Minister Babalanda Holds Thanksgiving in Buyende, Lauds President Museveni for Transforming Her Life and Championing Development

BUYENDE, UGANDA — The Minister for the Presidency and Member of Parliament for Budiope West Constituency, Hon. Babirye Milly Babalanda, on Wednesday, 23 September, held a colourful Thanksgiving ceremony at Iringa Township Primary School in Nkondo Sub-County, Buyende District, with H.E. President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni as the Chief Guest.

In her address, Hon. Babalanda said the Thanksgiving ceremony was organised to give thanks to Almighty God for the gift of life, His protection, and the opportunity He has given her to serve the country and the people of Budiope West

“Your Excellency, today we gather with grateful hearts. This celebration is a public testimony that every achievement is built on God’s grace, the trust of the people and the contribution of many hands,” she said.

Minister Babalanda said she was deeply honoured by the President’s presence, noting that his decision to join the celebration gave special meaning to the occasion.

On behalf of her family, the organising committee and the people of Budiope West, she warmly welcomed the President to Iringa and Buyende District.She also used the occasion, which came shortly after the President’s birthday, to wish him a happy belated birthday on behalf of her family and the people of Budiope West. She prayed to Almighty God to preserve his life and grant him strength, good health, renewed wisdom and many more years of purposeful service to the nation.

The Minister expressed her deepest appreciation to President Museveni for the confidence he has placed in her, saying he recognised potential in her at a time when many may not have considered her deserving of such responsibility.

“Your Excellency, you lifted me from humble beginnings, nurtured me, mentored me and patiently gave me opportunities to learn, grow and serve our country. By entrusting me with responsibilities in Government and supporting me along the journey, you transformed what others may have overlooked into a life of purposeful national service,” she said.

She added that she remains profoundly humbled by the President’s faith in her and pledged to honour that trust through loyalty, integrity, hard work and service that delivers meaningful results for the people.Hon. Babalanda said she was particularly grateful to President Museveni for giving her a second opportunity to serve as Minister for the Presidency, describing the renewed responsibility as a trust she receives with humility and a commitment to continue serving with diligence and integrity.

The Minister also paid special tribute to the First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, Maama Janet Kataaha Museveni, thanking God for the gift of her life and for the strength, wisdom and grace with which she continues to support the President and serve the nation.

She described Maama Janet’s life of faith, humility, compassion and devoted service as an inspiration to many and expressed gratitude for her motherly counsel and guidance.

Hon. Babalanda also extended her sincere appreciation to the Permanent Secretary, Office of the President, Hajji Yunus Kakande, for his continued support, cooperation and steadfast commitment to unity of purpose.She recognised his role in safeguarding the gains made and in steering the Presidency with cohesion, discipline and focus.

Minister Babalanda thanked them for their confidence, prayers and honest guidance, pledging to remain their servant and representative, listen to their concerns, promote unity and pursue equitable development across every parish, village and household.

She said that together they have supported initiatives in education, household production, water access, roads, health services, religious institutions and community groups. She explained that she has pursued this support by lobbying Government through established procedures and working with responsible institutions to ensure that public resources reach their intended beneficiaries. Where Government support has not yet reached some communities, she said

Among the interventions she enumerated were 20,000 hoes secured through Government support; school desks and sanitation facilities; additional hoes and maize for production; poultry and dairy support; boreholes and community roads; an ambulance and health referrals; tents and solar lighting; construction materials; and coffee seedlings.

She noted that these interventions have benefited people in different parts of Uganda, with special and sustained attention given to grassroots communities in Budiope West.

Hon. Babalanda thanked President Museveni for his leadership in keeping Uganda focused on peace, security, wealth creation, value addition, employment and socio-economic transformation.

She said that the people of Budiope West are ready to deepen household production, embrace skills and enterprise, educate their children and protect the gains made under stable leadership.She also thanked the President, Cabinet and Parliament for supporting the construction of the Ambercoat–Mbulamuti–Kamuli–Bukungu Road and 10 kilometres of road works within Jinja City, which she said would strengthen access and connectivity for the communities they serve.

The Minister expressed deep gratitude for the irrigation system provided to the community, saying that, for a district whose families depend heavily on agriculture, the intervention is of profound importance.She said irrigation would help reduce dependence on unpredictable rainfall, enable dry-season production, improve food security and create a stronger foundation for household incomes, agro-processing and employment, particularly for women and young people.

She respectfully requested that irrigation support be extended to other parts of Buyende District so that more farming communities can produce throughout the year.Message to NRM Leaders and Flag Bearers

She also appealed for the establishment of a technical institute in Buyende District to equip the young people with practical, marketable, and employable skills. Such an institution would empower the youth to create employment opportunities for themselves and others while contributing meaningfully to the socio-economic transformation of Busoga and Uganda as a whole.

Hon. Babalanda thanked the National Resistance Movement (NRM) for its leadership and stated commitment to peace, unity, patriotism and socio-economic transformation.

She congratulated all NRM flag bearers upon being entrusted with the responsibility of carrying the party’s message and called upon them to remain humble, disciplined and united, respect the people and place service above personal interests.

She further appreciated Government interventions designed to support households in moving from subsistence production into the money economy, including the Parish Development Model (PDM), Emyooga, Operation Wealth Creation, the Four-Acre Model, the Youth Livelihood Programme and the Uganda Women Entrepreneurship Programme.

She urged the people of Budiope West to obtain accurate information from responsible officers, organise themselves properly, meet programme requirements, use funds and inputs for their intended purposes, and report any cases of extortion or misuse.

The Minister encouraged families with small pieces of land to study and adapt the President’s Four-Acre Model to their circumstances by combining high-value crops, fruits, pasture and dairy, food security and suitable backyard enterprises such as poultry, piggery or fish farming.

She acknowledged that significant needs remain in areas such as roads, clean water, health care, education quality, youth employment, markets and household incomes.

She committed to stronger follow-up, transparent beneficiary selection, proper documentation, equitable coverage and regular feedback to the people.Re-echoing President Museveni’s call for “no more sleep” and “no more corruption,” she said she understood the message as a call for urgency, discipline, integrity and measurable performance.

She urged leaders and technical officers to act, follow up and deliver, while encouraging citizens to remain vigilant and protect Government programmes from abuse.She called upon every household to participate in production and the money economy; every parent to keep children in school; every leader to reject corruption and division; every young person to pursue skills and discipline; and every citizen to protect public facilities, peace and the environment.

Gifts and Community SupportAs a gesture of appreciation, Minister Babalanda presented H.E. President Museveni with two cows.

Following the President’s departure, Minister Babalanda donated eight (8) brand-new motorcycles to religious leaders — four to Seventh-day Adventist pastors and four to Born-Again pastors — to facilitate their movement while preaching the Word of God across Budiope West Constituency.

She also distributed hand-operated tractors to eight groups, representing the eight sub-counties of Budiope West, to support agricultural production.

In addition, she distributed 200 mattresses to elderly women and men in the constituency.

Minister Babalanda thanked the Cabinet Ministers, political, religious and community leaders, technical teams, security agencies, organisers, volunteers, performers, partners and all guests who contributed to the success of the Thanksgiving ceremony.

Above all, she expressed appreciation to the people of Budiope West for their continued support, prayers and confidence.

The ceremony attracted religious leaders, political leaders, Government officials, Members of Parliament and thousands of residents from Buyende District and the wider Busoga sub-region.