Create centre of gravity, I push you there and go look after my cows - President

MATUGA, WAKISO DISTRICT: President Yoweri Museveni has called on the East African leaders to fast track the East African Federation and create a centre of gravity for Africa before he goes to look after his cows.

“Please you people..I want to go and look after my cows. Create a centre of gravity, I push you there then I go and look after my cows. I am very glad that His Excellency Ruto and other Kenyan and East African leaders support this idea.. in Arusha they are now talking same language of a confederation as first step to Federation,” he said.

The President was responding to comments by Kenya Vice President William Ruto that he owned them a debt of seeing the fruition of the East African Federation before he retires.

“You owe us a debt. Before you retire and if possible in the next two or three years, the coming into fruition of the EA federation. We are here as leaders and citizens of East Africa to support you and other leaders in region to eliminate barriers that impede trade, investment, labour and people working together. We need the centre of gravity, we need not look further, you will work on that centre of gravity. People in this continent can trade better, do business better and connect better,” Ruto said.

President Museveni and Vice President Williams Ruto were today presiding over a ceremony to lay a foundation stone for the construction of a multibillion Biological Drugs and mRNA Vaccine Manufacturing Facility at Matuga-Wakiso District. The ceremony was held under the theme,"Making Africa self sustaining in Health Care, a giant leap’.

Using a Uganda proverb A kagambo akalungi, a good word that made the hyena sleep near the homestead. It goes that a hyena was behind a homestead and heard people saying they are going to slaughter tomorrow. It made the hyena sleep near home for many nights.

“The good word from the VP Ruto.. the East African Federation. That good word! If the Africans of today don’t wake up and catch up with history, you may will end up building a Latin America in Africa instead of a United States of Africa in Africa,” he said.

President Museveni said the two continents in the Americas, North America has 3 countries Canada, USA and Mexico while South America has about 20 countries. 

“When the British colonies got independence, 13 of them decided to unite just like us here and formed a nucleus of United States. The Spanish economies in South America got independence but remained divided. Now, almost 300 years later you can see the difference. The US has huge power and prosperity while South America has misery and chaos. You see them walking, trying to go to US and being shut out at the border. They are running away from misery to prosperity. South America has more resources than the north, but the way they are organized politically and economically, they can not succeed. It is political disability. It has created perpetual political disability,” he said.

The President said we have continents with disability and can’t do business. 

“If you put your self in a political strategic situation were you can’t do business, investors will not come. China opened up in 1978....and has attracted Foreign direct investments since. Uganda we have an excuse of some wars but some African countries like Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia have been sable and private sector led

how much foreign direct invest has gone to them?, he said. 

The President said what was attracting FDIs to China were big market, cheap labour and infrastructure but mainly a big market.

“I am very glad that people are waking up and talking about East African Federation, this will become a centre of gravity. The whole the western civilization if have problems they turn to the US, China has their centre so does India and Russia. Where is the centre of gravity for Africans?,” he asked.

Vice President Ruto who conveyed President Uhuru Kenyatta greetings said he was here to celebrate this monumental investment that we have come to witness

“I have come here to represent EA living in Kenya. Apart from the greetings I have brought, I am standing in for my colleague Jesca Alupo because if you are Deputy President, you qualify as Deputy in Uganda so I will carry out her responsibilities at this event as demonstration of our brotherhood of East African nations which I know you are passionate about and great champion of. This investment is significant. 

#ENDS…