The Ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) Presidential Candidate Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has reiterated that meaningful development must start at the household level if Ugandan’s are to permanently overcome poverty.
Addressing thousands of NRM supporters that had gathered at Kigezi High School Primary Lower Play ground in Kabale Municipality on Tuesday, President Museveni cautioned that having modern infrastructure alone is not enough to transform communities unless families deliberately work to create wealth.
“Development will not enter your home automatically. You can have roads and electricity everywhere, but if you do not create your own wealth, poverty will stay at your doorstep,” he said.
He explained that this message of wealth creation is not new, but has been at the core of his political and ideological journey for decades.
“This is the gospel we started in the 1960s with the the Former Prime Minister, Rt Hon Dr Ruhakana Rugunda here in Kabale. Even in the 1950s when I came to Butobere to play cricket, Kabale already had some tarmac, but poverty was still present,” he recalled, stressing that infrastructure must be matched with productive activities.
Museveni urged families to prioritise engaging in income-generating enterprises instead of relying solely on government services.
He said the NRM government has deliberately designed programmes to support this shift, particularly among rural households.
“That is why we send funds like the Parish Development Model (PDM) and Emyooga to help families begin the journey of wealth creation. Wealth creates jobs and attracts industries, which create even more jobs,” he noted.
The NRM flag bearer emphasised that these initiatives are part of a broader vision to build a self-sustaining economy anchored on empowered citizens who actively participate in production, value addition, and market access.
He added that it is on the strength of this vision and ongoing programmes that the NRM is seeking a renewed mandate in the forthcoming elections, promising to further consolidate gains in socio-economic transformation.
Museveni revealed that, in addition to wealth creation, he has six other key points that form the cornerstone of his campaign agenda, which he will present in detail at a press briefing scheduled for tomorrow.
