President Yoweri Museveni, the commander-in-chief of the armed forces has said that running a country is like treating a patient whereby the correct diagnosis must be done for effective treatment.
“Running a country is like treating a patient. “You must, first of all, diagnose the problem of the patient. If the diagnosis is wrong, the treatment cannot be right.”
The president who is officiating at the 38th Tarehe Sita anniversary in Kitgum says that there had been attempts earlier to form a national army for Uganda but explained that some elements must have been missing.
The president was explaining the success of the NRA/UPDF as he delivered his speech to an attentive crowd.
“In order to create the NRA [Natioal Resistance Army], we had to first answer the question: ‘What sort of army does Uganda need?’ That’s why we answered by saying that that army must be patriotic – it must believe in the spirit of Uganda, it must have a pan-Africanist outlook, it must work for democracy and it must also work for the social-economic transformation of the society, Museveni said adding that “The army must also disciplined”.
Tarehe Sita in Kitgum
Mr Museveni says that one reason he chose to have this year’s Tarehe Sita celebrations in Acholi was to showcase the development in the area.
“By organising the event in Acholi, we have forced the Kampalans to come to Kitgum. And the Kampalans will have seen what the NRM has done – they have been able to travel on the good roads all the way from Kampala to Kitgum, and the road continues all the way to the border of South Sudan,” he said.
The president also talked about Northern Uganda’s potential as an electricity hub for the country.
“Northern Uganda is becoming the center of Uganda when it comes to the issue of electricity. It is going to provide electricity to Uganda much more than Jinja. We are about to finish the dam at Karuma, which will give us 650MW, we are about to finish the dam at Agago, which will give us 88MW. We are about to start on Ayago, which we will produce 840MW.”
Meanwhile, the Chief of Defence Forces Gen David Muhoozi said that this year’s Tarehe Sita represents an abundance of opportunities.
This year’s Tarehe Sita theme is UPDF and the people: Consolidating peace for sustainable development and prosperity.
Tarege Sita “is a celebration of the abundance of opportunities that now accompany the peace presided over by the UPDF, Gen Muhoozi said.
The CDF, however, noted that there are challenges particularly the Apaa land conflict, urging the local leaders to exercise “restraint” as solutions are being sought.