President Yoweri Museveni is set to close the week long retreat of NRM MPs at the National Leadership institute (NALI) in Kyankwanzi . The MPs will also participate in the traditional trek to Ngoma government farm – a 3.5km liberation history walk in Nakaseke district .
On the seventh day of the retreat Vice President, Rt. Maj. Jessica Alupo, has called upon the newly elected Members of Parliament (MPs) to resist economic pressures resulting in dangerous -unsustainable borrowing.
“They are now VIPs and they should control their expectations,” she said. “They should live within their means and continue working with the population the way they have been working before becoming Members of Parliament.”
She warned MPs against taking unnecessary loans, noting that poor financial decisions could undermine both their personal stability and public service. “They should exercise financial disciplin, plan well and avoid unnecessary borrowing which may lead them into debts which are not sustainable,” she added.
The Vice President also encouraged the legislators to maintain close ties with their constituents, stressing that effective representation depends on continuous engagement with the people.
Alupo highlighted the importance of mentorship in leadership development. She described mentorship as a continuous process and called on both the new MPs and experienced leaders within the party to actively engage in it.
“Mentorship is not an activity, it is a process. I encourage them to continue looking out for mentorship, and senior members of the NRM to guide them. From the discipline exhibited here and ,the way members have been asking for clarifications, I have very high hopes that the 12th Parliament will be of high quality,” she noted.
Director of Information and Publicity Emmanuel Dombo explained that the retreat was convened to realign both NRM MPs and independent legislators who lean towards the party with the NRM manifesto and national development agenda.
“When members were elected, including those who are independent but NRM-leaning, we brought them here to align their thinking with the manifesto so that as leaders, they contribute effectively to delivering on the commitments of the party,” Dombo said.
Dombo added that legislators were introduced to critical government frameworks such as the Fourth National Development Plan (NDP IV), which aims to grow Uganda’s economy from about 68 billion U.S. dollars to 500 billion dollars in the coming years.
“The members needed to understand what government plans to do and what role they must play to support that transformation,” he said.
“With this common understanding, work will be easier for the presiding officers, smoother for the party, and faster for government,” he said.
He added that the ultimate goal is to ensure better delivery of services to Ugandans and to strengthen the party’s performance in future elections.
