Museveni seeks Mumbere help to ‘wipe out’ ADF rebels  

President Yoweri Museveni has sought the help of Obusinga Bwa Rwenzururu cultural leader Charles Wesley Mumbere Irema Ngoma to help the government defeat the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebels so as to ensure stability in the region.   

ADF rebels have continued to be a security threat to Museveni’s government. The latest is the murder of two British tourists and a Ugandan tour guide this week in Kasese, western Uganda. And every time President Museveni has declared the demise of ADF, they have always come back and carried out terror acts against Ugandans including blowing up police stations and buses in the city, murdering and abducting school children. 

Now, Museveni is encouraging the local community to back the security forces by exercising constant vigilance in order to identify, isolate, and wipe out rebel elements in their communities. In his speech read on his behalf by Vice President Maj (Rtd) Jessica Alupo, at the 57th coronation anniversary of the Rwenzururu cultural leader at Kilembe Golf Course in Kasese town on Thursday, Museveni said the stability of the region is crucial to the country’s development.

He also urged the leadership of the kingdom to maintain a good relationship with the government to tackle the challenges of poverty, criminality, and diseases.  

“By murdering soft targets in Uganda i.e. school children, traders, foreigners etc, this will be the final chapter of their [ADF] existence everywhere on earth. I ask that you incorporate the message of wealth for development. We have united the people of Uganda at the household level in your program. The primary focus for the NRM government is to trigger social economic transformation of Uganda. We have guaranteed peace and stability – precursor rejecting the poison of sectarianism on act of tribe,” said Museveni. 

The president highlighted that the NRM government respects the legitimate interests of the Bakonzo community to express their unique cultural norms, adding that he is personally happy that Mumbere returned to his kingdom.

He said the restoration of the kingdoms in Uganda in 1993 was one of the greatest achievements of the current government because they are older than the history of Uganda and hence they teach a sense of belonging. The state minister for Gender and Culture, Peace  Mutuuzo, asked the cultural leaders to focus on unity and development.

In his address to his subjects, Mumbere emphasized the importance of embracing government programs such as the Parish Development Model (PDM) to improve their livelihoods and combat poverty. He outlined the kingdom’s plans for the next seven years, focusing on five pillars; reconciliation, unity in diversity, social-economic transformation, peace building, and mindset change.   

He underscored that the achievement of these objectives would require a strong commitment from all his subjects.