Leaders of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party, together with the party MPs-elect have embarked on drawing up a strategy that will uplift the lives of the most vulnerable Ugandans. The strategy will among other things devise measures by which Members of Parliament will ensure that youth, women, the elderly and people living with disabilities can access basic needs.
According to the Party Secretary General Rt. Hon Justine Kasule Lumumba, the party chairman President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, will elaborate to the leaders how this strategy can be set in motion. President Museveni is set to preside over the official opening of the retreat for the newly elected party MPs today at the National leadership Institute (NALI) in Kyankwanzi.
Lumumba explained that the newly elected MPs have since Thursday last week been in quarantine at NALI, during which they were involved in a number of activities including military drills and ideological orientation.
“We are set for the official opening of the retreat and after opening, we shall get deeper into issues to do with ideology under the guidance of the national chairperson,” Lumumba said, adding: “After the official opening we shall go deeper into issues of ideology under the guidance of the national chairman. And then we shall tackle how to deal with issues of basic needs especially of the most vulnerable people.”
She explained that the basic needs include food, shelter, medical care and security.
“As we take on the new tern we want to see that the ordinary person is helped to have an income to be able to live a meaningful life. We are here with the people’s representatives in the next Parliament to draw a strategy of how to implement this,” the party Secretary General stated.
She added that this strategy is in line with the party principles of democracy, panafricanism, patriotism and socio economic transformation.
According to Lumumba, in order for Uganda to gain from the East African bloc, leaders must ensure that Ugandans are productive.
Lumumba also stated that because of democracy ushered in by the NRM, more young Ugandans have taken on leadership positions and the party will tap into the energy of these young Ugandans to drive the agenda of transforming the lives of Ugandans.
Lumumba also said the party had convened the retreat to orient the new MPs with the party manifesto. She added that MPs need to understand the transition of the party strategy from the 10 Point Programme to the 15 Point Programme and now the 4 principles that make the pillars of the party.