President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has told military officers that Africa's future hinges on economic and political integration, as the continent faces challenges ranging from strategic security threats to population growth.
Addressing 52 officers from Uganda and across the continent at the Senior Command and Staff College in Kimaka, Jinja, the President warned that fragmentation would leave Africa vulnerable. He criticized past leaders who ignored colonial threats and stressed that the continent must build capacity to defend its interests in all spheres, including space.
"We must go to the moon and find the Americans there, find the Chinese, Russians and Indians, we tell them that this also belongs to us," Museveni said, arguing that political integration is the solution to irrational colonial borders that hinder collective progress. He also dismissed sectarianism as "the politics of parasites," urging officers to focus on wealth creation through commercial agriculture, manufacturing, services, and ICT.
Meanwhile, Dr. Ronex Tendo Kisembo, a frontrunner in the upcoming East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) by-election, has welcomed the President's vision. According to Kisembo, deeper economic and political integration would position Africa as the world's strongest and richest continent.
Kisembo, who is among 38 candidates vying for Uganda's two vacant EALA seats, has requested President Museveni's support for what he describes as "patriotic" leaders committed to the regional cause. The by-election follows the departure of Dennis Namara and James Kakooza, who won seats in Uganda's recent parliamentary elections.
Kisembo’s credentials include fluency in multiple regional languages and a history of convening youth across borders to discuss integration. Parliament is expected to conduct the vote in few days
