Inaugural Speech by Professor Venansius Baryamureeba, Presidential

Candidate (2016 - 2021) . Delivered on 3rd November 2015

Fellow Ugandans
First and foremost, I thank all of you for making it here today; when we
begin a serious journey of bringing back our country Uganda to the right
track. I stand before you today with a deep awareness of the responsibility
conferred upon me by your trust. I accept this nomination for the
Presidency of the Republic of Uganda. I accept this nomination with deep
gratitude. I am very proud of all Ugandans who willingly seconded me. I am
very proud of each and every one of you present here today because you
have come to witness history.
Before I go any further, allow me to introduce to you my family. My two
daughters present here, Daniella Kobugabe and Zephyr Katusiime
Kabakama. They have also agreed to represent their mother Mrs Jennifer
Angeyo Baryamureeba. My wife, Jennifer works for the Uganda Electoral
Commission as Head of Legal Department and is currently handling all
other elections other than the presidential elections. She is barred from
participation in elections because of the obvious conflict of interest that
comes with my taking part in the elections. While she would have wanted to
be here with us, we thought it prudent that we let her serve the country as I
go on the campaign trail. In my family, we have developed a culture of
patriotism, deep love for Uganda and putting service for the country before
ourselves.
Dear Ugandans, I am proud to stand here today as your independent
presidential candidate with supporters from across the political divide. More
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than anything, I want my candidacy to unify us all. I am set to walk this

journey with every Ugandan irrespective of their tribe, religion or political
affiliation. And this journey will end with every Ugandan at another level. It
will end with Ugandans getting better education and better health services;
It will end with farmers improving their earnings; It will end with our youth
proudly employed; Our journey will end with better governance systems; It
will end with zero corruption levels; It will end with first class infrastructure;
it will end with happy and progressive Ugandans.
In January 1986, I was only 16 years old. I remember vividly the excitement
about the new President after the National Resistance Army (NRA) bush
war. And in the years that followed, we saw a different Uganda being born
with fresh ideas. Unfortunately, complacency later set in. Then came
corruption; then came selfishness; then came divisions. And slowly,
Uganda took the downward spiral as we watched. Dear Ugandans, with
this trend we cant afford to sit back and accept the status quo. Now is the
time for us to change the course of events. With your support, I am offering
myself to lead the journey to deliver our country Uganda back to the track
of progress.
Now is the time for us to all stand up and say, I am a Ugandan. I am proud
to be a Ugandan. I have a role to play to change Ugandas destiny. I
deserve better. Every Ugandan deserves better. I will vote wisely to get
better.
Many times, I have wept for Ugandans who vote because they have been
given a kilo of salt, a bar of soap, a packet of matchboxes and other petty
items. These same politicians have robbed us for years, exploited our state
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of poverty, held us at ransom and enjoyed it and because of them, we are

so desperate because we are poor, unemployed, uneducated, unhealthy or
unhappy for one reason or the other. We have little faith in our democratic
processes. The very leaders who should protect us as Ugandans have
abused us. My dear fellow citizens; let us shun every politician who has
reduced us to this. Let us shun politicians who are clearly enjoying the
helpless they have brought to us. Let us shun politicians who have lied to
us for decades. Let us shun politicians who have engineered bad laws that
limit our freedoms. Let us shun dishonest politicians.
Fellow countrymen and women, here I stand. You have a choice. In me you
have a new leader with fresh ideas and a new direction. I come with zeal to
serve and not to rule. For you to know more about me, allow me to tell you
briefly about myself and where I intend to lead our country.
I was born in 1969 in Western Uganda. My father, a former Second World
War fighter instilled in me a love for patriotism and honest leadership. My
mother, a humble housewife, taught me to be all inclusive in my way of life
and to be open minded. No wonder, I am proud to live an all-inclusive life. I
am married to Jennifer Angeyo, from Northern Uganda, with whom I have
two beautiful daughters whose love for politics and governance is already
naturally flowing in their veins. As a Professor of Computer Science, I have
taught students from all walks of life and all corners of Uganda. I am a
former Vice Chancellor at Ugandas biggest and oldest University,
Makerere. In fact I became the youngest Vice Chancellor at Makerere and
left a legacy that proved that we need to pave way for a new generation of
decision makers in all institutions and I believe our country needs this new

generation right at the top. Ladies and gentlemen, this is the generation I
belong to!
After achieving the highest ranking Makerere University had ever attained
in decades, I moved on to start Uganda Technology And Management
University (UTAMU), where I have been founding Vice Chancellor till I was
seconded by you to stand for President of Uganda.
Today, ladies and gentlemen, I stand here to promise you that I will lift the
Ugandan flag higher than ever before. I dont doubt for a second that even
President Museveni, Hon. Mbabazi, Col. Besigye and all others believe that
I am the fairer candidate of them all. I know they know how close I am to
the youth not only in age but in innovative ideas as well.
Today as I accept my nomination, I also launch my manifesto which I hope
you will all get a copy of. The theme for this manifesto is: Now is the Time:
New Leadership and New Ideas for a Progressive Uganda. My manifesto
is based on the 12-Issues Programme which I launched in August 2015. My
manifesto focuses on budget prioritizing of key issues that are affecting
Ugandans. The 12 critical issues are: Education, Health, Job Creation,
Agriculture, Governance, Foreign Policy, Infrastructure, Minimum wage,
Industrialization, Defense and Security, Religious institutions, Culture and
State, and Zero Tolerance to Corruption. I came up with these 12 issues
after having elaborate consultations with the electorate across the country.
It was such a humbling experience for me as I interacted with Ugandans
physically and also virtually using various on-line platforms. I was touched
by the widespread poverty in Uganda but inspired by the peoples
resilience and aspirations for a better future.
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Ladies and gentlemen, my heart bleeds for my country Uganda and its
people. My heart bleeds for the collapse of human rights in Uganda. My
heart bleeds for all people who have ended up in jail for expressing
themselves. My heart bleeds for students and parents who view quality
education as a privilege for the rich because they cannot afford it. My heart
bleeds for families that have lost their loved ones because they cannot
afford medical care. My heart bleeds for Karamoja. Uganda is such a rich
country with natural resources. We can feed the whole of Africa. How then,
can our people in Karamoja die of hunger? No! Now is the time to stop this.
And you the voters have the key to stop all this. You have the power to
create change for the better. I call out to you today to recognize this.
My heart bleeds for our men and women in Uniform who tirelessly defend
our country and yet dont get to enjoy the benefits because they have been
underpaid. My heart bleeds for the people of Northern Uganda who even
after long periods of war, never benefitted from the recovery programmes
by government as the scandals in the office of the Prime Minister which
was in charge, shelved all possible benefits in corruption scandals. My
heart bleeds for teachers who earn peanuts and yet continue to transform
students into future leaders of this country. My heart bleeds for our savings
which have been eaten away by inflation caused by poor budget priorities.
Fellow Ugandans, for how long shall our hearts bleed?
It is for this reason that I choose not to sit by and watch our great country
get destroyed by a mediocrity leadership that drifts from one scandal to the
next, eroding our values and purpose. The reason you and I are here today

is because we deserve better. Today, let it go down in history that we came

here to do something about the crisis in our country.
Former Ugandan President, Milton Obote (RIP) on 9 th October 1962 as
Uganda got its independence said: The narrow ambition of a tribe, sect or
party must not be subordinated to the greater needs of one complete
Uganda. Dear Ugandans, today over 53 years later, I bring you the same
message. The narrow ambitions of the National Resistance Movement
Organisation (NRM-O), of Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), of The
Democratic Alliance (TDA), you can name as many as you can, cant be
subordinated to the greater needs of one complete Uganda.
I pledge to put the needs of one complete Uganda first. I pledge not to fight
my predecessors but to succeed them and learn from the past to create a
brighter future. I pledge to do everything possible for Ugandans to go
through a smooth transition. I pledge to implement federal governance with
an aim of ensuring that all regions of Uganda get a fair share of the national
cake. I pledge to incorporate every Ugandan in our new government. I
pledge today that I will ensure that my government, our government will
work well and wisely.
But first, we must overcome the crises cooked up by our present day
leadership. We are faced with an indigestible economic stew; high inflation
rate leaving our Ugandan shilling in a free fall; an all-time high
unemployment rate; dilapidated infrastructure; serious corruption scandals.
All these have left you and me as poor and as helpless as can be. We are
currently in a recession that has pushed many businesses out of operation.
We have a sense of insecurity that has left us all uncomfortable about
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discussing our political views. We have seen women and men mistreated
and abused by those meant to protect them, merely for expressing their
political views.
Dear Ugandans, this is all absurd. We cannot keep doing the same things
the same way and expect different results. We have listened to the same
politicians for decades. They have promised us transformation for decades.
Should we really allow them to continue deceiving us? The answer is a
crystal clear NO! And today, I bring you a message of hope. All is not lost.
We have the power to overcome the deception we have faced for so long.
I believe that come Feb, 2016, the Ugandan people will stand up and speak
in unison and they will say, No we have had enough!. And when you get
to the ballot paper, I know that you all have the capacity to remember how
far we have come; And and how much we have lost to selfish politicians. I
know that you will remember all those politicians who have fooled us and
engineered every bad law but remembered to stand when their brain
children started eating them up. I know that you will remember all those
politicians who have no agenda for reconciliation. I hope you will remember
that I stand for a smooth transition, action and progress. I hope you will
remember that my candidacy is based on no conflict but rather a zeal to
serve Ugandans basing on delivering the 12-Issues Programme on which
my manifesto is based.
Today ladies and gentlemen, I declare that my manifesto is a sign of the
social contract that I hold with you. And once you have given me my
mandate, within the context of our economic conditions and appropriate
budget priorities, I will strive to take Uganda ahead. My first commitment
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will be to set honest and realistic priorities in our policies and budget and I
pledge that my administration will do that.
Dear Ugandans, today also marks the beginning of a rigorous countrywide
campaign. I will move from one end of this great land to the other
canvassing for support. I know I cant do it all alone. And so today, I
officially appoint you all as my ambassadors in your families, work places,
churches, mosques, communities, schools and among your peers. Tell
everyone about the new life that I bring with me into the politics of this
country. Tell every Ugandan about the need for a change in leadership. Tell
everyone about the insights in my manifesto. Let every Ugandan know that
indeed: NOW IS THE TIME. Tell every Ugandan to choose smooth
transition, action and progress. And come February 2016, tell every
Ugandan to vote Professor Venansius Baryamureeba for President of
Uganda, because there is no other time but now for us all to seize the era.
Now is the time for a new generation to be part of decision making in our
country. And the time has found us alert and enthusiastic. We are ready to
take up the mandate that this time has brought with it. I urge you all to
stand with me so that we can do this.
As I conclude my brothers and sisters, allow me to end with a message
from the good book, the Holy Bible. Exodus Chapter 18, verse 21 says:
Moreover, look for able men from all the people, men who fear God, who
are trustworthy and hate a bribe, and place such men over the people as
chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. As we get
absorbed into the campaigns, fellow Ugandans, may we hold everyone
accountable and only choose leaders who fear God, who have been
trustworthy, who deliver their promises, who are transformative and who
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despise corruption. May we choose leaders who are ready to serve and not
to rule. Only then shall we prevail come the 2016 Presidential election.
I thank you.
For God and My Country
Signed

Prof Venansius Baryamureeba, PhD

Your President in waiting (2016-2021)
NOW IS THE TIME