KAKUMIRO – President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has urged residents of Kakumiro District and the wider Bunyoro sub-region to prioritize wealth creation programmes as the most reliable pathway to socio-economic transformation and poverty reduction.
The President made the remarks on Monday while addressing a campaign rally at Kakeka Grounds in Kakumiro Town Council.
President Museveni encouraged residents to join what he described as the money economy, anchored on four key sectors: commercial agriculture, manufacturing, services, and Information and Communication Technology (ICT).
He called on the population to take advantage of the prevailing peace to work hard and increase household incomes through government wealth creation initiatives, including NAADS, Emyooga, Operation Wealth Creation, the Parish Development Model (PDM), the Uganda Women Entrepreneurship Programme (UWEP), and Youth Livelihood Programmes, which he said inject money directly into communities.
According to the President, while infrastructure development such as roads, electricity, schools, and hospitals remains important, real transformation is achieved when households generate income.
He tasked local leaders with sensitising communities on wealth creation, noting that wealth addresses most societal challenges, apart from freedom, which he said is guaranteed by government.
President Museveni emphasized that socio-economic transformation is impossible if households remain stuck in subsistence farming, urging residents to shift to commercial agriculture. He noted that the fertile land in Bunyoro presents a unique opportunity to boost household incomes and reduce poverty.
He highlighted the four-acre model, under which one acre is allocated to coffee, another to fruit trees, a third to food crops for household consumption, and the fourth to pasture for livestock.
The President further cautioned Ugandans against waiting for government employment, noting that public sector jobs are limited and cannot absorb the rapidly growing population. Instead, he encouraged citizens to take advantage of opportunities in the private sector, which he said offers millions of jobs.
President Museveni warned against equating infrastructure development with wealth distribution, observing that poverty persists even in urban areas with modern amenities.
On service delivery, the President pledged to upgrade Kakumiro Health Centre IV to a district hospital and elevate existing Health Centre IIIs to Health Centre IVs to improve healthcare services. He also promised to tarmac the Kisiita–Nkoko–Masodde and Ntwetwe–Kiboga roads.
