As urbanization and the urgent need for industrialization gain pace, the need for elimination of poverty becomes acute.
In a bid to reduce Uganda’s poverty levels, military veterans were urged to engage in income generating activities like apiary, brick making, fish farming, goat rearing, mining, mushroom growing, piggery and poultry, among others. These new developments better their standard of living.
The Minister of State for Defence and Veteran Affairs, Hon Lt Col (Rtd) Bright Rwamirama, raised this concern while meeting Veteran leaders from Bukedea and Teso in Soroti District Lukiiko Hall on November 7th 2017, those from Karamoja region in Moroto District Hall on November 8th 2017, and those from Jinja in Jinja Town Hall on November 10th 2017.
“Many people are not aware of the different options available to improve one’s quality of life. Therefore, venture into some of these new projects to raise extra income and bridge the gap between what Government can do for you and what you can actually do for yourself,” Hon Rwamirama advised veterans.
According to him, veterans are supposed to form cooperatives to increase their marketing and bargaining power, both in Uganda and the region.
Hon Rwamirama, thanked President Museveni for creating a ministry that can handle all veteran issues and promised to handle them with respect.
He further stressed that all the accumulated pension and gratuity for all veterans would be handled in time; on top of looking for mechanisms to uplift veterans’ salaries.
However, veterans requested Government to consider quicker payment of their emoluments to beneficiaries in case of death and called for more meetings with the Veteran Affairs Minister.
Relatedly, while officiating the closure of the sensitization workshop on retirement for soldiers of Batch V11 at Non Commissioned Officers Academy (NCOA) Gaddafi barracks in Jinja on November 10th 2017, Hon Bright Rwamirama, assured them that their gratuity would be paid immediately, and after three months, their pension would start rolling out. He urged them not to misuse their hard-earned money.