Uganda ‘s longest serving President Museveni has picked on the covid-19 experience and the resilience of Uganda to say that the country was in the right place after 59 years of independence . He said that the global pandemic that forced economies to shutdown and left over a million people dead , has proved that developing countries including Uganda can survive and economically sustain themselves with little or no outside help .
“In these two years, as many of you know, we dealt successfully with problems of locusts’ invasion; the rising levels of the waters of the lakes (the floods); the land–slides; the floating island that were threatening hydro dams and the Covid pandemic,” Gen Museveni stated at a colourful Kololo Independence grounds where the national independence day celebrations where held.
Museveni said that Uganda managed to post a 3.4% growth rate even when half of the economy remains under lockdown and it is projected to grow at a rate of 3.8%, the Covid19 related shutdowns notwithstanding.
He however lashed out at the visible rampant corruption which he said was now affecting the country’s . “All these achievements, are in spite of the corruption of some public officials, including some of the political actors. I congratulate the whistle-blowers who, patriotically, expose these criminals, parasites and traitors to their own people.”
Museveni vowed that government was now in a better position to deal with the problem of corruption decisively . At Kololo grounds Ugandan innovators and entrepreneurs exhibited various locally made products following government’s efforts to support value addition and he BUBU policy .
Among the prominent ones to exhibit included Makerere university working with Uganda ‘s automakers -Kiira Motors Corporation are in the last stages of putting on the market a local made medical ventilator called Bulamu to facilitate the fight against the Covid -19 pandemic . Museveni said that once the equipment if certified , he will have the Bulamu ventilators bought by government and deployed in health facilities across the country .
