Bishop Ssemogerere blames poverty on greedy, selfish leaders

Kasana-Luwero Catholic diocese bishop and overseer of Kampala Archdiocese Rt. Rev. Paul Ssemogerere has said selfish leaders who are stealing the country’s natural resources are keeping Ugandans in poverty and are enemies of the people.    

He was addressing a congregation on Sunday at Kalule while commissioning a Shs 150 million St. Lucia Zikusooka Nkondo-Kalule Business Hub during his maiden public appearance in Luweero, following his appointment as the Kampala Archdiocesan Apostolic Administrator last Thursday.

“Although Uganda is endowed with natural resources, the majority of the citizenry is languishing in poverty due to unequitable distribution of the national resources. This should change,” the bishop said.

According to Bishop Ssemogerere, many people have the capacity to own a Business Hub such as the one built by Erasmus Musisi, the Treasurer of the Laity in Kasana-Luweero Diocese but those in authority have failed to lift them out of poverty.

The Luweero Woman MP-elect, Brenda Nabukenya, said the poverty is worsened by nepotism.

Robert Ssekitooleko, the Bamunanika MP-elect also noted that if sharing the national cake was just, Luweero district, which played a historical role in ushering in the current regime would be far in development.

The State of Uganda Population Report 2018 by the National Population Council, indicates that poverty levels went up in all regions. It also showed that more Ugandans had become poorer in the last five years before 2018.

The report says poverty levels across the country rose from 19.7 per cent to 21.7 per cent between 2012/2013 and 2016/2017 financial years respectively.

URN