The Minister of the Presidency, Milly Babirye Babalanda, has urged religious leaders to take a leading role in promoting government wealth-creation programmes to help Ugandans fight household poverty.
Minister Babalanda said churches and other religious institutions should use their influence at the grassroots to encourage communities to embrace productive economic activities and benefit from government initiatives aimed at improving household incomes.
She made the remarks while officiating at a fundraising ceremony for the completion of Kkindu Catholic Church in Masaka District, where she contributed Shs5 million towards the construction project.
Babalanda cited government programmes such as 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 as key interventions that communities should embrace to overcome poverty.
“Religious and political leaders should actively disseminate wealth-creation messages at the grassroots to ensure communities benefit from these programmes and achieve tangible improvements in their livelihoods,” she said.
She also commended the Katikkiro of Buganda, Charles Peter Mayiga, for championing the “Emwanyi Terimba” initiative, saying coffee farming offered residents of Masaka an opportunity to improve their household incomes.
Babalanda challenged the congregation to combine their commitment to serving God with hard work and participation in productive economic activities.
She further urged leaders and citizens to embrace the government’s current-term theme, “No More Sleep, No Corruption,” calling for collective efforts to eliminate corruption and protect public resources.
She particularly tasked Resident District Commissioners (RDCs) and other local leaders with working closely with relevant authorities to fight corruption.
The minister also commended former Vice President Edward Kiwanuka Ssekandi for his continued leadership and efforts to guide the community in strengthening its relationship with God while promoting economic transformation.
Babalanda praised President Museveni and the National Resistance Movement government for safeguarding freedom of worship, which she said allows Ugandans to practise their faith freely.
