The President emphasised the need to ensure that economic growth translates into improved household incomes, citing government programmes such as Operation Wealth Creation and the Parish Development Model (PDM).
“Can you have a strong army and a strong and safe country without a strong economy? Can you have a strong defence force and a strong and safe country without cohesive politics? Finally, can you have a strong defence force and a strong and safe country without, in some cases, addressing the issue of geo-strategic location such as being landlocked?” President Museveni asked.
Madanda also strongly condemned the military closure of Nation Media Group (NMG) outlets, including NTV Uganda, Spark TV, Daily Monitor, The EastAfrican, KFM, Dembe FM, Ennyanda and Nation Courier, describing the move as "a military coup against the free press."
Four young Kenyan activists have been purportedly abducted by Kenyan security agencies, including Gabriel Oguda, Drey Mwangi, Shad Khalif, and Osama Otero, among others.