President Museveni promises to uplift welfare of Journalists

KAMPALA - The President of Uganda Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has promised to uplift the welfare of Journalists by allocating revolving financial capital to Uganda Journalists Association SACCO and other 20 regional affiliate Zonal SACCos in a bid to socially transform Uganda.

"Journalists could do a good service if you know what to do or you could be part of the problem in Africa. I have never heard a cow talk, since you have now requested for government support, being the fountain of honour, I will definitely support you improve your wellbeing," President Museveni assured the journalist practitioners.

He made the remarks during the closing ceremony where he presided over as Cheif Guest, a 6 day state and media ideology symposium for Socio-Economic Transformation, an initiative of the President of Uganda and the Uganda Journalists Association held at Kyambogo University from 6th-11th February 2023. He thanked his personal assistant on Youth Affairs at State House Hellen Seku for mobilizing over 500 journalists countrywide .

He said that while all creatures have problems, man has got the capacity to try and do something about those problems. He added that problems of creatures are one big problem of oppression by nature e.g., disease, fraught, floods, earthquakes to mention but a few.

"Human beings can get solutions to the above problems unlike animals, so work hard to improve your wellbeing," he advised the journalists. He appealed to them that since they are in public affairs, they must be clear on why they are there and not bring confusion. He said the needs of people are the same. President Museveni highlighted the goals of public affairs which include; Prosperity for all, Strategic Security, Socio-Economic Transformation etc.

"NRM says you must become a new a new society based on science, knowledge, and technology not manual labour and all families should join the money economy,"he added.

According to him the above public affairs goals need infrastructure eg roads, railway, electricity, telephone to enable them succeed. According to H. E. Gen Museveni, within agriculture, there are four ways of doing commercial activities. These are:the four acres plan; the micro-activiies for those that no longer have four acres of land; the medium and large scale farmers; and the plantation agriculture.

"With the 4 acres plan, we recommended seven activities on account of high returns per acre, per annum. These were: one acre for clonal coffee; one acre for fruits(Mangoes, Oranges and Pineapples); one acre for food crops for the family(cassava bananas, upland rice or irrigation rice, Irish potatoes, sorghum or millet; one acre for pasture for dairy cattle(8); poultry for eggs in the backyard (ekanyima), piggery; and fish farming along the edged of the edges of the wetlands (not on the centre),"he preached the transformation gospel.

He added that in an acre of clonal coffee, it can give you 18 millons UGX annually while fruits give you 12 millionUGX , and milk 8 million UGX . President Museveni lastly promised academic scholarships to journalists annually and is set to meet the UJA heirachy to iron out modalities of those who will benefit.

Hellen Seku the chief mobilizer of journalists across the country reminded President Museveni that this is not the first time journalists are grouped together because in March 2020, 916 Youth Journalists from all over the country camped at Makerere University Business School although saboteurs made sure that the President missed out meeting them. She called upon Journalists to always report objectively with correct and accurate information. She added that journalists should help the president fight corruption and eliminate those feasting on public funds.

" Sabalwanyi needs our support. Let us join hands with the President to fight corruption," she noted. On his part, Hon. Dr. Chris Baryomunsi the minister in charge of ICT and National Guidance appealed to journalists to remain ethically professional despite the welfare challenge.

" I am a medical doctor but if I'm working on a patient, I can not administer poison to them because I have been paid by someone to kill the patient. I'm duty bound to save them and I call upon you to do the same," he advised.

Mathias Rukundo President of UJA thanked the president for all the support he has always rendered. 562 journalists, 428 male and 134 female participated in the successful symposium where journalists left with a smile on their faces.