The creation of this University is a product of my Government’s vision of mobilising all Ugandans to develop our nation.
The NRM’s DNA is to partner with private individuals, organisations, and institutions to provide services and develop our people. We can do more together because each has a role to play, and the synergy generated from the team is much more than what an individual or group can achieve.
Therefore, I thank the Catholic Church and the Brothers of Christian Instruction for supporting and working with my Government to develop our Country, Uganda. The role you have played over the years, especially in education, health, social services, preaching and promoting peaceful coexistence, is commendable and deserves appreciation.
I assure you of the Government's continued support. Besides the Church and the Brothers, I congratulate the University on several achievements it has registered since 2010, when I officiated at the graduation ceremony at this campus. At that time, the University was a small college, but with clear-headed leadership, it had already set out to focus on science education, which was in line with my Government's priorities. That is why I am proud to be associated with the work going on at this University. In addition to the steady progress made, the University successfully implemented the Science teacher scholarship scheme, graduating 347 science teachers who are all gainfully employed. The University has grown its science offerings by adding Biomedical Sciences, and now it is set to offer nursing and midwifery programs. I, therefore, congratulate the University for being honest and using the allocated resources appropriately, unlike some institutions that engage in corrupt tendencies and abuse the resources. The ongoing research and innovations at this University have attracted my attention because they align with the NRM manifesto and Vision 2040, which aims to transform Uganda from a peasant society to a prosperous Country. I am impressed that during the 14th Annual Higher Education Exhibition organised by the National Council for Higher Education, the University of Kisubi was ranked second in the Public and Chartered University category.
These innovations are evidence of the serious work going on at this University. I am happy to note that the theme under which you exhibited, “Fostering Graduate Employability and Innovations", is current because it focuses on solving the unemployment among our youth. My Government will continue to support such endeavours through the relevant ministries and departments, especially the Ministry of Science and Technology, to ensure that these innovations are transformed into marketable products to create more jobs, generate tax revenue and transform our Country. Besides the achievements made, I challenge the University to do even more in research, innovations and developing programs that address the needs of our Country. We cannot sit back and wait for other people to come and develop Uganda. Our primary responsibility is to defend, protect and promote this Country for ourselves and future generations. I wish to focus on you, the graduands, the cause of our gathering today.
Congratulations! Your joy is our joy. Besides the graduation parties you will be enjoying, you must immediately realise that your graduation is a passage to adulthood, which implies learning to care for yourself and those dear to you, pay your bills, decide what to do, how to do it, when to do it, with whom to do it, bear the consequences and reap the benefits. You are lucky to have graduated when several developments are happening in our Country because of the excellent NRM leadership. For example, I commissioned a 600-megawatt dam at Karuma last week. Coffee earnings are at the highest level in our history; we are about to start exploiting our oil, and Ugandans live longer than ever. All these developments are happening because of the Government’s clear priorities. We started by ensuring peace throughout the Country and are now handling other sectors.
The developments happening in our Country are not an accident; they are happening because we have been intentional. To benefit from these developments, you must take care of yourselves by avoiding reckless living, avoiding alcohol and drug abuse, exercising regularly, avoiding riots and bad politics, engaging in value addition, driving carefully on our roads and avoiding corruption. In addition, I urge you to avoid the nay-sayers and those who engage in continuous criticisms; such people miss out on the opportunities before them because they focus on the negatives! They always think that the glass is half empty! Imagine the amount of energy (power) we produce in the Country.
Power is a vast resource: It is the driving force of nearly all human activities, from the vehicles we drive to the homes, hospitals, schools, security forces and workplaces and the machinery we use. That is why by examining the power a country produces, you can tell whether it is developed.
When the NRM Government took over the leadership of this nation, the Country was generating less than 80 megawatts of power, but now it is over 2000 megawatts and still growing. This power must be used, and you, the young generation, must use this energy to create jobs and push our Country to the top middle class and beyond.
Finally, I wish to thank the parents, guardians, and benefactors of these graduands for sacrificing their resources to educate their sons and daughters at this University. You have given them the best gift in their lives, and they will not regret it.
