By During the 39th National Resistance Movement (NRM) Liberation Day celebrations held in Mubende District on January 26, 2025, President Yoweri Museveni addressed the persistent issue of poverty in Uganda. He highlighted that, according to the 2024 National Population and Housing Census, approximately 33% of Ugandan households around three million remain outside the money economy.
Reflecting on the nation’s economic history, President Museveni noted that at the time of the NRM’s ascent to power in 1986, a staggering 68% of households were subsistence-based, working solely for their sustenance. To combat this, he introduced Operation Wealth Creation (OWC) in 2013, aiming to transition these households into the commercial economy. Over the past decade, significant progress has been made, reducing the percentage of subsistence households to 32%. However, the President emphasized that more efforts are needed to further decrease this number.
President Museveni also addressed the challenges posed by corruption in poverty alleviation programs. He acknowledged that previous initiatives, including OWC, faced setbacks due to corrupt practices. To mitigate this, the government launched the Parish Development Model (PDM) in 2022, allocating approximately UGX 1 trillion annually to support economic activities at the parish level. Under this model, each parish receives UGX 100 million, with individual beneficiaries obtaining UGX 1 million to initiate income-generating projects. The President assured citizens that the government would cover any associated bank charges to ensure that beneficiaries receive the full amount intended for their development projects.
In his address, President Museveni urged Ugandans to actively engage in the money economy by embracing government programs designed to improve livelihoods. He emphasized that while infrastructural developments like roads and electricity are essential, the primary focus should be on generating household income. He stated, “When the road is done, don’t put your mattress at night on the road. You sleep in your own house like we have come for a public meeting. You will go home and find poverty; that is why I tell you to get out of poverty.”
The President’s remarks serve as a call to action for all Ugandans to participate in the nation’s economic transformation by leveraging available resources and government initiatives to improve their household incomes and overall quality of life.
