Kampala capital city authority councilors who had vowed never to meet and discuss any development with president Yoweri Museveni have swallowed their pride and crawled to his firm at Kisozi in Gomba.
A delegation of over 300 mainly Councilors from the five Divisions of Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) went to Kisozi farm in Gomba district along with the Minister of Kampala City Authority, Hon. Betty Namisango Kamya, State Minister for Kampala Capital City Authority, Hon. Namugwanya Benna, Resident District Commissioner (RDC), Ms. Deborah Mbabazi, Deputy RDCs from the 5 Divisions, urban councilors, technical staff, informal sector representatives and a group of businessmen and women, among others.
It is reported that before the meeting with Mr. Museveni, the delegation first toured some progressive farms in Kilasi Parish of Maddu Sub-County, Gomba county and personally witnessed the fact that out of a total number of 1700 homesteads, only 100 have not yet been transformed to a status of assured sustainable income generating activities through small-scale commercialized agricultural methods of farming.
The KCCA delegation was also exposed to the fact that Kilasi village is an area that is tailored to provide a learning environment for investment in rural settings with a view to achieving sustainable money generating activities to eradicate household poverty.
Museveni used the meeting to motivate Kampala’s desperate and disgruntled jobless youths who run around with application papers in search of what to do on a daily.
"The problem with young people in Kampala City is that they are just there. If you have land, learn how to shift from subsistence farming to commercial agriculture in the peri-urban and suburbs areas of the city. Start up small scale factories like the young girls who have been trained in skilling methods in artisanship and they were recently trained and commissioned at Wandegeya market,” Museveni said.
The President called upon KCCA councilors to emulate the example of Kilasi village saying: "I am not ready to stay with neighbours who opt to live perpetual poor life of financial darkness. That is being selfish,” he added.
“For me, I am ready to go to heaven. However, I am not ready to answer questions from God as to why I did not impart this knowledge to you as most leaders have behaved. Have you ever heard about me going for holidays for the last thirty years?" he asked.
Mr. Museveni challenged officials of Kampala City Traders’ Association (KACITA) as to why they promote and encourage the business community to import products like fabrics, furniture, etc from outside the country to fill the shopping arcades in Kampala. He noted that a good number of those imported products can easily be manufactured locally. The President observed that this translates to financial hemorrhage that must stop.
“Let us focus on increasing exports from the country, reduce imports for our currency to gain value hence increasing job opportunities in the sectors of commercialized agriculture, manufacturing, services and ICT, among others.
Mr. Museveni reminded the councilors that as members of a sector of a small number of people employed by government who survive on salary only, they ought to be encouraged to think of private sector business orientation.
"All I want from you councilors is to find what to do in the private sector. If you already have, add on. If you don't have, start," he advised.
It is remembered that last year, councilors vowed not to meet the president claiming he has no authority over them. Most of them even refused to attend a leadership course at Kyankwanzi after it was organized by minister Betty Kamya claiming it was meant to hoodwink them into supporting the infamous Age limit bill which has since been passed and signed into law.
The circumstances under which they agreed to meet Mr. Museveni are still mysterious and some city dwellers believe it’s the January financial crisis.
