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30 May 2025
GREATER LUWERO ROADSIDE MARKET VENDORS TIPPED ON HOUSEHOLD INCOME AS PRESIDENT MUSEVENI OFFERS THEM MORE FINANCIAL SUPPORT

President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni yesterday extended more financial support to roadside market vendors in Luwero and Nakasongola Districts. For the last three years, President Museveni through State House has been offering support to various roadside market vendors along major Highways like Gulu, Hoima and Mityana roads to boost their household incomes. The 928 vendors who benefited from this latest business booster package were drawn from Kakooge Daily Market in Nakasongola, Kiyenje Daily Market and Balikyewunya Market (both in Luwero). The vendors who received Shs100,000 each, generally ply their trade in agricultural produce, roasted chicken and muchomo as well as beverages. The package was delivered by State House officials led by the Senior Presidential Advisor-Elderly, Princess Pauline Nassolo and Private Secretary to H.E the President, Ms. Flora Kabibi. Princess Nassolo revealed that President Museveni extended the financial support to the vendors with an aim of improving their household incomes. “Mzee wants you to work and improve your livelihoods that's why he always empowers you economically,” she said. “The last time we came here, you told us that some of you have never benefited from the Parish Development Model or Emyooga programs so H.E the President decided to offer you this support of Shs100,000 to each one of you as you wait to benefit from other government programs.” Princess Nassolo also cautioned the vendors against unconstructive politicking, advising them that they should instead focus on fighting poverty through stabilizing their homestead incomes. “When time for politics comes, go and vote then come back to your workstations and always support someone who supports you. I'm very sure Mzee has played his part, now it's your time to reciprocate,” she added. Additionally, Princess Nassolo urged the parents to take good care of their children and groom them to be responsible citizens of Uganda. “Our country is facing a lot of challenges when it comes to morality. Advise your children against immorality and criminality. We want to have morally uplift citizens of Uganda.” In a special way, the Senior Presidential Advisor appreciated the youth of Greater Luwero for listening to President Museveni’s message of wealth creation. “Thank you for joining the money economy. Mzee is proud of you.” On her part, Ms. Kabibi called upon the vendors to appreciate President Museveni for being a visionary leader who cares for the wellbeing of all Ugandans. “Because he cares, that's why he sends this financial support to you to grow your businesses,” she stated. “Although the package is small, please utilise it well. H.E the President will send you more support,” she assured. The Resident District Commissioner (RDC) of Luwero District, Mr. Richard Bwabye Ntulume asked the vendors to utilise the financial support from the President well. He said the package is meant to empower them economically and that they should vote for the President again in 2026 for more development. On the other hand, the vendors expressed gratitude to President Museveni for offering additional capital to their enterprises. The Chairperson of Kakooge Daily Market, Ms. Sofia Namusisi hailed President Museveni for always extending a helping hand to ordinary Ugandans. “He has done us good. Some of us even received PDM and again he has offered us more support. All I can say is that our people are so happy. Long live President Museveni,” she said. “Your Excellency, thank you also for sending a trustworthy and transparent team, the package has been well received.” Ms. Namusisi further disclosed that she was going to use the money to add capital into her business. On the other hand, she requested President Museveni to set up a modern market for them, saying that the current one is in a poor state. Ms. Betty Nazziwa, 75, a vendor at Kakooge Daily Market also thanked the President for the financial support. “Thank you, President Museveni, for helping a poor woman like me. I'm going to use this money to grow my business so that I can properly look after my family,” she said. Another vendor at Kakooge Daily Market, Mr. Joseph Kato Tebandeke also expressed gratitude to the President for helping ordinary Ugandans like him to improve their household incomes. “This support from President Museveni is going to boost my matooke business,” Mr. Kato said. Mr. Muhammad Ssonko, the Chairperson of Kakooge Chapati Operators Association thanked President Museveni for the various programs meant to help Ugandans fight poverty. “As youths, we are now able to make money and look after our families because of President Museveni’s support. We are with him, and we shall support him again come 2026 general elections,” he noted. Furthermore, Ms. Juliet Nababi, the Chairperson of Kiyenje Daily Market prayed for the good health of President Museveni so that he can continue leading and developing Uganda. “We thank you, Your Excellency, for supporting us, especially women. This market is generally occupied by women, and we are your ardent supporters.” Another vendor in Kiyenje Daily Market, Ms. Nabukenya Madinah called on fellow youths to desist from being idle and work towards improving their welfare. “We are lucky that President Museveni supports us by giving us financial support. We should utilise this chance to create wealth.” Mr. Nsimbe Livingstone, the Secretary of Kiyenje Daily Market said, “We are grateful to President Museveni for the support. We are going to utilise this money to grow our businesses.” At Balikyewunya Market, Mr. Mark Ssesazi said President Museveni has always supported the vendors of Luwero and that it was the second time he was sending support to vendors of Balikyewunya. Ms. Asiat Nankinga who first received President Museveni’s financial support in March 2023, said she used the money to add capital in her matooke business. “Even today I have received the money from our President and I'm so grateful. This money is playing a vital role in helping us to develop, we are now able to look after our families. Thank you, President Museveni.” The LC1 Chairperson of Binyonyi Village in Luwero West, Luwero Town Council, Mr. Kabaale Joseph Ssentongo on behalf of leaders in Luwero thanked President Museveni for supporting their people economically. He said the financial package is a very big empowerment tool to vendors and it will go a long way in helping them grow their businesses. “When our people get such money, they don't need money from lenders who often give out loans with very high interest rates.”

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28 May 2025
PEACE IN THE GREAT LAKES REGION: PRESIDENT MUSEVENI CALLS FOR POLITICAL WILL AND LIMITED FOREIGN INTERFERENCE

President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has today assumed the chairmanship of the Regional Oversight Mechanism (ROM) of the Peace, Security and Cooperation (PSC) Framework for the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Great Lakes Region. During the 12th high-level Regional Oversight Mechanism summit held at State House Entebbe, His Excellency Évariste Ndayishimiye, the President of the Republic of Burundi, handed over the instruments of power to President Museveni to steer the peace mechanism for the next two years. President Museveni emphasized the collective responsibility of all involved in the peace processes while calling for limited foreign interference in the region. “Because we know what the problem is, and it can be solved, but we must have the political will, and foreigners should limit their involvement, because foreigners are the ones who carelessly embolden the mistake. Then the mistake makers think that we don't care about these internal groups. We don't care about the region. What is important is our support,” H.E. Museveni said. The Peace, Security, and Cooperation Framework, established in 2013 under the auspices of the United Nations, the African Union, the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR), and the Southern African Development Community (SADC), aims to tackle the root causes of instability in eastern DRC through collective regional responsibility. “I want to congratulate His Excellency (Évariste Ndayishimiye) again for the good work he has done. We now know the problems, and we can solve them. There's nothing we don't know about all these countries: Rwanda, Burundi, Eastern Congo, Tanzania, and Kenya. These are our people. In my opinion, these problems are easy to solve. They are not difficult. What is difficult are the three mistakes: philosophy, ideology, and strategy,” President Museveni added. President Museveni blamed the conflicts in the Eastern DRC on the politics of identity, fuelled by foreigners since the days of Mobutu Sese Seko and Juvenal Habyarimana. “The Mobutu army was defeated in Rwanda, and together with Habyarimana, they fled to Goma. We appealed to Mobutu to disarm them. He wouldn't listen because he thinks the internal forces don't matter. We, the neighbors, don't matter. What matters are the foreigners who are supporting them. Why was Mobutu not listening? We were here. We could have helped him,” President Museveni explained. H.E. President Ndayishimiye congratulated President Museveni and assured him of continued support during his tenure. The high-level meeting chaired by President Museveni brought together the heads of state and government or the representatives of the signatory countries of the PSC Framework, which include the Republic of Uganda, the Republic of Angola, the Republic of Burundi, the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the Republic of Kenya, and the Republic of Rwanda. Others are the Republic of South Africa, the Republic of South Sudan, the Republic of Sudan, the United Republic of Tanzania, and the Republic of Zambia. The representatives of the Guarantor Institutions of the PSC Framework, namely the African Union, the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region and the United Nations, also participated in the meeting, as well as partners of the region as observers.

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23 May 2025
2026 POLLS: COL. NAKALEMA ASSURES TOURISTS ON SECURITY

As the clock ticks towards the fast-approaching 2026 general elections, the head of the State House Investors Protection Unit (SHIPU), Col. Edith Nakalema has allayed tourists' fears of any possible insecurity, saying the democratic affair shall be conducted peacefully. Despite other countries where tourism tends to come to a standstill due to election orchestrated violence, Col. Nakalema says the case will be different for Uganda, therefore encouraging more tourists to continue planning to visit the country. “In Uganda, we prioritise the protection of investors who include the tourists because they play a big role in supporting our economy. I can assure you all that the country is peaceful, and we are working to maintain the status even during the forthcoming elections,” she said. Col. Nakalema made the remarks on Thursday 22nd May 2025 during the Pearl of Africa Tourism Expo 2025 held at Speke Resort, Munyonyo. She also revealed that Uganda is one of the best tourist destinations in the world. “We are walking the talk, and I'm proud the international bodies are noticing. We have been declared the best tourist destination countless times,” she said. Col. Nakalema said the State House Investors Protection Unit is working with NITA-Uganda to leverage technology to ensure protection of tourists. She said there are efforts by the government to create a thriving investment climate, a move she says the government is succeeding. “Tourism is a cornerstone of Uganda’s economy, and the government prioritizes the safety of visitors, especially during elections. National parks are closely monitored with robust security measures, and law enforcement works tirelessly to maintain the safety and well-being of travelers in safari zones,” she acknowledged. The reassurance comes at the time when political parties are gearing up preparations towards a democratic affair with the ruling party-NRM already setting pace for internal electoral processes. She pointed out that Uganda is renowned for its dedicated tourism police force, which ensures the safety of travelers across the country. “Tour operators are well-informed about the election season and will make any necessary adjustments to your itinerary to avoid areas affected by political activity, ensuring minimal disruption to your journey,” she said. Ms. Doreen Katusiime, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities rallied investors to choose Uganda, noting that the country is peaceful and with adequate physical features. According to Mr. Amos Wekesa, a member of the Uganda Tourism Board, Uganda, famously dubbed the Pearl of Africa, possesses all the elements required to dominate the global tourism sector. "From its unique mountain gorillas to the world’s most powerful waterfalls, the country is a treasure store of natural and cultural wonders. However, despite a steady post-COVID recovery and notable achievements, Uganda lags behind regional competitors like Kenya and Tanzania in realizing its tourism potential." Mr. Wekesa pointed out that to top the world's tourism rankings, Uganda must address systemic challenges while strategically leveraging its unique offerings. He says the sector has demonstrated resilience, with revenue rising from Shs110bn in 2017/18 to Shs156.5bn in 2023/24. Employment has surged to 610,806, and visitor numbers to national parks and the Uganda Wildlife Education Center (UWEC) are on the rise. However, foreign exchange earnings of $1.025 billion in FY 2023/24 remain significantly below the $1.6 billion recorded pre-pandemic in 2019/20. “While infrastructure upgrades like improved tourism roads and the near-complete Entebbe Airport expansion have spurred growth, critical gaps in funding, inadequate marketing, and climate-related challenges continue to hold Uganda back,” Mr. Wekesa said. Mr. Herbert Byaruhanga, a seasoned tourism consultant, asserted that Uganda must rethink its strategy to achieve global leadership. “We need to learn from the tourism sectors of other economies, leverage our unique attractions, and position ours as a premier destination. Only then can we attract the numbers and investment required to grow the sector,” he said. He noted that the government needs to prioritize tourism in its budget, ensuring critical projects receive adequate funding. According to the available data, tourism significantly contributes to Uganda's economy. In 2023, it directly contributed 3.64% to GDP, employing 1.6 million people or 14.7% of the total workforce. The sector also generated significant revenue, with inbound visitors spending over Shs4.58 trillion on tourism services and domestic tourists spending approximately Shs2.97 trillion.

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22 May 2025
“THERE ARE MORE JOBS IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR THAN IN GOVERNMENT,” SAYS PRESIDENT MUSEVENI AS HE CONCLUDES PDM TOUR IN GREATER LUWERO

President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has called upon Ugandans to take the Parish Development Model (PDM) seriously because of its huge potential to get them out of poverty and generate more employment opportunities than the government can provide. According to the President, wealth creation at the grassroots level, particularly through commercial agriculture and small-scale enterprises, is the key to sustainable job creation in Uganda. “People waste a lot of time looking for government jobs. And the leaders also don’t explain very well that in a developing country, there are more jobs in the private sector than in the government because the government jobs are few. The government jobs (civil servants, police, the army, teachers, and health workers) are 480,000. The population of Uganda is 46 million. So, how can they be satisfied? The people who are doing the PDM era are already employing people,” President Museveni said. He made the remarks on Thursday, 22nd May, 2025, while addressing a rally at Wabinyonyi playground, Nakasongola Town Council, Nakasongola district, as he concluded his three-day performance assessment tour on the Parish Development Model and other wealth creation activities in Greater Luwero. President Museveni gave an example of the Minister of State for Transport, Hon. Fred Byamukama, who is employing 26 people on his 4-acre model farm, and one Nyakana Richard of Rwengaaju in Kabarole, who is employing 15 people, using 1.2 acres of land. “Uganda has 40 million acres of arable land. I was calculating that if we used only seven million acres like Nyakana has done, and each acre created 15 jobs, we would have 105 million jobs, more than all the people of Uganda. We would have so many jobs to the extent of importing workers,” the President noted. President Museveni added that the factories are already employing 1.2 million people, three times more than in the government. “You, the parents, need to advise your children that the government jobs are limited. You prepare yourself to work in commercial farms, factories, and service sectors or become a job creator in the commercial agricultural sector,” he stressed. The President hinged his address on six pillars, namely, peace, security, development, wealth, health, and education, as key to achieving socio-economic transformation, while emphasizing that they should be handled carefully through prioritization in the spirit of patriotism. “You people should continue supporting the NRM, which believes in unity for all Ugandans, and that’s one of the pillars of peace,” he said. President Museveni emphasized that whereas development (enkulakulana) reflected in social services such as roads, health centers, schools, and electricity is crucial, wealth creation and fighting household poverty should be everybody’s concern. “This road to Gulu was tarmacked soon after independence and has been tarmacked since that time for 60 years, but up to now, there are poor people residing around it. So, NRM does not want you to only talk about development but also household incomes,” he said, adding that it’s the reason the NRM, since 1995 has been supporting the wealth creation drive through initiatives such as Entandikwa, NAADS, Operation Wealth Creation (OWC), Emyooga, and now PDM. The President pointed out a few people who have listened and are doing well, such as Joseph Ijara of Serere, who uses two and a half acres to do poultry and livestock, earning him more than Shs 1 billion a year through selling eggs and milk, with profits amounting to over Shs800 million per year. Others are Hajjat Mariam Baiga in Ssekamuli, Bamunaanika in Luwero, Nalubowa Aida of Nakaseke, and a 64-year-old Tumusiime Deziranta who just started with Shs 1 million from PDM and is doing well. According to President Museveni, if the PDM is taken seriously, the parish SACCOs will reach an extent of owning banks worth Shs 1.6 billion in 10 years, and this will save them the burden of running to money lenders who charge them exorbitant profits. After two years, a PDM beneficiary who received Shs 1 million is expected to return it with an interest of Shs 120,000 only. “So please, don’t neglect this. I heard people blaming the Sacco leaders for prioritizing family members and friends. This is because you don’t go there. A parish Sacco is for everybody above 18 years in that parish, and when you meet, that’s how you elect your Sacco leaders. Be active and get involved,” President Museveni stressed. President Museveni also promised to set up a special fund for the fishermen after leaders appreciated him for protecting the lakes through the fisheries protection unit, which has streamlined fishing activities. The NRM Vice National Chairperson for central region, Hon. Godfrey Kiwanda Ssuubi appreciated President Museveni for visiting greater Luwero. “We know the President has not been able to reach everybody, but his tour is a gesture of appreciation for what we are doing as the Greater Luwero in terms of wealth creation,” Hon. Kiwanda said. The Member of Parliament for Nakasongola County, Hon. Mutebi Noah Wanzala, and the area woman MP Zawedde Victorious called for a special land fund to compensate absentee landlords who are evicting tenants. The ceremony was also attended by Ministers, Members of Parliament, NRM leaders, among others.

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21 May 2025
PRESIDENT MUSEVENI DIRECTS MSC TO OFFER 8 PERCENT ANNUAL INTEREST LOANS TO MARKET VENDORS

Vendors from Kalerwe and St. Balikuddembe (Owino) markets are set to benefit from low-interest government funding, known as Katale loan. The business financing project targets low-income earners and will be disbursed through the Microfinance Support Centre (MSC) at an interest rate of only eight per cent (8%) per annum. This move follows a directive from President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni that aims at empowering traders. According to State House officials, the initiative is a pilot project scheduled to be rolled out to several other markets within the central region with the intent to empower more traders; this, however, will be dependent on the success rate in Kampala. This Presidential directive, the first of its kind, is set to benefit over 10,000 vendors in 24 sub-markets within Kalerwe alone and several others who ply their trade in Owino market. Speaking during a stakeholders' meeting at Fairway Hotel on Tuesday 20th May 2025, between government officials and market representatives from the two key markets, Mr. Moses Byaruhanga, the Senior Presidential Advisor In-charge of Political Mobilization assured the vendors (traders) that the government has provided this financial option to save them from unscrupulous money lenders whose terms of service are very exploitative. “We have been told that access to finance is not progressing very well, yet we hear that so many moneylenders are profiting from these markets,” Mr. Byaruhanga noted. He also expressed concerns that moneylenders are unlawfully asking their clients to deposit national Identity cards, which was outlawed. “We have also been told that moneylenders are still taking your IDs as security to access loans/ financing,” he said. “We want you to be able to access loans with fewer hindrances and organise yourselves in small groups of five to ten vendors.” Mr. Byaruhanga also told the vendors that through MSC, the government will disburse these funds, which will be readily available to them to help boost their enterprises. According to Mr. Byaruhanga, this loan doesn't require security. “We need the group you belong to verify you as a borrower. The money is not deducted by MSC and will be deposited directly to your phone on your mobile money account.” He also told them that some vendors complicated the process for the government to improve their markets, as they had doubts about the government’s intentions to upgrade them. “Many of the vendors were worried about increments in rental fees if we cemented their markets, while others were concerned that if the government cemented their markets, their land might be taken,” he said. This prompted the government to only improve the markets that complied and left out those that rejected the move, which are now still operating in muddy conditions. The meeting was attended by over 200 people, including women traders and their leaders, Local Council chairpersons, market leaders and Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) officials. Hajjat Madinah Nsereko, a State House official, thanked the mobilisation team for the commendable job which they executed under such short notice. Mr. Badru Lutalo, a market leader from Owino, said they have over 100 shelters, but each shelter has its leadership. He also appealed to the government to enable them to acquire an office for better coordination. The vendors generally expressed optimism and excitement about the Katale loan and mutually agreed to keep politics out of this new initiative for the betterment of all the market workers. On his part, Mr. Dalawusi Kibuuka, the vice chairperson of Ddembe market, which is located within Kalerwe market, pledged to sensitise his fellow vendors about the immense benefits of this new opportunity. Ms. Winnie Nalwoga from Nyanja zone (Owino market) appealed to KCCA not to complicate this process, saying that it could kill their morale and end up pushing them back to moneylenders. KCCA weighs in: Dr David Musunga, the deputy director of Production and Marketing at KCCA, responded to the issue raised by vendors about the hygiene of public toilets within the markets and said limited space is still a challenge, but pledged KCCA’s support. “We shall work together with MSC and provide the necessary support for better service delivery,” Mr. Musunga emphasised. Mr. Julius Kasirye, the manager of commercial services at KCCA, welcomed the vendors and commended them for their enterprising spirit, saying Kalerwe and Owino are key markets in Kampala, which is why they were chosen to pilot this project. “If this Katale loan fails in these two markets, it will be a setback for the other markets that are also in line to benefit from this opportunity,” Mr. Kasirye stated. How the Katale Loan will be accessed: According to MSC officials, the opportunity is open to adults aged between 18 to 75 years of age. They will be required to open bank accounts to simplify transactions. Ms. Lotah Arimureeba, a Client Relationship officer at MSC, said they are targeting members with small businesses, roadside vendors, those who operate stalls and low-income earners, especially women and single mothers. MSC is a government institution that was established in 2001 and provides loans to Savings and Credit Cooperative Societies (SACCOs) after equipping them with financial literacy. “We have realised that sometimes market vendors find it hard to access funding. So, through the government, we are now able to provide you financing as MSC. The aim is for development,” she said, further clarifying that MSC is not politically affiliated with any party. She noted that vendors will be able to access the funding within two weeks after fulfilling the requirements, which include a photocopy of one's national ID and NIN. For one to benefit, they will only need endorsement from a market representative.

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21 May 2025
PRESIDENT MUSEVENI HAILS PARLIAMENT FOR PASSING THE UPDF AMENDMENT BILL, SAYS CLEAN POLITICS AND PEACE HAVE TRANSFORMED UGANDA

President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has congratulated members of Parliament for passing the Uganda People's Defence Forces (UPDF) Amendment Bill, 2025. “I want to congratulate the Members of Parliament for passing the UPDF Amendment Bill. There was going to be a serious problem because some people were saying if a soldier does commit a crime such as killing a person, involving in theft or rapes a woman, they should be taken to the sub county (civilian courts) instead of the court martial. Those who were involved have to repent. There was going to be a serious collision between the army, parliament, and the courts of law, but they have saved us the embarrassment,” President Museveni said. The President, who is in the greater Luwero on the performance assessment tour on the Parish Development Model (PDM) and other wealth creation programs, made the remarks on Wednesday, 21st May 2025, while addressing a leaders’ meeting at Timnah Nursery and Primary school in Mabaale village, Luwero district. Parliament on 20th May, 2025, passed the UPDF Amendment Bill, which expands military courts’ authority to try civilians under specific conditions, such as possession of military equipment or collaboration with military personnel in serious crimes like treason or murder. “When we came from the bush, we decided that even the person who is not a soldier and decides to use a gun to perform a crime, we are going to charge them in the army courts,” the President emphasized, adding that it’s because of this strong resolve, and practicing what he termed as clean politics since 1986 that Uganda has remained peaceful and now focused on wealth creation. “We told you that among the main pillars of development are peace in the country because, as you hear, many countries around us are rich in minerals and oil, but they don’t have peace, and many of their people are here in Uganda as refugees. We now have 1,800,000 people as refugees here in Uganda,” he noted. He further emphasized that it’s only the National Resistance Movement (NRM) that is rooted in tenets of unity and national integration rather than sectarianism through the four principles of Patriotism, Pan Africanism, social-economic transformation, and democracy. President Museveni urged the citizens to understand prioritization in public administration by knowing what is crucial and immediate, adding that, whereas development is needed, wealth creation should come first, through commercial agriculture, services, ICT, and Manufacturing. He warned against land fragmentation describing it as a hindrance to wealth creation. “I had my neighbor in Kisozi. He was a very rich man with four square miles of land and 500 cows. When he died, the children just divided, and that huge estate disappeared. And some of the children sold their share. So, this is very dangerous. If that happens to every generation, what will happen to the remaining families?” President Museveni wondered, adding that the modern way is to divide and still use the land collectively and share profits. He gave an example of Hajjat Mariam Baiga's family in Ssekamuli, Bamunanika, which has succeeded in collective investment. He reminded the people about his proposal of the seven activities in the 1996 NRM Manifesto of intensive agriculture for those with 4 acres or less, and those with bigger land to practice extensive agriculture. “I proposed one acre for coffee, another acre for fruits (mangoes, oranges, or pineapples), grass for livestock in the third acre, and the fourth acre for food crops (bananas, cassava, etc). In the backyard, you can put piggery or poultry. Those near the swamps can engage in fish farming. This was our message in the 1996 manifesto. You can hear that the few who have listened to us are doing well,” President Museveni said, adding that crops such as cocoa and palm oil can also yield well in one acre. Other items such as cotton, tea, sugar cane, and maize, he said, require larger pieces of land. President Museveni said if the Shs100 million PDM support per parish is well managed, Ugandans will have their own Parish Banks worth 1.8 billion in 10 years but was quick to warn those mismanaging the funds by giving selectively to family members and friends. The NRM Vice National Chairman for the Central Region, Hon. Godfrey Kiwanda Suubi appreciated President Museveni for transforming Uganda through wealth creation activities, emphasizing coffee, which has transformed the Buganda region and Uganda at large. Presenting the scorecard in NRM’s performance in Greater Luwero, the party Secretary General, Rt. Hon. Richard Todwong said in 2016 Luwero district gave the NRM party 55.7% of the votes. Nakasongola 84%, and Nakaseke 76%, while in 2021 something happened and the support dropped from 55% in Luwero to 27%, from 84% to 65% in Nakasongola, and eventually from 76% to 53% in Nakaseke. “The question is, why? You are the leaders. You are the middlemen between the President and the people. We see no problem with the people, but the problem could be with us, the leaders, and we are here with our mentor to unpack the challenges we face with the people we lead,” Todwong said. Rt. Hon. Todwong thanked President Museveni for donating the Shs 300 million to the party that he received as a court award from Monitor newspaper. He said the party Secretariat has allocated it to Luwero district to construct a party office. “I'm happy to report that the process is ongoing, and very soon, we shall launch our party office in Luwero,” he added. The PDM performance in Greater Luwero: The National Coordinator of the Parish Development Model, Hon. Dennis Galabuzi Ssozi, revealed that in the four years, Shs 62 billion has been distributed among the 240 PDM SACCOs established in greater Luwero. Hon. Galabuzi noted that Luwero district has the highest number of Saccos (101), followed by Nakaseke (71), and Nakasongola (68). He added that a total of 65,414 beneficiaries have received the PDM funds in 65,000 households, with Luwero leading with 28,000 beneficiaries. Of these, 20,000 beneficiaries-33% are into crops, followed by livestock (cows, pigs, goats) at 26%, with 7,000 households specifically into piggery. “I congratulate you because you have performed well and distributed this money among the beneficiaries, up to 99.9% compared to other parts of the country. Thank you very much,” Hon. Galabuzi said, adding that 51% of the beneficiaries in greater Luwero are women, mostly from Luwero. He noted that most of them are located in the town councils of Luwero, Nakaseke, and Nakasongola. In other statistics, Hon. Galabuzi highlighted that 62% of the beneficiaries are between 31-69 years, those above 60 years are 12%, but was quick to add that the youths in greater Luwero are performing poorly at 26% coverage compared to the national statistics of 38%. “This is unique because we understand that due to unemployment, the youths are among the most affected by poverty. We need to find out why the youths in Greater Luwero are not active in PDM and get collective solutions,” Hon. Galabuzi added. Hon. Galabuzi acknowledged the challenge of inadequate agricultural extension workers compared to the increased demand, which is being solved by the established regional PDM facilitators to coordinate the program. Other challenges to address include intermittent electricity and a lack of water for production in the dry season. To date, a total amount of Shs3.2 trillion has been released to all 10,717 parishes in Uganda. Presenting on the performance of Emyooga program, the Minister of State for Microfinance, Hon. Haruna Kasolo, highlighted that the biggest problem emerging is the parish Sacco leaders who are selective in the distribution of PDM and Emyooga funds; those borrowing the money are not willing to return it. “We are going to force you to return this money. It is not returning to the government but in your Parish Saccos for others to also benefit,” Hon. Kasolo said. Hon. Ephraim Kamuntu, a Senior Presidential Advisor-Economic and Manifesto Implementation, also presented on the role of Musevenomics in Uganda's social and economic transformation and middle-income country. “Since the establishment of Uganda in 1894, this is the first time that Uganda has become a middle-income country, and it has done so in NRM’s time under Yoweri Kaguta Museveni’s leadership,” Hon. Kamuntu said, adding that the driving force has been Musevenomics, which is an expression that has recently emerged to describe President Museveni’s scientific approach to understanding how an economy moves through transformative stages, including the Primary production stage, basically peasant and subsistence-based, and the second stage being the secondary production stage, where manufacturing is introduced. The third is the tertiary service stage, where the service sector becomes dominant in its GDP contribution (hotels, tourism, transport), and the fourth stage is the knowledge-based stage, evidenced by the contribution of science and ICT innovation. He added that using these frameworks, Musevenomics examines the evolution of Uganda’s economy before the British came, the 68 years of British administration in this country, the first 10 years after independence, and the performance of Uganda’s economy under the National Resistance Movement since 1986. The Minister of State for Investment and Privatisation, Hon. Evelyn Anite, informed the meeting about the theme of the President's countrywide tour, which is “securing your future through wealth creation,” with a mission to get all Ugandans out of poverty. “Ladies and gentlemen, standing at the stairs of parliament in 1986 at his swearing in, the President promised Ugandans nothing but fundamental change. And indeed, we are witnessing a fundamental change, and we are in the place where the revolution started,” Hon. Anite said. Earlier, the Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Hon. Judith Nabakooba, also presented on the status of land ownership and related issues, mainly about the relationship between squatters and landlords, highlighting the 2022 presidential executive order to all RDCs aimed at protecting squatters from unlawful eviction by the landlords. She asked leaders to make use of the Ministry’s zonal offices and the digital platforms to ascertain the authenticity of land. The meeting was attended by Ministers, Members of Parliament, NRM leaders, among others.

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24 May 2025
RUNNING FOR PARLIAMENT; MY OWN STORY AND STRENGTHENING THE NRM VOICE

A month has passed since I declared my intention to run for a seat to represent Older Persons (Eastern Region) in the 12th Parliament slated for 2026-2031, and the haggling with voters starting at the very bottom in Mulanda-Ayago village has been refreshing, if not daunting. Out of political discipline and courtesy, I had to consult directly, in a face-to-face, with President Yoweri Museveni, my appointing for the last quarter of a century, and then other senior colleagues. And I have to state, none disagreed with the decision for which am grateful as it reflects a broad support for my new journey. To the uninitiated, Older Persons in Uganda refers to people of 60 years and above, and in my case, Eastern Uganda stretches from the banks of river Nile in Jinja and bordering the plains of Karamoja, thus comprising the forty districts in Busoga, Bukedi, Bugisu, Sebei and Teso sub-regions. From Mulanda-Ayago I have had to get elected by NRM registered members to the parish, sub-county, and into the Tororo NRM Older Persons league to qualify as a member of the region electoral college for the MP flag-bearer. On the ground in Tororo, one feels pulpable support, and even unanimous consensus. Most certainly, by the time you read this column, I would have been elected to the district team. This race is more like a chess-game that I must now play in the forty districts up to February 2026 to win the MP seat. For some reason, my announcement seemed to have taken many, including my supposed friends and political colleagues by surprise, but well, that is how it ought to be. No singing your future plans to every Tom, Dick, Harry and Jerry. In any case, they rarely, if at all, keep their own plans with you. But for a fact, after 39 years, since 1986, as an NRM cadre, ideologue, and work-horse, I came to the conclusion that I needed, something politically more challenging than assignments by presidential appointments, although they have been rewarding as they put me much closer to the real corridors of hot power. As Spokesperson for the Movement Secretariat, President Yoweri Museveni and NRM election Taskforces, publicist for the NRM party, and Government for a combined and unbroken twenty-five years since 2000, man, one needs a new tour of duty. I could have gone to go rear ducks, grow coffee and beans, but on second consideration, very close friends said some tasks still remain undone. Now with loud parrots, and empty opposition political vessels, drumming even noisily, perhaps dangerously too, a parliamentary seat, especially as an NRM backbencher, there is certainly going to be a toast, to toss. Many, including from the few charitable opposition leaders and activists have publicly admitted that I would be a worthy opponent to face on that parliament floor. I will, when elected, certainly strengthen the NRM voice, where it matters most today and in the future. For the Older Persons, my direct constituency, it would be prudent to send a little younger minds, bodies, voice and legs that can still vigorously advocate, successfully follow up, and raise alternative policy platforms of the issues that matter most to this dwindling generation. In my view, issues of immediate concern include health insurance, adequate and flexible pension and social security benefits adjusted to inflation rates, discounted utility bills, and food-stamps for the most vulnerable especially those living rural and peri-urban single lives. Some of these policy issues will need to be included in the forthcoming NRM election manifesto. And of course there are the perennially thorny issues of delayed, diverted, or often stolen benefits meant for older persons. Looking at my long career in security, ideological mentorship, journalism and media, I count myself an allrounder capable of making a good legislator.

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10 May 2025
NRM PRIMARY ELECTIONS; A MOMENTUM FOR A DECISIVE 2026 VICTORY

Like or hate it, NRM political party is the thing. The conduct this week, of the NRM voter registration verification update, election for party structures, and Local Council one (LC1) flag-bearers at the village grassroot level has generated political momentum. Preliminary results indicate a massive show up across the country, with most areas positions agreed upon through mutual consensus while others witnessed intense power struggles including fist-fights where police had to intervene. The contest for LC1 chairperson flag-bearer, on account of the village stamp, that a chairperson controls for transactions like livestock and land sale, was the most competitive and contentious with some candidates even fainting upon losing. With this massive turn up, active and impressive participation, NRM should be confident that it has already feet ahead towards victory in next year’s general elections at all levels, and our political adversaries NUP, FDC, UPC, and DP can only look for a few spoils to share among themselves, although the public should not be very surprised when they throw public tantrums. Ordinarily, if all these positions are fully constituted, NRM ought to have at the very least 2,232,000 village-grassroot leaders. Unfortunately, perhaps due to poor mobilisation, and considering that all are voluntary, in many villages, the executive committees of the five party organs, otherwise called leagues, remained unfilled. Thus, the NRM boast, of being a mass and grassroot party, need to be taken with a light dose of caution. These grassroots activities are great for general mobilisation, vital for strengthening and sustaining party organisation. A credible and up-to-date register indicating a member’s serial number, full names, date of birth, national identity card and voter registration detail, now allows NRM to identify and engage genuine members, and as well look out to fish beyond its borders. By holding these multiple elections at the village level, the foundation of NRM political structure, we should ensure that NRM remains relevant and strong from the bottom-up. This process also gives NRM a further opportunity to collect the views and aspirations of the public which should form the next election manifesto and policy agenda. In these times of widespread heightened political anger, cynicism, and polarisation, NRM must lead the way towards ameliorating inclusive discourse on harmony, while also get ready for a decisive confrontation with the looming tide of dark forces of election fraud, bribery, intimidation, aggression and violence especially during the election of MP flag-bearers. As NRM heads to the next series of internal elections for parishes, sub-counties, districts, and primaries for MPs, it must anticipate and plan better how to manage the headwinds from winners, and the unsuccessful because it is usually at the upper stages that the stakes are really high, evoking unimaginable violence . And yet, what should matter most is the unity of purpose that follows for the greater good of the party, democracy and country. Going by past experiences, hordes of ministers and sitting MPs are destined be felled by novice newcomers especially in these times when they are seen to have unfairly dipped their hands in the public till. The match-up, between former Parliament Speaker of ten years, Rebecca Rebeca Kadaga, and current Speaker Annet Anita Among, both with political pluck to settle scores, for the Second National vice chairperson (female) and member NRM Central Executive Committee (CEC), is a race to watch. As already seen at the lower stages of these elections, voters can make the illicit money not count for much to the not-so-clean politicians hoping to use soft money to win seats. Together, and in coordination, Ugandans can actually make those being accused of corruption and other forms of malfeasance pay by voters receiving the salt, sugar, soap, money and whatever else may be distributed, but deny giving them the votes they so much need to further feather their nests.

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03 May 2025
NUP: A GATHERING DANGER THAT GOVERNMENT, NRM SHOULDN’T IGNORE

The National Unity Platform (NUP) opposition party, essentially a tribal outfit, riding on a largely false social discontent, has threatened to make Buganda, ‘a no-go area’ for president Yoweri Museveni and NRM in the forthcoming general elections. Probably it is not clear to them if NRM too, was to make its very broad strongholds a ‘no-go area’ to NUP and its boisterous leaders. It appears, that having been left to physically torment and assault NRM supporters during the aftermath of the constitutional changes of removing the presidential age-limit in 2017, NUP leaders and activists have got emboldened to do as they like. It is the law, that every Ugandan as long as is law-abiding is free to traverse and indeed live in any part of Uganda, and so NUP leaders who think that politics in ‘Buganda’ should exclusively be theirs ought to be decisively confronted and rejected both through law enforcement measures, and democratic civil political mobilisation led by the NRM. While publicly crying and shedding tears of a victim, NUP leaders, especially Robert Kyagulanyi, MP Muwanga Kivumbi and Joel Bisekezi Ssenyonyi, currently the Leader of Opposition in Parliament (LoP) are turning into a present and increasingly a gathering grave danger for a pluralistic democracy and society. It is important and necessary, for these NUP leaders, to perhaps step back and engage in self-introspection before they travel down this slippery road, or indeed climb up a greasy pole from which they could fall with a heavy thud. The demise, and evident limbo in which UPC, DP, and very recently FDC, all previously troublesome riding rough shoulders, find themselves in today ought to be good lessons to those with good listening ears, and political eye sights. NUP with its so-called ‘foot soldiers’ that foment trouble at the slightest, is akin to UPC’s ‘youth-wingers’, DP-Mobilizers and Uganda Young Democrats, and FDC’s aggregators of the walk-to-work, Defiance, and Civil Disobedience. Listening to the verbal violent rhetoric, and observing the body language of NUP lead activists, one cannot fail to notice a group, hell-bent on sowing hate politics of tribal and sectarian chauvinism, and actual physical violence against those they perceive to beas ‘enemies’. On social media, NUP activists are prowling, taking advantage of the technology of artificial intelligence to generate and spread false rumours, incite hate, conjure fake news, disinformation, photoshops and even announcing the death of those they see as their, and Uganda’s ‘problems’. On the ground, on roads, streets and at public gatherings, they tout and provoke ill-feelings and unnecessary confrontations, completely unbothered of the larger ramifications of their actions in the long-run to Uganda’s body politick. And unfortunately, the truncated opposition groups, that pass for opposition political parties, FDC, UPC and DP are completely out of form to face up this growing threat posturing as an alternative. The rise, and growing adversarial, anarchist, fearsome NUP-style gang politics, is an indictment on the NRM which came as a revolutionary and national liberation vanguard organisation to infuse fresh life in Uganda that had been traumatized by the two and a half decades of Milton Obote, Idi Amin Dada, and the short-live illiterate military of Gen. Tito Okello Lutwa and Bazilio Olara Okello. Even in the remotest possibility of NUP, in its current form and style, let alone the evident shallowness, as a possible alternative to lead Uganda should frighten most Ugandans, and ought to accorded the same treatment given to the former FDC. In that sense, NRM using its leverage in government and society, has an urgent obligation to Ugandans to recalibrate its own and Uganda’s politics to generate freshness, hope, and a new consensus towards a truly harmonious political engagements. The politics of war-war, and jaw-jaw cannot create a conducive environment for an inclusive and shared socio-economic transformation that Uganda so much desire.

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19 April 2025
TRUMP TRADE TARIFFS OVERRATED: CHINA REMAINS THE REAL ECONOMIC DEAL

One would expect a thorough study before major policy shift announcements, but it seems Donald Trump’s tariffs are a kneejerk response to US’s growing inability to compete effectively in a ‘free’ market economy it had preached when world conditions still favored it. Consequently, Trump appears to smash the glass doors, make U-turns, cuts back, gives unilateral unexplained exemptions like this week on one million iPhones sets alongside semiconductors, solar cells, memory cards and other electronic devises imports from China, hoping no one noticed. By that silent stroke, Trump exempted China’s single biggest export by value to the US. China’s response should be strategic, targeted and surgical stopping importation of over 250 metric tons of chicken feet annually from US worth US 469m dollars, oilseeds, soybeans, corn and wheat , and raise control of rare earth minerals export to the US. A string of humiliation in Iraq, Libya, Syria, and Afghanistan, the US is smiting with a vengeance in a new world where its superpower prowess cannot dictate terms like the yesteryears. A superpower that rose, maintained and still seeks to keep its status through old trickery, lopsided rules, bullying, blackmail, robbery, and when all fail, brute force, will not last long, is staring into a dark pit, waiting to implode. The world is seeing Trump’s cold calculations delivered with bluster as he hides in plain view, but he thinks he is in a thick forest. And all Trump’s megalomaniac tactics are good lessons for the world particularly Africa which has marginally survived on the periphery since Eden. Trump’s America is failing to innovate and compete with China at the global stage and hence resorting to blackmail and applying its well-known strongarm tactics. A superpower that slapped trade embargo on poor African countries for simply refusing to buy used secondhand clothes, women’s knickers and bras from the US, doesn’t deserve respect. Trump is in trepidation of China’s supercharged smart technology, cost-effective labor, and global network for raw materials under the Road and Belt Initiative enabling it to build robust industrial, manufacturing, assembly and trading infrastructure especially in emerging territories hitherto sidelined by the west. A superpower that fears, and cannot face competition in a ‘free’ capitalist world it preached for ages to others when still convenient, is simply overrated. And with a population of 1.4bn that rose from obscurity only 40 years ago when America and its western allies didn’t support it, China cannot be browbeaten into line today. Likewise Trump’s push for Russia-Ukraine settlement, is a calculated lullaby to divert world attention from Israel’s war crime underway in Gaza and its land grab dubbed ‘expanding security corridor’ without anyone waving it down. It is a heartless naked double standard that has exposed US exceptionalism even to the dumbest watchers of global politics. Trump’s demand to NATO members to increase their defence spending though prudent, aims to force them lockdown Russia while US focuses mainly on China. That way, there is division of labour in the imperial war of attrition, and hope to easily succeed. In the smog of Trump’s muddled Russia-Ukraine meddling, global sweeping trade tariffs for protectionism, and his domestic disputes, he seems to be succeeding in shielding Israel and Benjamin Netanyahu from any meaningful scrutiny by the UN or their own western allies who often posture as the defenders of human rights and international rules. Since the collapse of the temporary peace deal for hostage, and prisoner swap, Israel has resumed its indiscriminate bombing of Gaza’s defenseless women and children, and doesn’t hide its cynicism referring to victims as Hamas militants. The US, UK, France and Germany face crumbling public infrastructure in energy, health, education and employment because they can no longer steal from the world with impunity, and unable to return to glorious manufacturing when they confiscate other’s assets as done to Russia and Venezuela.

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12 April 2025
NRM AND YOWERI MUSEVENI; A DICTATORSHIP THAT OILS THE OPPOSITION

Galatians 3:13. “Cursed is everyone who’s hanged on a tree.” Five years since the 2021 general elections, pointers show that opposition political serpents in the National Unity Platform (NUP), Democratic P(DP), Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), and infertile Alliance for National Transformation (ANT) are in disarray from within and outside. The infant so-called Popular Peoples Front (PPF), formed by political crybabies Erias Lukwago, Kizza Besigye, Omulongo Wasswa Birigwa and Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda, is most likely a stillbirth, and yet a spider’s web has only caught flies. The cards in NUP, DP, FDC and UPC are collapsing in spectacular ways because of internal intrigue, conspiracies, sabotage, open hostilities, and apparent infiltration, that their canters cannot hold under the evolving explosive fallouts as the cavalcades draw down. In a metaphorical sense, this forthcoming general elections is actually for NRM to lose if it doesn’t tidy up its many blatant careless acts. Even if voters don’t transfer their anger against NRM for lack of better alternatives, as in 2021,and recently Kawempe North, they could just stay away from the ballot boxes. All opposition groups have been driving an old cliché, and false narrative conjured by former humiliated UPC ‘Iron lady’ Cecilia Atim Ogwal, between 1986 and 2005, and may she continue to rest in peace, that the NRM and Museveni were a ‘monolithic dictatorship’. Now, most have seen, that each opposition group, or leader since Milton Obote, Ogwal, Tiberio Okeny Atwoma, Michael Kaggwa of DP-Mobilisers Group, Paul Ssemogerere, Aggrey Awori, James Rwanyarare, Yonasani Kanyomozi, Kizza Besigye, Patrick Amuriat among others, have each, one by one, fallen. It is still hard to tell for how long the current opposition will stand. NRM and Yoweri Museveni are a ‘dictatorship’ that majorly on its own enacted a law that recognizes political parties opposed to them, including having the Leader of Opposition in Parliament (LoP), and all opposition parties in parliament heavily funded from state coffers, commensurate to their numerical strength, and they utilise the money given in ways they deem fit. NRM, certainly, should be a benevolent dictatorship, not the worst kind. NRM is also a ‘dictatorship’ that permits the opposition in parliament to annually present an alternative State of the Nation Address (SONA) and Budget, following the government ones, and both are actually discussed on the floor of parliament. NRM is a ‘dictatorship’ that has ceded the leadership, management and control of all accountability committees like PAC, COSASE, and Government Assurances among others in parliament to the obtusely shallow opposition parties which have turned them into financial and other forms of aggrandizement. And let us, be charitable, for lack of a better word, NRM and Museveni is a ‘dictatorship’ in which the leaders of opposition parties are hands-in-glove with government, including for DP president Norbert Mao and Betty Among of UPC as cabinet ministers. To be magnanimous, looking at the physical appearances of the most vocal, even virulent opposition leaders like Robert Kyagulanyi (NUP), Joel Ssenyonyi (LoP), Louis Rubongoya (NUP-SG), Mao, Jimmy Akena (UPC), Nandala Mafabi, Lukwago, Ssemujju Nganda, sneering Medard Segona, ever frothing Muwanga Kivumbi, or Mathias Mpuuga Nsamba now in near limbo, and their many sidekicks, you cannot say they are not round-faced, oily, and shiny in well-polished suits, neckties and shoes to match. A ‘dictatorship’ usually drives its political opponents underground, stifles their physical presence, commercial businesses, forces them into unsafe exile, and in some cases assassination. NRM must make opposition groups own up their many contradictions, so as to beat them politically at the next elections, and NRM should not panic in fear and retreat that it is getting past time to explain, defend its record and what it truly stands for. Procrastination, and vacillating in trepidation in face of opposition propaganda cannot make NRM win this ning battle of a life time in 2026.

National News

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GREATER LUWERO ROADSIDE MARKET VENDORS TIPPED ON HOUSEHOLD INCOME AS PRESIDENT MUSEVENI OFFERS THEM MORE FINANCIAL SUPPORT

President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni yesterday extended more financial support to roadside market vendors in Luwero and Nakasongola Districts. For the last three years, President Museveni through State House has been offering support to various roadside market vendors along major Highways like Gulu, Hoima and Mityana roads to boost their household incomes. The 928 vendors who benefited from this latest business booster package were drawn from Kakooge Daily Market in Nakasongola, Kiyenje Daily Market and Balikyewunya Market (both in Luwero). The vendors who received Shs100,000 each, generally ply their trade in agricultural produce, roasted chicken and muchomo as well as beverages. The package was delivered by State House officials led by the Senior Presidential Advisor-Elderly, Princess Pauline Nassolo and Private Secretary to H.E the President, Ms. Flora Kabibi. Princess Nassolo revealed that President Museveni extended the financial support to the vendors with an aim of improving their household incomes. “Mzee wants you to work and improve your livelihoods that's why he always empowers you economically,” she said. “The last time we came here, you told us that some of you have never benefited from the Parish Development Model or Emyooga programs so H.E the President decided to offer you this support of Shs100,000 to each one of you as you wait to benefit from other government programs.” Princess Nassolo also cautioned the vendors against unconstructive politicking, advising them that they should instead focus on fighting poverty through stabilizing their homestead incomes. “When time for politics comes, go and vote then come back to your workstations and always support someone who supports you. I'm very sure Mzee has played his part, now it's your time to reciprocate,” she added. Additionally, Princess Nassolo urged the parents to take good care of their children and groom them to be responsible citizens of Uganda. “Our country is facing a lot of challenges when it comes to morality. Advise your children against immorality and criminality. We want to have morally uplift citizens of Uganda.” In a special way, the Senior Presidential Advisor appreciated the youth of Greater Luwero for listening to President Museveni’s message of wealth creation. “Thank you for joining the money economy. Mzee is proud of you.” On her part, Ms. Kabibi called upon the vendors to appreciate President Museveni for being a visionary leader who cares for the wellbeing of all Ugandans. “Because he cares, that's why he sends this financial support to you to grow your businesses,” she stated. “Although the package is small, please utilise it well. H.E the President will send you more support,” she assured. The Resident District Commissioner (RDC) of Luwero District, Mr. Richard Bwabye Ntulume asked the vendors to utilise the financial support from the President well. He said the package is meant to empower them economically and that they should vote for the President again in 2026 for more development. On the other hand, the vendors expressed gratitude to President Museveni for offering additional capital to their enterprises. The Chairperson of Kakooge Daily Market, Ms. Sofia Namusisi hailed President Museveni for always extending a helping hand to ordinary Ugandans. “He has done us good. Some of us even received PDM and again he has offered us more support. All I can say is that our people are so happy. Long live President Museveni,” she said. “Your Excellency, thank you also for sending a trustworthy and transparent team, the package has been well received.” Ms. Namusisi further disclosed that she was going to use the money to add capital into her business. On the other hand, she requested President Museveni to set up a modern market for them, saying that the current one is in a poor state. Ms. Betty Nazziwa, 75, a vendor at Kakooge Daily Market also thanked the President for the financial support. “Thank you, President Museveni, for helping a poor woman like me. I'm going to use this money to grow my business so that I can properly look after my family,” she said. Another vendor at Kakooge Daily Market, Mr. Joseph Kato Tebandeke also expressed gratitude to the President for helping ordinary Ugandans like him to improve their household incomes. “This support from President Museveni is going to boost my matooke business,” Mr. Kato said. Mr. Muhammad Ssonko, the Chairperson of Kakooge Chapati Operators Association thanked President Museveni for the various programs meant to help Ugandans fight poverty. “As youths, we are now able to make money and look after our families because of President Museveni’s support. We are with him, and we shall support him again come 2026 general elections,” he noted. Furthermore, Ms. Juliet Nababi, the Chairperson of Kiyenje Daily Market prayed for the good health of President Museveni so that he can continue leading and developing Uganda. “We thank you, Your Excellency, for supporting us, especially women. This market is generally occupied by women, and we are your ardent supporters.” Another vendor in Kiyenje Daily Market, Ms. Nabukenya Madinah called on fellow youths to desist from being idle and work towards improving their welfare. “We are lucky that President Museveni supports us by giving us financial support. We should utilise this chance to create wealth.” Mr. Nsimbe Livingstone, the Secretary of Kiyenje Daily Market said, “We are grateful to President Museveni for the support. We are going to utilise this money to grow our businesses.” At Balikyewunya Market, Mr. Mark Ssesazi said President Museveni has always supported the vendors of Luwero and that it was the second time he was sending support to vendors of Balikyewunya. Ms. Asiat Nankinga who first received President Museveni’s financial support in March 2023, said she used the money to add capital in her matooke business. “Even today I have received the money from our President and I'm so grateful. This money is playing a vital role in helping us to develop, we are now able to look after our families. Thank you, President Museveni.” The LC1 Chairperson of Binyonyi Village in Luwero West, Luwero Town Council, Mr. Kabaale Joseph Ssentongo on behalf of leaders in Luwero thanked President Museveni for supporting their people economically. He said the financial package is a very big empowerment tool to vendors and it will go a long way in helping them grow their businesses. “When our people get such money, they don't need money from lenders who often give out loans with very high interest rates.”

2025-05-30

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PEACE IN THE GREAT LAKES REGION: PRESIDENT MUSEVENI CALLS FOR POLITICAL WILL AND LIMITED FOREIGN INTERFERENCE

President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has today assumed the chairmanship of the Regional Oversight Mechanism (ROM) of the Peace, Security and Cooperation (PSC) Framework for the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Great Lakes Region. During the 12th high-level Regional Oversight Mechanism summit held at State House Entebbe, His Excellency Évariste Ndayishimiye, the President of the Republic of Burundi, handed over the instruments of power to President Museveni to steer the peace mechanism for the next two years. President Museveni emphasized the collective responsibility of all involved in the peace processes while calling for limited foreign interference in the region. “Because we know what the problem is, and it can be solved, but we must have the political will, and foreigners should limit their involvement, because foreigners are the ones who carelessly embolden the mistake. Then the mistake makers think that we don't care about these internal groups. We don't care about the region. What is important is our support,” H.E. Museveni said. The Peace, Security, and Cooperation Framework, established in 2013 under the auspices of the United Nations, the African Union, the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR), and the Southern African Development Community (SADC), aims to tackle the root causes of instability in eastern DRC through collective regional responsibility. “I want to congratulate His Excellency (Évariste Ndayishimiye) again for the good work he has done. We now know the problems, and we can solve them. There's nothing we don't know about all these countries: Rwanda, Burundi, Eastern Congo, Tanzania, and Kenya. These are our people. In my opinion, these problems are easy to solve. They are not difficult. What is difficult are the three mistakes: philosophy, ideology, and strategy,” President Museveni added. President Museveni blamed the conflicts in the Eastern DRC on the politics of identity, fuelled by foreigners since the days of Mobutu Sese Seko and Juvenal Habyarimana. “The Mobutu army was defeated in Rwanda, and together with Habyarimana, they fled to Goma. We appealed to Mobutu to disarm them. He wouldn't listen because he thinks the internal forces don't matter. We, the neighbors, don't matter. What matters are the foreigners who are supporting them. Why was Mobutu not listening? We were here. We could have helped him,” President Museveni explained. H.E. President Ndayishimiye congratulated President Museveni and assured him of continued support during his tenure. The high-level meeting chaired by President Museveni brought together the heads of state and government or the representatives of the signatory countries of the PSC Framework, which include the Republic of Uganda, the Republic of Angola, the Republic of Burundi, the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the Republic of Kenya, and the Republic of Rwanda. Others are the Republic of South Africa, the Republic of South Sudan, the Republic of Sudan, the United Republic of Tanzania, and the Republic of Zambia. The representatives of the Guarantor Institutions of the PSC Framework, namely the African Union, the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region and the United Nations, also participated in the meeting, as well as partners of the region as observers.

2025-05-28

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2026 POLLS: COL. NAKALEMA ASSURES TOURISTS ON SECURITY

As the clock ticks towards the fast-approaching 2026 general elections, the head of the State House Investors Protection Unit (SHIPU), Col. Edith Nakalema has allayed tourists' fears of any possible insecurity, saying the democratic affair shall be conducted peacefully. Despite other countries where tourism tends to come to a standstill due to election orchestrated violence, Col. Nakalema says the case will be different for Uganda, therefore encouraging more tourists to continue planning to visit the country. “In Uganda, we prioritise the protection of investors who include the tourists because they play a big role in supporting our economy. I can assure you all that the country is peaceful, and we are working to maintain the status even during the forthcoming elections,” she said. Col. Nakalema made the remarks on Thursday 22nd May 2025 during the Pearl of Africa Tourism Expo 2025 held at Speke Resort, Munyonyo. She also revealed that Uganda is one of the best tourist destinations in the world. “We are walking the talk, and I'm proud the international bodies are noticing. We have been declared the best tourist destination countless times,” she said. Col. Nakalema said the State House Investors Protection Unit is working with NITA-Uganda to leverage technology to ensure protection of tourists. She said there are efforts by the government to create a thriving investment climate, a move she says the government is succeeding. “Tourism is a cornerstone of Uganda’s economy, and the government prioritizes the safety of visitors, especially during elections. National parks are closely monitored with robust security measures, and law enforcement works tirelessly to maintain the safety and well-being of travelers in safari zones,” she acknowledged. The reassurance comes at the time when political parties are gearing up preparations towards a democratic affair with the ruling party-NRM already setting pace for internal electoral processes. She pointed out that Uganda is renowned for its dedicated tourism police force, which ensures the safety of travelers across the country. “Tour operators are well-informed about the election season and will make any necessary adjustments to your itinerary to avoid areas affected by political activity, ensuring minimal disruption to your journey,” she said. Ms. Doreen Katusiime, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities rallied investors to choose Uganda, noting that the country is peaceful and with adequate physical features. According to Mr. Amos Wekesa, a member of the Uganda Tourism Board, Uganda, famously dubbed the Pearl of Africa, possesses all the elements required to dominate the global tourism sector. "From its unique mountain gorillas to the world’s most powerful waterfalls, the country is a treasure store of natural and cultural wonders. However, despite a steady post-COVID recovery and notable achievements, Uganda lags behind regional competitors like Kenya and Tanzania in realizing its tourism potential." Mr. Wekesa pointed out that to top the world's tourism rankings, Uganda must address systemic challenges while strategically leveraging its unique offerings. He says the sector has demonstrated resilience, with revenue rising from Shs110bn in 2017/18 to Shs156.5bn in 2023/24. Employment has surged to 610,806, and visitor numbers to national parks and the Uganda Wildlife Education Center (UWEC) are on the rise. However, foreign exchange earnings of $1.025 billion in FY 2023/24 remain significantly below the $1.6 billion recorded pre-pandemic in 2019/20. “While infrastructure upgrades like improved tourism roads and the near-complete Entebbe Airport expansion have spurred growth, critical gaps in funding, inadequate marketing, and climate-related challenges continue to hold Uganda back,” Mr. Wekesa said. Mr. Herbert Byaruhanga, a seasoned tourism consultant, asserted that Uganda must rethink its strategy to achieve global leadership. “We need to learn from the tourism sectors of other economies, leverage our unique attractions, and position ours as a premier destination. Only then can we attract the numbers and investment required to grow the sector,” he said. He noted that the government needs to prioritize tourism in its budget, ensuring critical projects receive adequate funding. According to the available data, tourism significantly contributes to Uganda's economy. In 2023, it directly contributed 3.64% to GDP, employing 1.6 million people or 14.7% of the total workforce. The sector also generated significant revenue, with inbound visitors spending over Shs4.58 trillion on tourism services and domestic tourists spending approximately Shs2.97 trillion.

2025-05-23

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“THERE ARE MORE JOBS IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR THAN IN GOVERNMENT,” SAYS PRESIDENT MUSEVENI AS HE CONCLUDES PDM TOUR IN GREATER LUWERO

President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has called upon Ugandans to take the Parish Development Model (PDM) seriously because of its huge potential to get them out of poverty and generate more employment opportunities than the government can provide. According to the President, wealth creation at the grassroots level, particularly through commercial agriculture and small-scale enterprises, is the key to sustainable job creation in Uganda. “People waste a lot of time looking for government jobs. And the leaders also don’t explain very well that in a developing country, there are more jobs in the private sector than in the government because the government jobs are few. The government jobs (civil servants, police, the army, teachers, and health workers) are 480,000. The population of Uganda is 46 million. So, how can they be satisfied? The people who are doing the PDM era are already employing people,” President Museveni said. He made the remarks on Thursday, 22nd May, 2025, while addressing a rally at Wabinyonyi playground, Nakasongola Town Council, Nakasongola district, as he concluded his three-day performance assessment tour on the Parish Development Model and other wealth creation activities in Greater Luwero. President Museveni gave an example of the Minister of State for Transport, Hon. Fred Byamukama, who is employing 26 people on his 4-acre model farm, and one Nyakana Richard of Rwengaaju in Kabarole, who is employing 15 people, using 1.2 acres of land. “Uganda has 40 million acres of arable land. I was calculating that if we used only seven million acres like Nyakana has done, and each acre created 15 jobs, we would have 105 million jobs, more than all the people of Uganda. We would have so many jobs to the extent of importing workers,” the President noted. President Museveni added that the factories are already employing 1.2 million people, three times more than in the government. “You, the parents, need to advise your children that the government jobs are limited. You prepare yourself to work in commercial farms, factories, and service sectors or become a job creator in the commercial agricultural sector,” he stressed. The President hinged his address on six pillars, namely, peace, security, development, wealth, health, and education, as key to achieving socio-economic transformation, while emphasizing that they should be handled carefully through prioritization in the spirit of patriotism. “You people should continue supporting the NRM, which believes in unity for all Ugandans, and that’s one of the pillars of peace,” he said. President Museveni emphasized that whereas development (enkulakulana) reflected in social services such as roads, health centers, schools, and electricity is crucial, wealth creation and fighting household poverty should be everybody’s concern. “This road to Gulu was tarmacked soon after independence and has been tarmacked since that time for 60 years, but up to now, there are poor people residing around it. So, NRM does not want you to only talk about development but also household incomes,” he said, adding that it’s the reason the NRM, since 1995 has been supporting the wealth creation drive through initiatives such as Entandikwa, NAADS, Operation Wealth Creation (OWC), Emyooga, and now PDM. The President pointed out a few people who have listened and are doing well, such as Joseph Ijara of Serere, who uses two and a half acres to do poultry and livestock, earning him more than Shs 1 billion a year through selling eggs and milk, with profits amounting to over Shs800 million per year. Others are Hajjat Mariam Baiga in Ssekamuli, Bamunaanika in Luwero, Nalubowa Aida of Nakaseke, and a 64-year-old Tumusiime Deziranta who just started with Shs 1 million from PDM and is doing well. According to President Museveni, if the PDM is taken seriously, the parish SACCOs will reach an extent of owning banks worth Shs 1.6 billion in 10 years, and this will save them the burden of running to money lenders who charge them exorbitant profits. After two years, a PDM beneficiary who received Shs 1 million is expected to return it with an interest of Shs 120,000 only. “So please, don’t neglect this. I heard people blaming the Sacco leaders for prioritizing family members and friends. This is because you don’t go there. A parish Sacco is for everybody above 18 years in that parish, and when you meet, that’s how you elect your Sacco leaders. Be active and get involved,” President Museveni stressed. President Museveni also promised to set up a special fund for the fishermen after leaders appreciated him for protecting the lakes through the fisheries protection unit, which has streamlined fishing activities. The NRM Vice National Chairperson for central region, Hon. Godfrey Kiwanda Ssuubi appreciated President Museveni for visiting greater Luwero. “We know the President has not been able to reach everybody, but his tour is a gesture of appreciation for what we are doing as the Greater Luwero in terms of wealth creation,” Hon. Kiwanda said. The Member of Parliament for Nakasongola County, Hon. Mutebi Noah Wanzala, and the area woman MP Zawedde Victorious called for a special land fund to compensate absentee landlords who are evicting tenants. The ceremony was also attended by Ministers, Members of Parliament, NRM leaders, among others.

2025-05-22

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PRESIDENT MUSEVENI DIRECTS MSC TO OFFER 8 PERCENT ANNUAL INTEREST LOANS TO MARKET VENDORS

Vendors from Kalerwe and St. Balikuddembe (Owino) markets are set to benefit from low-interest government funding, known as Katale loan. The business financing project targets low-income earners and will be disbursed through the Microfinance Support Centre (MSC) at an interest rate of only eight per cent (8%) per annum. This move follows a directive from President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni that aims at empowering traders. According to State House officials, the initiative is a pilot project scheduled to be rolled out to several other markets within the central region with the intent to empower more traders; this, however, will be dependent on the success rate in Kampala. This Presidential directive, the first of its kind, is set to benefit over 10,000 vendors in 24 sub-markets within Kalerwe alone and several others who ply their trade in Owino market. Speaking during a stakeholders' meeting at Fairway Hotel on Tuesday 20th May 2025, between government officials and market representatives from the two key markets, Mr. Moses Byaruhanga, the Senior Presidential Advisor In-charge of Political Mobilization assured the vendors (traders) that the government has provided this financial option to save them from unscrupulous money lenders whose terms of service are very exploitative. “We have been told that access to finance is not progressing very well, yet we hear that so many moneylenders are profiting from these markets,” Mr. Byaruhanga noted. He also expressed concerns that moneylenders are unlawfully asking their clients to deposit national Identity cards, which was outlawed. “We have also been told that moneylenders are still taking your IDs as security to access loans/ financing,” he said. “We want you to be able to access loans with fewer hindrances and organise yourselves in small groups of five to ten vendors.” Mr. Byaruhanga also told the vendors that through MSC, the government will disburse these funds, which will be readily available to them to help boost their enterprises. According to Mr. Byaruhanga, this loan doesn't require security. “We need the group you belong to verify you as a borrower. The money is not deducted by MSC and will be deposited directly to your phone on your mobile money account.” He also told them that some vendors complicated the process for the government to improve their markets, as they had doubts about the government’s intentions to upgrade them. “Many of the vendors were worried about increments in rental fees if we cemented their markets, while others were concerned that if the government cemented their markets, their land might be taken,” he said. This prompted the government to only improve the markets that complied and left out those that rejected the move, which are now still operating in muddy conditions. The meeting was attended by over 200 people, including women traders and their leaders, Local Council chairpersons, market leaders and Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) officials. Hajjat Madinah Nsereko, a State House official, thanked the mobilisation team for the commendable job which they executed under such short notice. Mr. Badru Lutalo, a market leader from Owino, said they have over 100 shelters, but each shelter has its leadership. He also appealed to the government to enable them to acquire an office for better coordination. The vendors generally expressed optimism and excitement about the Katale loan and mutually agreed to keep politics out of this new initiative for the betterment of all the market workers. On his part, Mr. Dalawusi Kibuuka, the vice chairperson of Ddembe market, which is located within Kalerwe market, pledged to sensitise his fellow vendors about the immense benefits of this new opportunity. Ms. Winnie Nalwoga from Nyanja zone (Owino market) appealed to KCCA not to complicate this process, saying that it could kill their morale and end up pushing them back to moneylenders. KCCA weighs in: Dr David Musunga, the deputy director of Production and Marketing at KCCA, responded to the issue raised by vendors about the hygiene of public toilets within the markets and said limited space is still a challenge, but pledged KCCA’s support. “We shall work together with MSC and provide the necessary support for better service delivery,” Mr. Musunga emphasised. Mr. Julius Kasirye, the manager of commercial services at KCCA, welcomed the vendors and commended them for their enterprising spirit, saying Kalerwe and Owino are key markets in Kampala, which is why they were chosen to pilot this project. “If this Katale loan fails in these two markets, it will be a setback for the other markets that are also in line to benefit from this opportunity,” Mr. Kasirye stated. How the Katale Loan will be accessed: According to MSC officials, the opportunity is open to adults aged between 18 to 75 years of age. They will be required to open bank accounts to simplify transactions. Ms. Lotah Arimureeba, a Client Relationship officer at MSC, said they are targeting members with small businesses, roadside vendors, those who operate stalls and low-income earners, especially women and single mothers. MSC is a government institution that was established in 2001 and provides loans to Savings and Credit Cooperative Societies (SACCOs) after equipping them with financial literacy. “We have realised that sometimes market vendors find it hard to access funding. So, through the government, we are now able to provide you financing as MSC. The aim is for development,” she said, further clarifying that MSC is not politically affiliated with any party. She noted that vendors will be able to access the funding within two weeks after fulfilling the requirements, which include a photocopy of one's national ID and NIN. For one to benefit, they will only need endorsement from a market representative.

2025-05-21

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PRESIDENT MUSEVENI HAILS PARLIAMENT FOR PASSING THE UPDF AMENDMENT BILL, SAYS CLEAN POLITICS AND PEACE HAVE TRANSFORMED UGANDA

President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has congratulated members of Parliament for passing the Uganda People's Defence Forces (UPDF) Amendment Bill, 2025. “I want to congratulate the Members of Parliament for passing the UPDF Amendment Bill. There was going to be a serious problem because some people were saying if a soldier does commit a crime such as killing a person, involving in theft or rapes a woman, they should be taken to the sub county (civilian courts) instead of the court martial. Those who were involved have to repent. There was going to be a serious collision between the army, parliament, and the courts of law, but they have saved us the embarrassment,” President Museveni said. The President, who is in the greater Luwero on the performance assessment tour on the Parish Development Model (PDM) and other wealth creation programs, made the remarks on Wednesday, 21st May 2025, while addressing a leaders’ meeting at Timnah Nursery and Primary school in Mabaale village, Luwero district. Parliament on 20th May, 2025, passed the UPDF Amendment Bill, which expands military courts’ authority to try civilians under specific conditions, such as possession of military equipment or collaboration with military personnel in serious crimes like treason or murder. “When we came from the bush, we decided that even the person who is not a soldier and decides to use a gun to perform a crime, we are going to charge them in the army courts,” the President emphasized, adding that it’s because of this strong resolve, and practicing what he termed as clean politics since 1986 that Uganda has remained peaceful and now focused on wealth creation. “We told you that among the main pillars of development are peace in the country because, as you hear, many countries around us are rich in minerals and oil, but they don’t have peace, and many of their people are here in Uganda as refugees. We now have 1,800,000 people as refugees here in Uganda,” he noted. He further emphasized that it’s only the National Resistance Movement (NRM) that is rooted in tenets of unity and national integration rather than sectarianism through the four principles of Patriotism, Pan Africanism, social-economic transformation, and democracy. President Museveni urged the citizens to understand prioritization in public administration by knowing what is crucial and immediate, adding that, whereas development is needed, wealth creation should come first, through commercial agriculture, services, ICT, and Manufacturing. He warned against land fragmentation describing it as a hindrance to wealth creation. “I had my neighbor in Kisozi. He was a very rich man with four square miles of land and 500 cows. When he died, the children just divided, and that huge estate disappeared. And some of the children sold their share. So, this is very dangerous. If that happens to every generation, what will happen to the remaining families?” President Museveni wondered, adding that the modern way is to divide and still use the land collectively and share profits. He gave an example of Hajjat Mariam Baiga's family in Ssekamuli, Bamunanika, which has succeeded in collective investment. He reminded the people about his proposal of the seven activities in the 1996 NRM Manifesto of intensive agriculture for those with 4 acres or less, and those with bigger land to practice extensive agriculture. “I proposed one acre for coffee, another acre for fruits (mangoes, oranges, or pineapples), grass for livestock in the third acre, and the fourth acre for food crops (bananas, cassava, etc). In the backyard, you can put piggery or poultry. Those near the swamps can engage in fish farming. This was our message in the 1996 manifesto. You can hear that the few who have listened to us are doing well,” President Museveni said, adding that crops such as cocoa and palm oil can also yield well in one acre. Other items such as cotton, tea, sugar cane, and maize, he said, require larger pieces of land. President Museveni said if the Shs100 million PDM support per parish is well managed, Ugandans will have their own Parish Banks worth 1.8 billion in 10 years but was quick to warn those mismanaging the funds by giving selectively to family members and friends. The NRM Vice National Chairman for the Central Region, Hon. Godfrey Kiwanda Suubi appreciated President Museveni for transforming Uganda through wealth creation activities, emphasizing coffee, which has transformed the Buganda region and Uganda at large. Presenting the scorecard in NRM’s performance in Greater Luwero, the party Secretary General, Rt. Hon. Richard Todwong said in 2016 Luwero district gave the NRM party 55.7% of the votes. Nakasongola 84%, and Nakaseke 76%, while in 2021 something happened and the support dropped from 55% in Luwero to 27%, from 84% to 65% in Nakasongola, and eventually from 76% to 53% in Nakaseke. “The question is, why? You are the leaders. You are the middlemen between the President and the people. We see no problem with the people, but the problem could be with us, the leaders, and we are here with our mentor to unpack the challenges we face with the people we lead,” Todwong said. Rt. Hon. Todwong thanked President Museveni for donating the Shs 300 million to the party that he received as a court award from Monitor newspaper. He said the party Secretariat has allocated it to Luwero district to construct a party office. “I'm happy to report that the process is ongoing, and very soon, we shall launch our party office in Luwero,” he added. The PDM performance in Greater Luwero: The National Coordinator of the Parish Development Model, Hon. Dennis Galabuzi Ssozi, revealed that in the four years, Shs 62 billion has been distributed among the 240 PDM SACCOs established in greater Luwero. Hon. Galabuzi noted that Luwero district has the highest number of Saccos (101), followed by Nakaseke (71), and Nakasongola (68). He added that a total of 65,414 beneficiaries have received the PDM funds in 65,000 households, with Luwero leading with 28,000 beneficiaries. Of these, 20,000 beneficiaries-33% are into crops, followed by livestock (cows, pigs, goats) at 26%, with 7,000 households specifically into piggery. “I congratulate you because you have performed well and distributed this money among the beneficiaries, up to 99.9% compared to other parts of the country. Thank you very much,” Hon. Galabuzi said, adding that 51% of the beneficiaries in greater Luwero are women, mostly from Luwero. He noted that most of them are located in the town councils of Luwero, Nakaseke, and Nakasongola. In other statistics, Hon. Galabuzi highlighted that 62% of the beneficiaries are between 31-69 years, those above 60 years are 12%, but was quick to add that the youths in greater Luwero are performing poorly at 26% coverage compared to the national statistics of 38%. “This is unique because we understand that due to unemployment, the youths are among the most affected by poverty. We need to find out why the youths in Greater Luwero are not active in PDM and get collective solutions,” Hon. Galabuzi added. Hon. Galabuzi acknowledged the challenge of inadequate agricultural extension workers compared to the increased demand, which is being solved by the established regional PDM facilitators to coordinate the program. Other challenges to address include intermittent electricity and a lack of water for production in the dry season. To date, a total amount of Shs3.2 trillion has been released to all 10,717 parishes in Uganda. Presenting on the performance of Emyooga program, the Minister of State for Microfinance, Hon. Haruna Kasolo, highlighted that the biggest problem emerging is the parish Sacco leaders who are selective in the distribution of PDM and Emyooga funds; those borrowing the money are not willing to return it. “We are going to force you to return this money. It is not returning to the government but in your Parish Saccos for others to also benefit,” Hon. Kasolo said. Hon. Ephraim Kamuntu, a Senior Presidential Advisor-Economic and Manifesto Implementation, also presented on the role of Musevenomics in Uganda's social and economic transformation and middle-income country. “Since the establishment of Uganda in 1894, this is the first time that Uganda has become a middle-income country, and it has done so in NRM’s time under Yoweri Kaguta Museveni’s leadership,” Hon. Kamuntu said, adding that the driving force has been Musevenomics, which is an expression that has recently emerged to describe President Museveni’s scientific approach to understanding how an economy moves through transformative stages, including the Primary production stage, basically peasant and subsistence-based, and the second stage being the secondary production stage, where manufacturing is introduced. The third is the tertiary service stage, where the service sector becomes dominant in its GDP contribution (hotels, tourism, transport), and the fourth stage is the knowledge-based stage, evidenced by the contribution of science and ICT innovation. He added that using these frameworks, Musevenomics examines the evolution of Uganda’s economy before the British came, the 68 years of British administration in this country, the first 10 years after independence, and the performance of Uganda’s economy under the National Resistance Movement since 1986. The Minister of State for Investment and Privatisation, Hon. Evelyn Anite, informed the meeting about the theme of the President's countrywide tour, which is “securing your future through wealth creation,” with a mission to get all Ugandans out of poverty. “Ladies and gentlemen, standing at the stairs of parliament in 1986 at his swearing in, the President promised Ugandans nothing but fundamental change. And indeed, we are witnessing a fundamental change, and we are in the place where the revolution started,” Hon. Anite said. Earlier, the Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Hon. Judith Nabakooba, also presented on the status of land ownership and related issues, mainly about the relationship between squatters and landlords, highlighting the 2022 presidential executive order to all RDCs aimed at protecting squatters from unlawful eviction by the landlords. She asked leaders to make use of the Ministry’s zonal offices and the digital platforms to ascertain the authenticity of land. The meeting was attended by Ministers, Members of Parliament, NRM leaders, among others.

2025-05-21