fighting with those who are helping us add value to our coffee. Why should we have this tag of war?
The president further said he will bring forward the proposal to support Italian investors seeking to add more value to coffee so as to attract huge revenue.
On Monday, the MPS will discuss the President’s speech in the morning, according to the Government Chief Whip, MP Denis Hamson Obua.
The 10-day annual retreat for National Resistance Movement party members of parliament and some independent legislators kicked off at the National Leadership Institute-Kyankwanzi, and it will focus on the discussion of wealth creation with the aim of enhancing household wealth.
Government Chief Whip, MP Denis Hamson Obua, said this year’s retreat is organized under the theme “Increasing Household Incomes and Wealth Creation: The Critical Role of the Leader.”
He said within the 10 days, the MPs shall review the country’s economic trends, performances, and scores, among others, and they will also be reviewing progress scored in the implementation of the NRM Manifesto 2021–2026 sectoral priorities.
According to Obua, the retreat will also focus on the role of the leaders in enhancing household income, wealth creation, and the social and economic transformation of the country.
