MUSEVENI PRAISES TRUMP FOR BANNING AFRICANS FROM MIGRATING TO US IN ADDRESS TO NRM LEADERS IN WEST NILE

BY RICHARD DRASIMAKU

ARUA: FRIDAY, JANUARY 9, 2026

President Yoweri Museveni has praised the president of the United States of America, Donald Trump for the enactment of sweeping travel restrictions on several countries including Uganda.

The US measures that have been expanding gradually are aimed at nipping the problem of illegal immigrants in the bud.

“I like Mr Trump so much. He has said don’t cone now to America. I have said thank you for chasing those who are wondering. You who do not want to focus on your home, shouting wou, wau, Wau!” said Museveni.

The president was addressing the leaders of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) from West Nile at Muni University in Arua City.

He said Trumps actions would not have affected people if they listened to the NRM’s call: “You build your own capacity. Build Uganda, build Africa.”

Museveni expounded that it was the NRM’s emphasis on patriotism that allowed the government to stabilize the politics and build strong army, police force and judiciary.

Museveni disclosed that since coming to power in 1986, the government has scored seven achievements starting with peace.

He said it was not easy to build a durable peace in Uganda because of bad politics of identity (who you are rather than what you do); are you a catholic, Moslem, Anglican or are you Lugbara, a Munyankole, a Baganda etc.

Museveni explained that identity is good for biology but for wealth creation it is bad. “I am a Munyankole biologically but for me to succeed in wealth creation, I must produce goods which I should sell in order to earn money. In deed I produce milk, I produce meat and I produce bananas but the Banyankole do not buy them from me because they also produce the same.”

“It is the people of Kampala who buy my milk, meat and bananas. This is why NRM is emphasizing patriotism. That love Uganda because it is the market that will help you to get out of poverty,” Museveni asserted.

The president said sectarianism was the reason for failure of politic in the 1960s, leading to extrajudicial killings of many Ugandans.

“This man speaking, his grandfather was my friend, I was with Gaspero Odaa in Democratic Party,” Museveni said referring to his translator and the NRM flag bearer for Ayivu East Constituency, Eng William Taylor Tiyo Odaa.

Odaa died in 1981 in cold blood shooting by unknown assailants during the anarchy that followed the disputed elections that Museveni since said was rigged by the Uganda Peoples Congress.

He went to the bush to express his grievance and following five years of gueriler warfare, he emerged victorious, capturing power in 1986.

Museveni told the NRM grassroots leaders that if they wake up in the morning and start wealth creation like the way he has explained, they will find that Uganda is not even enough as a market.

He cited the increase volume of milk whose annual output stands at around 5.3m liters, yet the consumption is about 800,000 litres, leaving a surplus of over 4m littres.

He said it is the neighbouring countries like Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya, Tanzania, south Sudan and Democratic Republic of Congo that buy the surplus milk from Uganda.

He stressed that the same is true for cement, salt, sugar, Maize among others.

“This is why we talk of pan-Africanism, because Africa will serve you as a better market than Uganda,” declared president Museveni.

He said the government has also done well in executing economic development projects including tarmacking of roads, construction of schools, health centers, urban water facilities and electricity production.

However he told the leaders to pay particular attention to improving wealth at the household level.

Museveni said that NRM has devised the four acre model for eight enterprises, coffee, dairy cattle, poultry, fruits, piggery, goats, and fish ponds for those near water bodies.

The president said for the area along the river Nile, government will help the people to construct fish ponds and promote cage fish farming.

He emphasized the Parish Development Model, the government’s flagship program for poverty eradication, calling on the citizens who are still outside the money economy to embrace it and warning implementers against mismanagement.

“All people who are 18 years and above should join the parish savings and credit cooperative organization. Elect a committee to manage the fund utilization,” Museveni stressed.

He assured the people that the government is going to tighten supervision of the PDM SACCOs to eliminate some of the complaints coming about committees giving less money than the sh1m per recipient envisaged under the program.

Another form of wealth creation emphasized by Museveni is artisanship, hotels, bodabodas, and tourism among others which are creating job opportunities for the young people.

“African cry over jobs. They even want the United Nations to come to their aid. We cannot call UN to save us because we are in-charge of our country and we have the money and we have a strong army that can defend us,” Museveni said.

His speech has drown commendation from the West Nile leaders including Huda Uleru, the State Minister for Defence and Veteran affairs who commended the pledge to turn the banks of river Nile into fish farming bulwark.

Uleru said that will not only increase fish output and chase poverty from those areas, but it will also provide indirect job for the youths in the region.

The minister also welcomed the government’s plan to establish industrial parks, saying that Yumbe district where she I a parliamentary candidate for Aringa East constituency, has already offered 1200 acres of land for the industrial park.

Eng William Tiyo Oda who translated the presidential address was equally upbeat that the speech will not only spur the people into embracing wealth creation programs but also energize the people ahead of the January 15, 2026 polls.

“I want to be an example in my constituency by creating demonstration farms which residents of Ayivu East can learn from. In order to do that, I call upon the people to massively turn up on the voting day and show their support for president Museveni,” Eng Tiyo said.