“I told the Somali President that you can’t have a functional government if the system is not organised,” Mr Museveni

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Muqdisho | QOL July 30, 2019 —President Museveni last night shared snippets of a private conversation with his Somali counterpart, disclosing that he told President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed the problem with his country is collapsed systems.

“I told the Somali President that you can’t have a functional government if the system is not organised,” Mr Museveni said, referring to details of his one-on-one talk with Mr Mohamed’s during his last visit.

Recollecting his discussion, President Museveni said of his counsel to the visiting head of state: “First pacify the country so that the state can be stable and the people will start paying taxes, then you can begin to pay your officers.”

Mr Museveni last night revealed details of his conversation with the Somali leader as he hosted 19 retiring UPDF generals at State House Entebbe, the most senior of them being Gen Joram Mugume, chairman of the National Enterprises Corporation, the army’s business arm.

The President raised the guidance to Mogadishu in the context of sacrifices he said the National Resistance Army (NRA) rebels, the forerunner to UPDF, made during their five-year bush war that catapulted him to power.

He said the fighters lacked necessities of life, but persevered to liberate Uganda.

Mr Museveni said Somalia should emulate similar sacrifices and its leaders should worry less about salary payment to troops but focus on building a strong security force.

Uganda was the first country, in March 2007, to deploy soldiers in Mogadishu under the United Nations-authorised African Union Peace-keeping Mission (Amisom) and the UPDF remains the largest troop contributor to-date.

Honour. Gen Joram Mugume (left) and other retired Uganda People’s Defence Forces officers salute during the National Anthem at the retirement ceremony presided over by President Museveni at State House in Entebbe yesterday.

Source:Monitor

Xafiiska Wararka Qaranimo Online | Muqdisho

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