By Uziah Tusaasire
President Yoweri Museveni has urged Ugandans repatriated from South Africa to rebuild their lives at home, saying the country offers abundant opportunities for wealth creation through agriculture, manufacturing, services and the digital economy.
Speaking during the pass-out ceremony of 1,030 returnees at the National Leadership Institute (NALI) in Kyankwanzi, Museveni challenged the returnees to abandon the belief that prosperity can only be found abroad. The group had undergone a 15-day rehabilitation, counselling and ideological orientation programme after being evacuated from South Africa following xenophobic attacks.
To support their reintegration, the President pledged Shs2 billion to establish a SACCO for the returnees and announced Shs2 million for each household head to facilitate transport back to their home districts.
He also encouraged the beneficiaries to take advantage of government wealth creation programmes, including the Parish Development Model and Emyooga.
Museveni also directed the returnees to document the businesses and property they lost during the violence in South Africa so that the government could assess possible interventions.
Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja described the evacuation of the 1,030 Ugandans as one of the country’s largest humanitarian operations involving citizens abroad.
She said Uganda Airlines repatriated all the returnees free of charge and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to protecting Ugandans wherever they are.
Nabbanja also revealed that another 525 Ugandans stranded in Cambodia have appealed for government assistance to return home.
Acting State Minister for Foreign Affairs Haruna Kyeyune Kasolo said three Ugandans were killed during the xenophobic attacks in South Africa and disclosed that the government had already initiated diplomatic engagement with South African authorities to establish the full extent of the losses suffered by Ugandan businesses.
Speaking on behalf of the returnees, Felix Mugabi thanked the government for rescuing them and said the rehabilitation programme had renewed their confidence in Uganda’s potential.
He pledged that the returnees would use the skills they acquired abroad to invest in agriculture, manufacturing, vocational trades and entrepreneurship.
