President Museveni of Uganda will today address the nation to give an update on the current state of affairs. The function that will be held at the Kololo independence grounds will see Museveni give an update on the state of affairs of the country but also provide solutions.
Among some of the issues that are expected to be prominent in the president’s address is the issue of the skyrocketing commodity prices.
Unlike his previous speeches he has not provided a specific solution to the problem of commodity prices which are in the roof, the president asked members of the public to be frugal.
“The correct action is being frugal or to use our own raw materials like sunflower oil for soap as we wait for expanded oil production which takes longer. For bread we can use our banana and cassava flour,” he said in his speech last month.
Whereas many expected government to at least announce measures like subsidies and tax waivers, President Museveni shot all this down saying it is suicidal.
“Removing taxes or subsiding imports is suicidal and a blunder. I had sympathy for locally produced goods like sugar, cement because it people buy more of them it would be good. This was until I went to cabinet and looked at taxes we would lose,” Museveni said.
“Removal of taxes in Uganda would mean tax loss to government. How then, do we fund our budget for roads, security, schools and health among others?”
However, many insisted that by emphasizing frugality, the president ought to lead by example by cutting the State House daily budget.
The president recently asked Russia and Ukraine to negotiate to ensure the ongoing impasse which has partly contributed to skyrocketing of commodity prices is solved.
Members of the public however expect the president to provide tangible solutions to the economic situation which recently saw Bank of Uganda also increase the central bank rate so as to help arrest inflation.
“We expect the president to address the issue of rising fuel prices and ask the filling station proprietors to keep reducing it daily and give us hope instead of us waking up to heartbreaks of rising pump prices whenever we think of refilling,” said one Cleophas Agot on twitter.
Many other members of the public reason with Agot about the issue of commodity prices.
“He should talk about how his government is going to help citizens to go through this period of high prices and inflation widely,” said Constantine Mwesige.
“The salary for science teachers should be made clear by the president so that other people stop confusing teachers, otherwise alot of confusion was becoming too much,” said Movadi Naturinda.
According to Hussein Kato, the president ought to comment on Covid resurgence, controversial coffee agreement, monkey pox and the DRC crisis.
