KYANKWANZI – The Joint Staff Political Commissar of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF), Maj. Gen. Henry Masiko, has urged Ugandans repatriated from South Africa to support President Yoweri Museveni’s vision of East African integration, saying a united region will create greater economic opportunities and reduce the need for young people to seek low-paying jobs abroad.
Speaking at the National Leadership Institute (NALI) in Kyankwanzi during the ongoing patriotism and rehabilitation training for South African returnees, Maj. Gen. Masiko said regional integration would open up a larger market for trade, investment and employment across East Africa.
He encouraged the participants, particularly the youth, to reject what he described as “modern-day slavery,” where many Africans leave their home countries to take up poorly paid jobs overseas in search of a better life.
According to Masiko, a united East Africa would allow citizens to move, trade and establish businesses more freely, creating wider employment opportunities and improving livelihoods within the region.
The senior UPDF officer also called on the returnees not to blame one another for Africa’s current challenges, arguing that many of the continent’s divisions stem from the colonial era.
He said colonial administrations transferred power without addressing the politics of sectarianism, leaving many African states divided along tribal, religious, regional and ethnic lines instead of fostering national unity.
Masiko therefore urged the participants to appreciate President Museveni’s efforts to promote unity within Uganda, across East Africa and throughout the African continent, describing regional integration as a cornerstone for lasting peace, economic transformation and shared prosperity.
His remarks were made during the ongoing patriotism and rehabilitation programme for Ugandans repatriated from South Africa, organised by the National Secretariat for Patriotic Corps under State House at the National Leadership Institute in Kyankwanzi.
