Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has called for an agricultural revolution and an end to subsistence farming at the launch of his election manifesto, BBC Online reports Wednesday.
He said he wanted to win next months polls to fulfil the dream of Ugandans political fathers. If he won, the creation of an East African Federation could become a reality with one president for Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania in 2013, he said.
Amongst five candidates, Kizza Besigye is Mr Musevenis main poll challenger. He was once the president’s personal physician and is facing treason, terrorism and rape charges since his return from exile last year to contest the election.
At the manifesto launch, Mr Museveni said he wanted to completely abolish subsistence farming, which currently some 68 per cent of Ugandans practice. He also spoke of establishing several industrial estates, each with the potential for some 800 factories.
– We will build the infrastructure; we shall advertise the estates. Anybody who wants can come. If they do not come the government itself can build the factory; they can be privatised later, he noted.
One of Mr Musevenis manifesto pledges five years ago was to hand over power. But in 2005, the constitution was changed to allow him to stand for a third term in office, BBC adds.
The manifesto, entitled Prosperity, Transformation and Peace, also pledges:
To introduce free secondary education
To set up a government-run mortgage scheme for house buyers
To build more hydro-electric power stations
To work for the total annihilation of terrorist groups.
