While appearing to be openly campaigning for the forthcoming 2011 elections, President Museveni is actively mobilising poor people to rise up and engage in economic activities as a sure way of rising from poverty, instead of complaining about lack of tarmac roads.

Press statements from State House indicate that the President is consistent in his message to the poor people wherever he goes on his current ‘Bonna Bagaggawale’ tour – that tarmac roads and electricity will not get them out of poverty.

Instead, the president said, engaging in economic activities to boost household incomes through taking advantage of government programmes such as NAADS and subsidized loans from Prosperity for All’, will.

During his recently concluded tour of Nakasongola district, Museveni responded to queries of lack of electricity and tarmac roads by saying:

“The roads from Sasiira to Nakasongola, Luweero to Nakasongola, etc are done but are there no poor people along those tarmac roads? Tarmac is not the cure to poverty. The cure to poverty is for you to know the ways through which you can fight it in your homes by getting incomes and food security,”

Campaigning?

The president is using his crusade on improving household incomes as a response to what he calls diversionary politics propagated by his opponents.

During the president’s two recent trips to Nakasongola and to Kiboga, he has thanked the people for supporting the ruling NRM in the previous elections. He has asked them to continue supporting his war against poverty in the households.
 
“Am angry with them because they just use people and leave them in poverty yet for them they are okay. Me, I am okay and I want others to be okay. I’m going to deal with them. Am training you to know that agro-production in a modern way can enable you exploit your small pieces of land profitably,” he said.

The president also argues that with improved incomes, they can afford to purchase solar panels instead of demanding that government extends the electricity grid to their homes.

“If I bring the power here, is there guarantee that all these people will afford power in their homes? The important thing is not power but your income,” the president noted as he donated a solar panel to be installed at Nabiswera Sub-County headquarters in Nakasongola district to demonstrate that the people can easily tap solar power if they improve their incomes.

Throughout his travels, the president is using the examples of successful farmers to demonstrate that modern agriculture can help people rise from poverty.

“This is not a myth but a reality that modern agriculture is an absolute source of wealth”, Museveni told the people of Nabiswera.

However, while it may be true that extension of tarmac roads and electricity grids has not been matched with increased productivity in many parts of the country, some development experts could pick issue with the chronic failure in some of the programmes such as NAADS.

Besides, as economists would tell you, production requires access to credit, labour, appropriate technology and access to markets. Without a good combination of these critical factors, provision of some is likely to lead to failure.

Whereas the government may blame people for using tarmac roads to dry their cassava and millet for brewing in some parts such as Teso, a number of crucial problems may be grossed over.

Pictured: President Museveni greets his presidential advisor on poverty Joan Kakwenzire in a recent trip to Wakiso
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