Lukwago cannot beat me - Museveni

Cadres walk past a poster announcing Mr Museveni’s sole presidential candidature for the NRM at the entrance of Nakivubo Blue Primary School where Mr Museveni presided over passing out of party carders yesterday. Photo by stephen wandera

What you need to know:

The President called on the Lord Mayor to concentrate on developing the city rather than fight him.

Kampala- President Museveni yesterday held Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago responsible for the poverty faced by people in Kampala.

Mr Lukwago who has been out of office since his impeachment by Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) councillors last year, has on several occassions blamed President Museveni for fighting him.

In the latest series of events, the Supreme Court threw out a petition by Mr Lukwago, who is seeking to return to office, saying it do not have jurisdiction to hear an appeal arising from a decision of one justice of the Court of Appeal.

President Museveni said he is not able to help the people in Kampala if they continue voting poor leaders like Mr Lukwago who cannot extend services to the local people.
“I want you to help me fight subjects who are against development projects like industrialisation,” Mr Museveni said at Nakivubo Primary School grounds as he passed out 532 youth who have been undergoing 30 days of cadre course training.

The President asked people to support KCCA executive director Jennifer Musisi in developing the city. He commended Ms Musisi’s role in changing the city pointing out the newly constructed Kafumbe Mukasa Road.

“You see what Musisi is trying to do in the city. I think that you also see that Kafumbe Mukasa has been well done,” said Mr Museveni.

The President appealed to people in Katwe and Kisenyi to start up income generating projects in every household as a way of fighting poverty.

“To achieve development, you must support my projects of industrialisation where I will be able to create jobs for the youth and also shun those poor politicians who act as blockages to the channel of my funding,” Mr Museveni noted.

However, through Kampala Central Division Mayor Godfrey Nyakana, division leaders want audience with the President in order to forge solutions to what they called dysfunctional divisions of Kampala City.

“There is need to meet you (Museveni) on the challenges in the Kampala divisions where services are dysfunctional,” said Mr Nyakana, as he commended the President for Kafumbe Mukasa Road that connects Owino Market to the Central Business District.
Mr Lukwago laughed off the President’s statements saying that Mr Museveni should own up his failures to get people in Uganda out of poverty in the 30 years he has spent in power.

“It is not me fighting Museveni but he is the one fighting the peoples’ sovereignty,” Lord Moyar Lukwago said in a telephone interview, adding: “You cannot compare me who has been in office for three turbulent years with a leader who has been in power for almost 30 years.”