President Yoweri Museveni has distanced himself from the poverty affecting many Ugandans, asserting that personal wealth creation, not government handouts, is the path forward. Addressing supporters in Kampala on July 5, 2025—just after being nominated as the NRM’s presidential flag bearer and party chairperson—Museveni emphasized that poverty should not be associated with his name, declaring, “Poverty is yours… don’t put me in your poverty because I’m not poor.”
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He stressed that while infrastructure such as roads and electricity benefits the public collectively, real national transformation depends on each household building private wealth. “Every family must create its own wealth. Without it, development is meaningless,” he said, adding that wealth creation would be central to his next term if re-elected.
Museveni also criticized the tendency of people to rely on government jobs or infrastructure as signs of prosperity, arguing instead for a shift in focus to productivity at the household and enterprise level. “We have roads and power, but what will families put on the roads if they’re not producing wealth?” he asked.
The president’s renewed focus on economic empowerment comes amid longstanding criticism that his government has used patronage and state resources to maintain power—a claim he denies. Since 1986, Museveni has remained in office through successive elections, often marked by changes to the constitution, such as removing term and age limits, and by contentious polls against challengers like Dr. Kizza Besigye and Robert Kyagulanyi (Bobi Wine).
His administration has launched several poverty alleviation initiatives, including Operation Wealth Creation and the Parish Development Model (PDM). The latter, backed by Shs 3.6 trillion, is said to have directly benefited 400,000 Ugandans, though it has also faced corruption scandals.
In outlining his six priorities for the next term, Museveni listed peace and security, infrastructure development, wealth creation, improved services in education and health, expanded markets for Ugandan goods, and job creation. He reiterated that jobs would primarily emerge from individual and private sector wealth.
While the president maintains that national peace and development remain on course, critics argue that recent trends—rising public debt, political repression, and economic inequality—suggest deeper challenges. Some observers caution that without addressing the root causes of poverty and governance issues, his promises may continue to fall short of transforming Ugandans’ day-to-day lives.
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