Minister Babalanda Lauds President Museveni on Freedom of Worship, Calls for Prayer and Hard Work to End Poverty

MASAKA – The Minister for the Presidency and Member of Parliament for Budiope West Constituency, Hon. Babirye Milly Babalanda, has commended H.E. President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni and the NRM Government for safeguarding freedom of worship in Uganda, while urging religious leaders and Christians to complement their faith with prayer, hard work and participation in government wealth-creation programmes to overcome poverty.

The Minister made the remarks while officiating at a fundraising ceremony organised to mobilise resources for the completion of Kkindu Catholic Church in Masaka, where she contributed UGX 5 million towards the construction project.

Hon. Babalanda expressed appreciation to the former Vice President, H.E. Edward Kiwanuka Ssekandi, and the church leadership for inviting her to participate in the noble cause of supporting the work of God.

In her address, she conveyed warm greetings from H.E. President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, the First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, Maama Janet Kataaha Museveni, the Permanent Secretary in the Office of the President, Hajji Yunus Kakande, and the entire staff of the Office of the President.

She applauded President Museveni for providing an environment in which Ugandans are free to worship God according to their respective religious beliefs and denominations without interference. She noted that freedom of worship remains an important achievement under the NRM Government, enabling religious institutions to fulfil their spiritual and community development responsibilities.

The Minister encouraged Christians to remain steadfast in prayer, uphold their faith and actively support the Church, emphasising that spiritual growth should go hand in hand with discipline, hard work and responsible living.

Turning to household economic transformation, Hon. Babalanda urged the congregation to embrace government wealth-creation initiatives, including the Parish Development Model (PDM), Emyooga, Operation Wealth Creation (OWC), GROW, the Youth Livelihood Programme, the Uganda Women Entrepreneurship Programme (UWEP) and the Four-Acre Model.

She explained that these programmes provide opportunities for individuals and households to engage in productive economic activities, increase their incomes and progressively overcome poverty.

She encouraged beneficiaries to utilise the available resources responsibly rather than diverting them to unproductive expenditure.

The Minister also commended the Katikkiro of Buganda, Owek. Charles Peter Mayiga, for championing the Emwanyi Terimba initiative, applauding the people of Masaka for embracing coffee growing as a viable pathway to household wealth creation.

She called upon religious and political leaders to take an active role in disseminating government wealth-creation messages at the grassroots, noting that churches and other religious institutions are strategic platforms for mobilising communities towards socio-economic transformation.

Emphasising the theme, “No More Sleep, No Corruption,” Hon. Babalanda challenged Ugandans, particularly leaders, to abandon complacency, embrace a culture of hard work and join the fight against corruption.

She specifically urged Resident District Commissioners (RDCs) and other local government leaders to work closely with relevant authorities to identify and eliminate corrupt practices, stressing that public resources must be protected and utilised for their intended purposes to benefit the people.

Hon. Babalanda further commended H.E. Edward Kiwanuka Ssekandi for his continued leadership and commitment to guiding the community towards strengthening its relationship with God, embracing hard work and participating in productive economic activities.

She reiterated that overcoming poverty requires a combination of faith, prayer, discipline, integrity and deliberate participation in income-generating activities, urging Ugandans not to remain spectators in their own economic transformation.

Her UGX 5 million contribution towards the completion of Kkindu Catholic Church reaffirmed her commitment to supporting religious institutions and their contribution to spiritual growth, moral guidance and community development.