President Yoweri Museveni has asked Ugandans living around the Katuna border post to stay calm as talks to find a lasting solution to the ongoing crisis between Uganda and Rwanda continue.
Museveni said he recently met his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame in Kigali, and they discussed many things that will soon pave the way to solving the challenges that led to the border crisis between the two countries.
The President was responding to a question that was raised during a press briefing held at the Kabale State Lodge on Tuesday evening.
He said everything was being handled diplomatically, to ensure the best for both countries. Museveni also tasked security officials with arresting all quack tour operators in the region, to ensure the smooth running of the business. He reassured residents of the Kigezi sub-region of the Government’s commitment to upgrade all tourism roads in the area, to boost the sector.
Museveni further called for the responsible use of wetlands if the country is to achieve visible development.
“We are not chasing Ugandans out of wetlands, but we need them to adapt to better strategies of using them. “Instead of setting up gardens within wetlands that end up draining them, we encourage practices such as fish farming, which eventually conserves them and also offers some income to the farmers,” Museveni said.
The President who is currently in Kigezi sub-region on a wealth-creation campaign earlier on holding a meeting with leaders from the area at Kigezi College, Butobere.
He called on residents to focus on commercialized production if they want to boost their livelihoods.
“Today, I learned that 75% of families in Kigezi are involved in subsistence farming which is quite dangerous if they seriously need to upgrade their lives. It is high time this trend changed to favor development in this area,” Museveni said.
He urged people to be calculative as they aim at improving their income levels.
“Focus on projects that reap highly if you have small pieces of land. You can start with projects such as coffee, fruits, poultry and cattle keeping, depending on the size of land that you have,”
Museveni
The President also noted that the Government is still committed to supporting Ugandans through the Operation Wealth Creation, Youth Livelihood Fund and the Women Fund, among other initiatives