President Yoweri Museveni has in his remarks at the annual Thanksgiving service at State house, Entebbe on Friday said prayer alone cannot rid Uganda of poverty.
Museveni, who hosted the event with wife, Janet Museveni under the theme “Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called children of God” noted that religious leaders should work with the State in implementing programs aimed at fighting poverty in the nation.
“Christians and Muslims must take the lead in chasing poverty from Africa. You cannot have a nation of believers in poverty. You cannot escape by just praying,” he said.
“A total of 68 percent of homesteads are in subsistence farming, they don’t care about making money yet we are in the era of making money,” he added.
President Museveni in a release from State House regarding the thanksgiving
observed the decision by government to prioritize spending is bearing fruit and also claimed a study by the Centre for International Development at the Harvard University saying: “Uganda will be the fastest growing economy globally by 2025, followed by India.”
“As it is in Galatians 6:7 and Matthew 7:13-14, we always take the narrow path if necessary. In 2006, the government took a strong stand to supress the budget and focus on infrastructure, electricity and the army. This Harvard report is one example of reaping what we sowed after taking the narrow difficult path,” he said.
“It is the same with the fishing sector. We took the tough decision to use the army to fight those catching immature fish. Now, the fish stock in Lake Victoria is going up and the fish factories will be back in business,” he continued.
He thanked the main preacher, Fred Wantante, for his sermon and furthermore urged religious leaders to continue preaching the message of reconciliation, forgiveness and love.
The event was graced by several national and international dignitaries including the Vice President Edward Sekandi, Prime minister Ruhakana Rugunda, Richard Todwong, Ruth Nankabirwa, Apolo Nsibambi, Court of appeal’s Justice Catherine N. Bamugemereirwe, religious leaders including Robert Kayanja among others.
By Staff Writer.
