NORTHERN UGANDA – President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, also the NRM Presidential flag bearer, yesterday evening held a live radio engagement with journalists from Acholi Sub-region, focusing on Uganda’s progress in peace, unity, and economic transformation.
The interactive session, moderated by Mega FM’s James Obalo, took place at Gulu State Lodge and drew questions on issues ranging from democracy, education, health, and youth employment to regional integration and markets.
Mr. Obalo began by congratulating President Museveni upon his successful campaign trail in the Acholi Sub-region, noting that some NRM candidates had already secured parliamentary positions unopposed.
In response, President Museveni thanked the media fraternity of the Acholi Sub-region for their continued engagement and used the opportunity to reflect on Uganda’s democratic journey and economic progress under the NRM leadership.
On democracy, President Museveni emphasized that Uganda stands as a global example of genuine democracy rooted in people’s representation, not theatrics.
“Uganda is the most democratic country in the world. This is real democracy—not a theatre like you see in some other countries. Here, we present elections to the people, and we have Members of Parliament who truly represent the conscience of the population,” President Museveni said.
He noted that Uganda’s political system guarantees representation for all categories of citizens, including women,
youth, workers, soldiers, the elderly, and persons with disabilities.
“In 1962, there were only three women in Parliament out of 90 members, yet women have always constituted half of the population. Today, we have affirmative action MPs from every district,” he said.
President Museveni explained that Uganda’s democracy is built on a strong foundation of directly elected leaders from the village to the district level.
“We have very strong, directly elected leaders from the village, parish, sub-county, and district levels. The only challenge is that some leaders need guidance. Their duty is not to give handouts but to supervise government programs like the Parish Development Model and ensure that funds reach the people,” he noted.
“Anybody who wants to learn about democracy should come to Uganda,” the President added confidently.
The President reminded listeners that the NRM’s fight against corruption began during the liberation struggle.
“When we came from the bush, we found sub-county chiefs and government appointees who were corrupt. I had seen it even under the British. That’s why I insisted we elect our own leaders. That is how local councils were born,” he explained.
He emphasized that corruption persists when people fail to understand their roles.
“The problem is that many citizens do not defend their money. They must know their roles in programs like the PDM. Our fighters in the NRA were trained to prioritize. That’s what the population should learn—to focus on what truly matters,” he said.
President Museveni drew from personal experience to illustrate the importance of prioritization in national development.
“When I met Muammar Gaddafi in my 30s, he asked if I needed money, uniforms, or medicine. I told him, ‘No, I only want guns and bullets. If I have those, I will get the rest.’ That is what prioritization means,” he said.
He further explained that true economic growth starts from the countryside.
“When I was mobilizing villagers in 1967, Rushere was just a small trading centre. Today, it has grown into a big town with shops, agricultural inputs, bars, and many other businesses. It is the countryside that creates towns,” he said.
“If you start with rural roads and empower farmers, growth becomes organic, healthy, and vibrant,” he added.
Asked about Uganda’s political opposition, President Museveni called for a stronger constitutional framework that safeguards national interests.
“We have a weak constitutional order. Some leaders should be disqualified for taking positions that endanger the country like encouraging people to occupy wetlands or preaching tribalism. That person becomes an enemy of the country,” he said.
He cited Tanzania as an example where laws are stricter on such conduct but noted that the NRM continues to manage opposition through correct policies and discipline.
“The NRM is popular because we stay focused. Reactionary groups tried to mislead people in the North, but I knew we would defeat them,” he said.
On the economy, President Museveni highlighted Uganda’s remarkable progress since 1986.
“Uganda’s GDP has grown from $6 billion by foreign exchange method to 17 times that size over four decades,” he revealed.
He outlined the five key phases of Uganda’s economic growth including; Minimum Recovery like restoring basic consumer goods such as salt and soap, Expansion of the Colonial Economy by reviving coffee, cotton, and copper, Diversification; introducing more cash crops, Value Addition in processing milk, maize, fish, and sugar and lastly Knowledge Economy by positioning Uganda to compete globally.
“We must now protect these gains and ensure they translate into a high middle-income status,” President Museveni said.
The President encouraged young people to focus on creating wealth rather than chasing government jobs.
“When Jesus said, ‘Seek ye the Kingdom of God and all other things shall be added unto you,’ I also tell you seek the wealth in homesteads, and all other things shall be added unto you,” he said.
He dismissed the notion that government jobs are the only source of employment.
“Government jobs are only about 480,000 in total. But factory jobs alone are now employing 1.3 million people almost three times the number of government workers,” he said.
On Health, President Museveni attributed Uganda’s rapid population growth to successful health interventions.
“Life expectancy has increased from 43 years to 68 because of strong immunization and public health measures,” he noted.
However, he expressed concern that medical professionals have not adequately emphasized preventive health.
“Our doctors should educate people on nutrition and lifestyle changes. Many are dying from diseases like high blood pressure. If we emphasized prevention, we would eliminate 85% of the sicknesses,” he said.
President Museveni also said the government was studying how a health insurance system could be implemented in a way that benefits ordinary villagers.
On security, President Museveni assured the country that groups like the ADF and Al-Shabaab have been militarily defeated.
“They cannot do much to Uganda anymore. We defeated them here, in Somalia, and in Congo,” he said.
Regarding natural resources, the President emphasized responsible management and investment.
“Agriculture is renewable if we protect the environment. Minerals are not. When we get oil money, we shall use it to create durable capacity—build power stations, railways, and factories. We shall never use oil money to buy perfumes, whiskey, or wigs,” he asserted.
On taxation, President Museveni also explained Uganda’s tax policy, saying it is designed to encourage production and discourage luxury consumption.
“VAT is paid by the consumer. We tax luxury imports like vehicles and whisky, but we don’t tax machinery or agricultural products. Our taxes are intentional to promote production, not waste,” he said.
