By President Museveni has issued a stern warning to Ugandans, urging them to take decisive action against poverty instead of relying on government handouts.
Kicking off his tour of the 13 districts in Ankole Sub-region on Tuesday, February 25, Museveni expressed frustration over the continued struggle of many Ugandans despite years of government intervention.
“I have come to see you. They told me that you made a relationship with poverty. So I decided to come and get you out of poverty. We shall keep sending you money but I keep begging you to get out of poverty,” he said while inspecting the implementation of the Parish Development Model (PDM) in Rubirizi District.
Having ruled Uganda since 1986 after leading a five-year guerrilla war, Museveni emphasized that financial support will only continue if beneficiaries demonstrate effective use of PDM funds.
“Poverty is yours but it pains me to see you in poverty. We shall continue sending you money per parish and you can see this beneficiary had never reared pigs but now has pigs and goats from the million she got,” he said while visiting the farm of Ms. Tumusiime Deziranta.
“We shall keep adding you every year and if you do well, we shall increase the money. I want you to hate poverty,” he added.
Despite his frustration, Museveni commended Rubirizi District for properly managing PDM funds and avoiding corruption.
“You are lucky here, you do not have thieves. There are poor people who have never touched Shs1 million. You can imagine at 64 years, there are still people who have never touched Shs1 million. We shall keep giving you money and in five years, we shall have Shs500m per parish,” he said.
He further urged residents to stop fragmenting their land, warning that it limits agricultural productivity.
“Why don’t you use the land as a family instead of splitting it into small plots? When you die, what will happen to your children?” he asked.
“Listen to what I tell you on the radio and fight poverty. Why should you be poor then I suffer with you begging that you get out of poverty? I am not poor but it hurts me to see you poor,” he added.
Museveni visited Rubirizi, Sheema, and Ibanda districts on the first day of his tour. Today, he is scheduled to meet local leaders at Booma Grounds in Bushenyi District.
