President Museveni Promises low cost houses for workers in industrial parks, gives PAU’s Ssekatawa a medal for dedicated service in the oil and gas sector
President Yoweri Museveni has promised to find investors to construct low cost houses for the largely young people working in factories set up in industrial parks . He was addressing the nation during the2026 International Labour Day celebrations held at Bishop Nkoyoyo Primary School, Matale Grounds in Buikwe District.
Museveni said that if he fails to get investors to set up affordable houses , he will invite the Housing finance Bank to undertake the work . This after he was informed that workers in industrial parks were walking long distances due to lack of decent and affordable housing near their work places .
At the same function Museveni once gain called upon Ugandans tghe embrace argiculture under the PDM to fight poverty at the household level while also creating jobs and wealth .
“As we celebrate this Labour day, we should focus more on how to create enough jobs for all Ugandans, as opposed to discussing the welfare and enhanced remuneration of the few employed Ugandans,” Museveni said today as he presided over the International Labour celebrations in at the Namutumba district ceremonial grounds. This year’s Labour day theme is “Promoting positive work culture and Ethics.”
The President said that whereas the welfare and remuneration of the workers is important, the need to create more jobs and do away with unemployment is more of the concern for the government.
“I therefore ask all citizens to support the government programs that are focused on job and wealth creation, such as the Parish Development Model that will help generate enough jobs for the entire population. If we implement seriously the Parish Development Model, we shall generate 70 million jobs in the 7 million homesteads across the country through modern agriculture alone,” he said.
“There is the corrupt political class and civil service who either demand for bribes or delay the decision making process, which increases the cost of doing business in the country. I am going to have a big fight with the corrupt,” he said.
“I don’t want you to fall victim of this negative vice (corruption). Let’s join hands and fight corruption and be part of the future of the new Africa.”
The president also awarded the National Independence Medal to Ali Ssekatawa, director legal and corporate affairs at the Petroleum Authority of Uganda, in recognition of his contribution to Uganda’s oil and gas sector.
The National Independence Medal is among Uganda’s highest civilian honours, given to individuals who have made outstanding contributions to protecting the country’s independence and advancing national interests.
Ssekatawa was recognised for his role as part of the core technical team that negotiated and concluded the legal and commercial frameworks underpinning Uganda’s major oil projects, including Tilenga, Kingfisher, the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) and the refinery.
These efforts were instrumental in Uganda reaching Final Investment Decision in 2022, unlocking an estimated $15 billion in investment.
His citation highlights an extensive career in petroleum law, regulation, and high-stakes negotiations. Since 2017, he has served as one of the pioneer directors of the Petroleum Authority of Uganda, contributing to its growth into one of Africa’s leading petroleum regulators.
In February 2023, the Authority was named Petroleum Regulator of the Year in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Ssekatawa has participated in negotiating key agreements critical to Uganda’s oil development, including intergovernmental agreements, host government agreements, production sharing agreements, refinery agreements, and sale and purchase agreements.
He also among a team of key negotiators for Uganda leading to more than 20 commercial agreements that enabled the financial close of EACOP.
In 2025, he served as chief negotiator for the Refinery Implementation Agreement between the Government of Uganda and Alpha MBM, a major step toward establishing the country’s refinery infrastructure.
Beyond negotiations, Ssekatawa has been central in shaping Uganda’s response to international opposition to its oil projects.
He played a prominent role in countering campaigns such as Stop EACOP and responding to global pressure, including a 2022 European Union Parliament resolution opposing the pipeline.
