STATUS REPORT BY THE SECRETARY GENERAL PRESENTED TO THE 9TH NATIONAL COUNCIL MEETING HELD AT PARTY HEADQUARTERS.Welcome remarks.On behalf of the Party and indeed my own, I extend to you all a very warm welcome to our home here in Najjanakumbi. This is the 9th council meeting of the FDC. This for me is extremely special as it will be the last for me to present the Party status report.Special welcome and recognition to the country representative of NIMD EugeneUPDATES ON THE LAST NATIONAL COUNCIL BRIEFINGAs agreed we conducted a successful delegates conference in Namboole on the 5th of December and we handled comprehensive amendments to our constitution, We have since gazetted and operationalized the amendments, including our basic organizational unit to the village level.Since Luweero we continued to work on steadfastly on our road map which included Zonal mobilization meetings, rallies and radio talk show .This we achieved including a bonus where about nine Districts were added on .In total we have done more than 30 such meetings .THIS IS AT THE CORE OF INSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND THE BULIDING OF OUR PARTY. Going forward we are still focused on building a strong and viable FDC to outlast the short term interest of individual. This country must be delivered from dictatorship and refocused on a culture of institutional governance.For us to give Uganda democracy we must have it internally, for us to give Uganda institutional governance the FDC must have it itself and function as an institution. Friends it can only start with us.We launched the Party plat form Uganda's leap forward in a very well organized event at Serena Hotel. We did public launches in Nakivubo and Iganga and we are slated to do more in other parts of the countries. In this launch the Party totally disarmed its critics who always belittled us that we had no Agenda .Now they can't and will forever have to keep quite.The key pillars of which are.1) A plan to invest in our people send expands opportunity for every Ugandan.2) A plan to re engineer new resources for growth and create well paying and 3) Decent jobs for our people.4) A plan to strengthen our national security, create new leadership and strengthen our public service5) A plan to build a people centered regional integration and global partnershipThe secretariat will in due course be availing more copies of the Policy Agenda to you .Please talk about our policy position in every opportunity. Soon we will be working on the Manifesto and it will detail how we intend to implement service delivery when we are in power.In the last road map we committed to building our party structures, I am happy to report that for the first time in the history of the party we have a comprehensive grassroots election exercise. I am aware of the challenges in the field and we are doing our best to ensure this are handled. The Party EC is also handling ant grievances. We wish to report completion in most of the first phase Districts' in Ruwenzori, West Nile and Teso regions and almost all the Villages and Parishes Uganda. We are buildingI. During the last National council in Luweero, the meeting was informed on the resignation of Hon Sabitti and Hon Nandala from the Treasure General and Deputy Treasure general respectively. NC mandated the Party President to propose to NEC names to act in the above portfolios. Hon Osege Angelline was subsequently approved by NEC to serve as treasurer General and Hon Winnie Kiiza as Deputy. Anita Among continued to serve as Deputy in charge fundraising. I want to appreciate these ladies for the dedication they have given to this office including review of finance guidelines and rigorous Owek. Bwanika Baale was assigned NEC and actively leading the mobilisation DeskElectoral reforms as reported by the Party PresidentCurrently our hands are the electoral commission of the Party. This team is working tirelessly, it is a formidable task and we must encourage them, promptly inform them and understand them if they fall short of your expectations.Ladies and gentlemen have proposed the final segment of our road map to the working committee which has been adopted, in the next week NEC will make its input. This highlights among other fundraising, communication, and review of the IPC, candidate identification, the establishment of a campaign bureau, party primaries and the development of the manifesto. We are organizing. Sub committees have already commenced work and reports and approvals will be made by NEC. Today I have issued a communication to all District chairperson s to compile all the aspirants in their districts from LC3 to members of parliament and transmit to the head office by 15th June so that a compilation is made for training, checking of academic papers and later the EC will do primaries where necessaryThe Youth League is building. New structures are being established country wide. We won some guild leaderships and lost others largely due to lack of cohesion and financial inadequacy to facilitate the exercise.The women league continues to run a very successful campaign on maternal health, distributing mama kits in hospitals and they are making a significant impact. The Party is active.PARTY FUNDING/SUPPORT AND PARTNERSHIPSA detailed report will be given by the Treasurer General, suffice for now to state that we continued to get invaluable funding support Political Parties capacity strengthening Programme through NIMD. The Party also received funds from the Electoral Commission as part of Government funding /public funding for Political parties. We have dedicated these funds for building of our grass root committees. The details will be given by Treasurer General. The Party also enjoys the support of IPOD, Conservative Party UK and IRI. We appreciate all of you individuals for your personal support, dedication and individual contributionsFinally, as we move forward please embrace organization and cohesion. Discipline is critical. We need a solid and viable FDC to be relevant. I sense that some ill guided individuals want to destroy our party and we will defend it. To some Museveni is not the issue anymore, their obsession is how to kill FDC this we will not allow. Our commitment is to work passionately to stay alive, to grow, to expand and work with others. Today as you reflect on collaboration with Democracy seeking forces, you want to ensure you are viable enough internally and ready to take on a new role. Ugandans are looking to the FDC like Noah's ark is meant to save them and now Ugandans from a ravaging flood of dictatorship, indignity, corruption and nepotism and personal insecurity. Thousands of our people are jobless yet having potential and the list is endless. It is not time for the lion to be hunting the antelope when they both must be saved from the flood, infact had the lions eaten those two antelopes in the Ark, they would have starved to death after the flood. The rats were not allowed to eat the ropes that made up the ark because it would have drowned all of them. Even the giraffe was advised not to step on the snails. Hop we the FDC members can learn something.Today I can only repeat the prophetic decree made in Kasana Luwero." To break camp and advance". May God bless you!