President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has urged newly elected Members of Parliament (MPs) from the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) to cut back on foreign travel and spend more time engaging with communities to drive rural transformation.
Speaking during a campfire session at the National Leadership Institute Kyankwanzi (NALI) on Monday evening, President Museveni emphasized that effective leadership starts with a deep understanding of constituents.
“You need to go household by household and know your people—how many are in the money economy and how many are still outside,” he said.
The President cautioned MPs against spending excessive time on parliamentary committees and overseas benchmarking trips, warning that such engagements can disconnect leaders from the communities they represent.
“If you benchmark too much outside, you disconnect yourself from your constituents,” Museveni noted, urging legislators to dedicate several days each week to fieldwork.
He also advised MPs to avoid incurring personal debts in the name of supporting their communities, encouraging them instead to rely on government programmes to drive development.
“Do not use your money or go into debts. What I am telling you is what I did,” he said, reflecting on his early political mobilization efforts in the 1960s.
Museveni highlighted the need to promote practical income-generating activities suited to smallholder farmers, including coffee growing, fruit farming, dairy, poultry, piggery, and fish farming. He said sustained guidance and engagement can help move households into the money economy.
Drawing from his own experience, he revealed that in his home area, about 1,700 out of 2,300 households have transitioned into income-generating activities due to consistent mobilization.
The President also underscored the importance of targeted interventions such as water infrastructure in arid regions like Karamoja, describing dams as critical for livestock-based livelihoods.
“Where leaders are actively involved, things move,” he said.
Vice President Jessica Alupo echoed similar sentiments, urging MPs to live disciplined lives and avoid extravagance and unsustainable borrowing.
“They are now VIPs and they should control their expectations,” she said. “They should live within their means and continue working with the population the way they have been working before becoming Members of Parliament.”
Alupo warned that the pressures of public office can easily push leaders into debt if not properly managed.
“They should exercise financial discipline… plan well and avoid unnecessary borrowing which may lead them into debts which are not sustainable,” she added.
She also emphasized the importance of maintaining close ties with constituents and encouraged a culture of mentorship within the party.
“Mentorship is not an activity, it is a process. I encourage them to continue looking out for mentorship, and senior members of the NRM to guide them,” she said.
On parliamentary performance, Alupo expressed confidence that the retreat had equipped especially first-time MPs with the skills needed to contribute meaningfully to national debates.
“From the discipline exhibited here… and the way members have been asking for clarifications, I have very high hopes that the 12th Parliament will be of high quality,” she noted.
She further highlighted key national priorities, including wealth creation, industrialization, improved service delivery, commercial agriculture, infrastructure development, and anti-corruption efforts as critical to Uganda’s transformation.
Alupo also reminded MPs of the need to safeguard the country’s achievements since 1986, particularly in peace, security, infrastructure, health, and education.
“All Ugandans should protect the peace and security that we have now so that we can use that peace as a foundation for investment and development,” she said.
Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa rallied MPs to support the President’s agenda, stressing that effective governance requires cooperation among state institutions rather than constant confrontation.
He cautioned legislators against equating performance with opposing government, urging Parliament to work in complementarity with the executive to deliver national development.
Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja also called for unity, urging MPs to consistently support government policies presented before Parliament.
Museveni concluded by urging legislators to prioritize grassroots engagement and rural transformation, warning against being consumed by bureaucratic work at the expense of their constituencies.
“If we work together and focus on the people, we shall succeed,” he added.
