Museveni Lauds Development, Military Successes on Labour Day Address

President Yoweri Museveni used his Labour Day address in Nakapiripirit to highlight the National Resistance Movement (NRM)’s achievements, particularly in infrastructure development and military successes, while sharply criticising those he termed “Nshoninkyes,” a phrase he translated as “those with little or no shame.”

Addressing Ugandans gathered for the celebrations, President Museveni expressed his satisfaction with the progress witnessed in remote areas like Nakapiripirit and Moroto. “To go to the distant Nakapiripirit, Moroto etc and you see the brand new tarmac roads, the electricity power lines, the ubiquitous telephone masts, the peace and the factories that are coming up, is very pleasing for the serious patriots,” he stated.

He further emphasized the extensive road network now connecting Uganda to its neighbors, citing tarmac roads from South Sudan borders in the north to Tanzania, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in the south and west, and from Kenya in the east to the DRC in the west. This, he argued, underscored the NRM’s commitment to national development.

President Museveni then shifted his focus to recent military operations, praising the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) for their success in South Sudan and the DRC. “The South Sudan Army of our brother People of South Sudan supported by the UPDF Expeditionary Force, has completely and quickly defeated the insurgents that had invaded that country capturing a town known as Nassir and threatening other centres,” he announced 

He also commended the UPDF’s efforts in the DRC, stating, “In Congo, the UPDF has defeated the ADF with the support of the Congo Army and tamed the sectarian CODECO that was targeting some of the other communities in Ituri and collaborating with ADF. This is all good news.”

The President congratulated the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and the entire UPDF for “resurrecting the UPDF lethality in combat and fighting corruption.”

However, President Museveni reserved his strongest words for those he called “Nshoninkyes,” individuals who “minimize or dismiss the achievements of the NRM.” He expressed his “sorrow” for these individuals, implying their disregard for the visible progress across the nation.

The Labour Day address served as a platform for President Museveni to showcase the NRM’s accomplishments, both domestically and regionally, and to assert his administration’s commitment to continued development and security.