The President also recalled the close cooperation between Uganda and Tanzania, citing trade, the East African Crude Oil Pipeline, the Murongo-Kyikagate mini-hydro project, roads in Tanzania, the Masaka-Bukoba transmission line and the Standard Gauge Railway, which has reached Isaka and is expected to extend towards Uganda and beyond.
According to Mukula, Uganda believes in the free and orderly movement of people, goods, services, and capital within the framework of regional laws and protocols, stating that it will continue to stand for the dignity of African brothers and sisters because Africa belongs to Africans.
Akena criticized the government for prioritizing other matters over child welfare and called for a holistic approach to development that includes safety, skills, and greater exposure for school-going children.
In 2024, several alarming incidents involving the kidnapping of school-going children have been reported in Masaka region, highlighting serious concerns about child safety.
Children who attend school are particularly susceptible to accidents when traveling on the roads; therefore, there is a need to make sure they do so securely by taking good transportation and walking in groups.
The parents who drive usually drop their children and let them out of cars to find their way to school; they drive off without seeing if a child has entered school.