The UPDF engineering brigade has honoured President Museveni for his contribution towards the development of Greater Ankole region with a statute.
The statute erected in Museveni’s home town of Rushere in Kiruhura district is aimed at recognizing Museveni’s efforts in educating cattle farmers in the cattle corridor to adopt dairy farming, stop nomadism, settle down and live in one place for their socio-economic transformation.
Speaking during the unveiling of the monument, Museveni said he was happy with the gesture noting that it was a good idea to set up the monument in Rushere since it is where he started his gospel of educating farmers towards the end of 1966.
He also revealed that the establishment of the monument was ideal because it will teach the young generation about the socio-economic transformation of the people of greater Ankole.
Museveni however noted with concern that the cattle corridor has started declining in socio-economic transformation, explaining that the people have failed to go from free range grazing to zero grazing and wealth fragmentation after the death of the head of the family.
“We are telling people to go from free range to zero grazing. Let the cows not roam in the farm but grow pasture for them.Cut it and give it to them in the shade. The other mistake is when the head of the family dies and wealth is fragmented through inheritance.”
He told the cattle farmers that the only solution to poverty is dairy farming, arguing that they can earn a lot of money in a small piece of land as long as they practise zero grazing.
The Minister of Defence and Veteran Affairs, Vincent Bamulangaki Ssempijja thanked President Museveni for his contribution in educating the people of Ankole to go from working for the stomach only to working for the pockets, saying that now his message reached all regions of Uganda.
The Deputy Chief of Defense Forces, Lt Gen Peter Elwelu thanked President Museveni for his role in bringing development to greater Ankole.
He promised on behalf of UPDF that they will not allow anyone to destabilise the peace that was brought by the NRM government which has contributed to the development of Uganda.
