By Ben Ssebuguzi
Kampala: President Yoweri Museveni has ability to be succinct and create a story with rich African history to create audience awareness.
Sometimes he punctuates his messages with idioms punctuated with humour hence making him one of the most effective public speakers.
Although he makes sure that his message is delivered to the target audience, some times people like Hon. Kyagulanyi Robert, the National Unity Platform (NUP) principal doesn’t understand him which makes him to use his weakness to build political capital.
Article 99 (3) of the Constitution of the Republic of Uganda vests the Executive Authority in the President and he is responsible for the welfare of the citizens and safeguards the Constitution and Laws of Uganda, among others.
It is from this that Office of the President derives its mandate of providing leadership in public Policy management and good governance. So the executive authority makes it his oil on behalf of Ugandans.
With his executive authority, he makes sure that the proceeds from the oil does not go in his private pockets but to the consolidated fund for the benefit of Ugandans.
In 2015, the Ugandan parliament passed the Public Finance Management Act, which details how oil revenues should be used.
Included is the proviso that oil money must be invested in infrastructure and to boost agriculture, rather than used for recurrent expenditure.
The act creates a petroleum fund where oil revenues will be saved. It includes provisions for the management of funds and a mechanism for sharing a small portion of royalties with local governments in the oil-producing region.
It also creates a sovereign wealth fund – the petroleum revenue investment reserve – to help invest the oil money and the President is very emphatic on how to use oil revenue.
In summary,all politicians who allege otherwise are opportunists,self seekers who want to disfranchise Ugandans against their oil.
The writer is the Secretary General of Uganda Poor Youth Movement.
