President Museveni has said that the aim of the six-day ‘Afrika Kwetu’ has changed from showing the Bazukulu how they struggled to come into power to mobilising people within the areas visited and teach them how to get out poverty.
On Saturday Museveni embarked on this historical trek and was expected to walk for 195 kilometres from Galamba, in Wakiso district to Birembo in Kibaale district.
According to the organisers of the trek, the real objective of the trek was to commemorate the heroic sacrifices of Uganda’s freedom fighters and also sensitising the country’s youth ‘Bazukulu’ about the struggle for power in the 1980s.
Museveni joined by veterans, youth and other leaders for the trek expected to end on Friday. However, following the nature of the places and people he has been meeting in the last two days, Museveni was forced to start mobilising them on how to get out poverty and loving their country.
“We are walking while remembering our history but also building and bonding with our numbers, so that is why the walk has turned into a mobilisation tour. Because wherever we go we stop we talk which was not on the agenda. For me I’m getting a lot of information,” he said after comping at Ndirawaru on Monday.
This is where began the fourth day of the walk up the steep hill of Butologo about 5.5km in Mubende district.
Although Museveni did not specify whether he is mobilising people for development or the National Resistance Movement party, some political activists such as Imam of Mawanga Mosque (Munyonyo) and the Vice-Chairman Uganda Muslim Youth Assembly (UMYA) Imam Idi Kasozi said that mobilising for election was Museveni’s original aim in this trek.
“I’m happy that he went there and saw how bad those places that brought him in power are. However, the walk is useless but he wanted to mobilise people for his NRM party. That is why he has even reached an extent of giving out money. Let him not lie to Ugandans, mobilising for 2021 elections was the priority of this walk,” he said.
Meanwhile, so far the trekkers have walked 80 kilometres having covered 30km on day one and 28km on Sunday. On Monday they reportedly walked for 12km up Kagogo Hill in Bukomero where one of the liberation fighters, now known as security minister, Gen Elly Tumwine, was shot in the eye.
Before setting off for the fourth day Museveni encouraged young people to fight hard and meet the journey’s target of 195km.
“My bazukulu are dying because of eating too much but never do exercises such as this, the gym is just a joke, here we have a target (195km walk) and it helps you. I last did a similar trek in 1999, “ he said while giving the last address on Tuesday at Kiboga district. “When I came from the bush, I made sure I put in place systems, which have aided this government to survive for long. I must teach the ‘bazukulu’ this history,” he added.
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