President Museveni has said he was asked by “millions of Ugandans” to stand again in 2026 and that he couldn’t betray them.
“I am coming forward to respond to the millions of Ugandans who have been ordering me with the slogan: “Tova ku main” — “Do not leave the main electricity line,” Museveni said.
The president was on Saturday speaking shortly after securing the ruling NRM party nomination as the presidential flag bearer for 2026 but also as national party chairman.
The president said owing to many reasons, Ugandans asked him to continuing the country’s leadership for at least the next five years.
“Reason number one, is to work with the NRM structures, to clarify the importance of the six aspects that are very crucial in ensuring that Uganda and, maybe by example other parts of Africa, do not, again, miss the bus of history as happened in the past when Europe transformed and Africa stagnated and was enslaved,” Museveni said.
He said six aspects to ensure the country’s prosperity include peace (no war and control of crime); development, wealth , jobs , services ( such as health, education, spirituality, etc); and markets for our products through regional integration.
“This understanding, helps us to, for instance, understand where the majority of the jobs in a developed Country, come from. It is from the private sector — commercial farming, factories, services (hotels, transport, etc) and ICT (such as BPOs); not from the government.”
“Failure to understand this by the country and the families, leads to futile efforts and wasted time. In the short time of Uganda’s recovery, for instance, factories have created 1.2 million jobs compared to only 480,000 jobs of the whole Public Service. agriculture 3,610,064 jobs; and aervices 5,042,188 jobs. The commercial farms, the factories, the service companies (hotels, transport companies, private schools, private hospitals, etc) or ICT companies, are wealth of Private People, but they also create jobs for other Ugandans.”
Museveni explained that nexus needs to be clear that wealth creates jobs supported by peace and development in terms of infrastructure.
“The second reason, is to have leaders and a party that understands and is committed to the need for a qualitative leap from the status of the lower middle income country of USD 66 billion by the end of June 2026 to a high middle income country of USD 500 billion in the next few years. Some of our people talk of 2040. That is too far for me. I do not see why we cannot achieve it earlier if we are really aggressive in the pursuit of the objective and eliminate corruption,” he said.
He said this can be achieved earlier than 2040 if the country focuses on adding value on its exports than selling them raw..
“That is how all the coffee growing countries of the world earn USD 25 billion out of the total value of USD 460 billion and Germany, a non-coffee growing country, earns USD 65 billion from coffee.Since we have a wide spectrum of raw-materials of agriculture, raw-materials of minerals, fresh water resources and forest products, we have a huge potential if we add value to all of them or most of them. By refining tin ore to 99.85% purity, we earn USD 33.66 per kg instead of USD 13.6 - 16.4 for the unprocessed tin ore.”
“When we purify gold to 99.90% purity , tin to 99.85% purity instead of the previous 75% purity, copper to 99.99% purity instead of the previous 95%, we do not only earn more money from that commodity and create more jobs for our children, we also attract the jewellery makers to come to Uganda and make the jewellery there, the factories that need to use tin will come as will the factories that need to use pure copper such as the cables industries, the ones making transformers and the other electrical gadgets that use copper.”
He explained that these vertical and horizontal integrations of the sectors, will greatly expand the economy.
“Therefore, the second reason for the NRM putting forward my name, is to cause the qualitative leap of Uganda into a high upper middle income Country in the next few years, preferably far ahead of 2040 — which is 15 years from now. Other countries in Asia with less natural resources, did it. We can do it. We have already achieved the lower middle income status by just recovery, diversification and quantitative expansion with limited value addition.”
He explained that with maximum value addition to all the commercially viable raw-materials and the knowledge economy, Uganda will achieve the qualitative leap to high middle income status and, eventually, a first world status.
“God has enabled me to lead the NRM for the last 60 years through the phases I have outlined above. I believe God will see us through the qualitative leap. I am ready to make my contribution in the next five years phase, both as president and as chairman of the NRM.”