Lands, Housing and Urban Development Minister Judith Nabakooba has attended a religious conference in Wakiso District where Pentecostal pastors asked President Yoweri Museveni to provide them with 20 tractors to support commercial agriculture and create employment opportunities for young people.
The pastors said the tractors would help churches establish agricultural projects, train community members in modern farming methods and promote wealth creation across Uganda’s central region.
The request was made by Dr Leonard Sserwadda, who leads development initiatives among born-again Christians, during the third Annual Revival Crusade and Conference held at Lubowa NSSF Grounds.
The conference, which runs from October 7 to 18, brought together local and international religious leaders for prayers, training and discussions on national development. Nabakooba attended the gathering as the representative of President Museveni and the chief guest.
Dr Sserwadda said churches were prepared to work with the government to promote commercial agriculture, value addition and youth employment but needed equipment to turn their plans into reality.
“We intend to use churches as centres for promoting agricultural production, value addition and youth employment. We are going to transform this nation through agriculture. We are going to transform the nation through getting good food,” he said.
He explained that the requested tractors would support agricultural activities in different communities while enabling pastors to demonstrate modern farming practices and encourage young people to engage in productive enterprises.
According to Dr Sserwadda, the equipment would also help farmers establish and maintain pasture for livestock and adopt irrigation to sustain agricultural production during prolonged dry spells.
The conference was organised by Christian Life Embassy Church under the leadership of Rev. Dr Patrick Semambo, with participants also praying for continued peace and stability in Uganda.
Dr Sserwadda praised the country’s peace, saying it had created an environment in which churches could freely conduct worship and participate in community development.
“Uganda is the only country under the leadership of President Museveni that has not had any civil war for the past 40 years. This peace has given us a conducive environment to worship God,” he said.
Bishop Thomson Enock Byamugisha, the overseer of the Church in Makindye-Ssabagabo Municipality, also called for a meeting between Museveni and religious leaders to discuss their involvement in government development programmes.
Byamugisha said some born-again Christians had not fully benefited from initiatives such as the Parish Development Model and Emyooga. He attributed the situation partly to the municipality being considered an opposition stronghold.
He said the pastors were willing to work with the government to mobilise young people and other community members to participate in wealth creation activities.
The bishop further revealed that the pastors’ fellowship was looking for land on which to establish a community facility featuring a hall, a hospital and other amenities that would serve residents irrespective of their religious affiliations.
He said the religious leaders hoped to discuss the proposal with Museveni during a meeting.
In his message to the conference, Museveni urged Christians to embrace income-generating activities, warning that subsistence farming remained an obstacle to household prosperity.
The President said about 30 per cent of Ugandan households were still involved in subsistence farming, where production is mainly intended for household consumption rather than commercial sale.
“This is dangerous in the modern era, where all goods and services needed to sustain life must be bought with money,” he said.
Museveni encouraged believers to take advantage of government wealth creation programmes and invest in productive businesses. He identified commercial agriculture, services, industry and information and communication technology as key sectors for generating jobs and wealth.
He also pointed to investments in roads, electricity, peace, security and market integration as measures intended to support businesses and attract investment.
“The economic advantages that the NRM has created must be translated into jobs and wealth for the households,” he said.
The President urged the Church to continue preaching the gospel while encouraging believers to become productive citizens who contribute to national development.
Nabakooba thanked the religious leaders for praying for the country and pledged to convey their concerns and requests to Museveni.
