What a suitable theme as NRM and President Museveni swears in on 12th May 2021, “Securing your future
Developing Uganda has been a shared effort, guided by our leaders under the able leadership of President Museveni, since 1986 and most importantly, an understanding population that has not only stayed on course to develop themselves but significantly gone ahead to support the NRM politically by continuously voting President Museveni and NRM into back power, now for the 6th time, on the 12th January 2021 election.
It’s of no reservations that the NRM government has accomplished a lot in harnessing and consolidating Uganda’s development through an inclusiveness and participatory approach. My piece is focussed at the social, economic and political gains through inclusive participation.
It’s only under the NRM government since 1986 that Ugandans are one as a country, irrespective of tribe, social or economic class. This has been deliberate, since the five year bush war, where Ugandans from all walks of life, regardless of religion, education, tribe or language came in harmony and supported the liberation struggle.
The NRA/M was and continues to be a peasant lead struggle where anybody can put his /her best foot forward and take up any responsibility in service for the nation.
As of today, people come from all walks of life and serve in senior government and in NRM party positions! For the first time in history, we have no inter-tribal hostilities like we used to have and all the 56 tribes in Uganda are more focused than ever in living together in harmony. What a transformation!
Notably, the quality of social services has continued to grow with the government’s strategic investments in key sectors of education, health, transport, peace and security etc.
The NRM government is committed to making investments in social services to grow the quality of life of the citizenry and ensure increased proportion of labour force transiting to gainful employment; increased years of schooling; improved child and maternal outcomes; increased life expectancy; increased access to safe and clean water and sanitation; and increased access by population to social protection.
We have had steady economic transformation in the last three decades, before Covid19 hit the global economies, and Uganda was affected, like all the economies. Before Covid19, the size of the economy doubled from UGX64 trillion in FY 2010/11 to UGX128 trillion in FY2018/19, domestic revenue collection increased from UGX 5.02 Trillion in FY2010/11 to UGX 16.359 trillion in FY2018/19.
In the next five years, the economy is expected to grow at an average rate of close to 7 percent and an average of 520,000 jobs are expected to be created annually. This is according to the third National Development Plan.
The NRM 2021 NRM manifesto is committed to ensuring; expanding the industrial base of the economy, consolidating and increasing the stock and quality of productive infrastructure, enhancing productivity especially in the agricultural sector, sustainably exploit the country’s natural resources and supporting private sector development through providing affordable financing.
In governance and accountability, we have seen tremendous growth in political participation and representation, at all levels and undoubtedly. Power belongs to the people!
The NRM believes that Development can only be sustainable when there is inclusive participation and people are the ultimate guarantors of this. It’s one biggest goal of the NRA/M, since 1980! The government apportions money for political party development and the parties, both the ruling and opposition parties use these funds to grow their capacity. In NRM, we believe that charity begins at home. We believe in the internal growth of political parties for valuable service to the country.
In Parliament, all the accountability committees are chaired by the opposition political parties, the leader of opposition is well facilitated to efficiently carryout functions, to the level of a government cabinet minister, and all the shadow ministers are allocated operational budgets to enhance their capacity to keep the government in check.
The collective effort is surely paying off!
Writer is an Industrial Researcher with interests in public affairs, works with government of Uganda.
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