ARUA City: President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has said he supports U.S. President Donald Trump’s mass deportation policy, urging Ugandans living abroad to abandon what he described as the “diaspora illusion” and return home to develop their motherland.
The President noted that Uganda now has the capacity to support wealth creation through strong institutions, a capable civil service, and a professional national defence system.
“Love Africa. Why? Because you need it. If you try to depend on other people’s markets, they keep changing,” President Museveni said.
“I like Mr. Trump so much because he has said, ‘Don’t come here to America.’ I thank him for chasing those people away. What are they going to do in America? Why are you going? I love Trump for chasing people who do not care about their own country and are always moving all over places,” he added.
General Museveni said the message was clear: Africans must build their own capacity at home. “This teaches you that you must build your own capacity within Uganda and within Africa. This is the belief of the National Resistance Movement (NRM): love Uganda, love Africa. That is how we built a strong NRM party that unites the whole country, a strong army, police force, civil service, and judiciary. These institutions maintain peace, supported by good politics,” he said.
The President questioned why some Ugandans leave productive regions to seek opportunities abroad. “How do you leave West Nile and go to Dubai? It does not add up,” he remarked.
He further asked Ugandans to tap into the growing opportunities at home instead of pursuing livelihoods abroad.
President Museveni made the remarks while meeting National Resistance Movement (NRM) leaders from all districts of the West Nile sub-region at the Muni University playgrounds in Arua City.
The meeting aimed to redeploy NRM teams across West Nile to intensify party campaigns and sensitise communities about the NRM manifesto ahead of next week’s national elections.
During the engagement, the President guided leaders through key components of the NRM manifesto, highlighting achievements such as peace and stability, social and economic transformation, job creation, industrialisation, and improved infrastructure including roads, schools, and health centres.
General Museveni also tasked West Nilers to promote peace to prevent a return to the historical instability that previously hindered development in the region.
“You saw what war did here. You also live near Congo and South Sudan, which have continued to experience conflict. You host refugees here. West Nile cadres are the best people to move around Uganda and tell others to stop playing around,” he said.
During the meeting, the President agreed to include the West Nile sub-region in the planned cattle restocking initiative for Northern Uganda, which had earlier been confirmed for the Teso, Lango, and Acholi sub-regions.
“About restocking, we shall plan for that. It is not a problem; it is good news. We started with Acholi, Lango, and Teso because of the recent wars there. West Nile did not experience recent conflicts, although it had wars in the past. However, we shall include West Nile and develop a plan for it,” President Museveni said.
