Nobody Changed My Beliefs At Kyankwanzi - Billy Katumba

Veteran musician Billy Kasodde Katumba has defended the government's decision to take Ugandans repatriated from South Africa to the National Leadership Institute in Kyankwanzi, dismissing claims that the programme was aimed at political indoctrination.

Kasodde was among the Ugandans recently repatriated from South Africa and later taken to Kyankwanzi for rehabilitation.

The move attracted criticism from some members of the public, who alleged that the government was using the programme to recruit vulnerable returnees into the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM).

Speaking in an interview with a local television station, Kasodde acknowledged that he, too, was initially uncertain about why they were being taken to Kyankwanzi.

However, he said the experience turned out to be different from what many people had claimed.

"At first, we also didn't know why we were being taken there. But later we realized it was for our own good. Many people returned with nothing, and some had spent most of their lives in South Africa without knowing where to begin again in Uganda," he explained.

A known supporter of the National Unity Platform (NUP), Kasodde dismissed suggestions that attending the programme changed his political beliefs.

"I support NUP, and nobody at Kyankwanzi ever told me to change my political beliefs. What happened there was rehabilitation, not political indoctrination. I appreciate the government for giving us a chance to restart our lives," he stated.

President Yoweri Museveni also extended financial support to the returnees by providing UGX 2 billion to their SACCO, while each repatriated Ugandan received UGX 2 million to help them return home and rebuild their livelihoods.