President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has blamed the forever increasing poverty and unemployment in the country on excessive alcohol consumption.
The president says local leaders in the country have failed to encourage Ugandans to work hard and left them to indulge themselves in alcohol consumption and gambling.
Museveni was speaking during celebrations to the 55 independence anniversary held in Bushenyi on Monday.
He also used the occasion to send a strong message to those opposed to the lifting of the presidential age limit and vowed to deal with them.
Museveni claimed that some Ugandans have developed undemocratic tactics to push their ideas, an issue he is unacceptable.
The president who didn't speak directly about the controversial constitutional amendment bill N0 2, which seeks to scrap the presidential age limit, accused those claiming to be fighting for democratic values for being at the fore front of denying others the right to express themselves.