I didn’t know Cranes was national team - Museveni

President Museveni inspects youth cadres at the National Teachers College, Mubende, last Saturday. PPU PHOTO

President Museveni stunned residents of Wakiso District at the weekend when he said he thought the national football team, the Uganda Cranes, was a mere club.

“I did not know that Uganda Cranes was the national team. I thought it was a club but they explained to me that other football clubs feed the Uganda Cranes with players and it is the national team,” Mr Museveni said sending the crowd into laughter.

The president, who told residents that he has a lot of passion for sports, said his participation had been limited by the instability in the country.

“I was a sportsman years ago. I used to love to play football but since 1966, I have been concentrating on war, war, war. I have now started going back to sports because of the (prevailing) peace,” Mr Museveni said.

Mr Museveni made the remarks shortly after commissioning Family Health Care, a private hospital in Buwate, Kira Town Council, in Wakiso District.

He contributed Shs80 million toward the construction of a theatre at the hospital.
The President observed that the reason the NRM government liberalised the economy was to enable investors like Family Health Care Hospital do their work and complement government’s efforts.

“NRM is hinged on a Runyankore saying, Oyorora zoona, tomanya erahiigye (you feed all dogs without knowing which one will be good at hunting),” he explained.

“We have Mulago National Referral Hospital, Mengo (Church of Uganda-owned) Hospital and other government hospitals but investors also come in.”
Meanwhile, the President has asked the youth to engage in commercial farming to improve their incomes.

“It will enable you to be empowered economically and also create jobs. I would be more comfortable if you engage in your own production to generate incomes,” he said.

The President was passing out more than 2,000 youth who have been under-going a cadre course at National Teachers College, Mubende.

The youth were trained in wealth creation projects, patriotism, HIV/Aids prevention and pan- Africanism among others.