President Yoweri Museveni has attributed Bukedi’s entrenched poverty to what he described as the population’s reluctance to embrace the government’s key wealth-creation initiatives.
Speaking during a press briefing at Mbale State Lodge as he wrapped up his campaign tour of the sub-region, Museveni said Bukedi continues to lag behind because most households have not taken up the seven enterprise pillars promoted under the NRM’s rural transformation agenda.
“People here have failed to take up our seven pillars. There’s no commercial activity. We recommended coffee, dairy, cassava, poultry and fish farming. If you do those, you can do well,” he said.
Bukedi remains the only sub-region in Uganda without a strong cash crop after the collapse of cotton in the early 2000s.
While residents still debate the reasons behind its downfall, Museveni openly accepted responsibility, arguing that cotton no longer made economic sense for smallholders.
“Cotton was murder. It only made sense on a large scale. Even with 1,000 kilograms, it was nothing. That’s why I decampaigned cotton,” he said.
He explained that government has since designed a more viable strategy to help households transition into profitable ventures, including coffee, palm fruit, and fish farming.
“I have instructed for coffee and palm fruit seed beds. For fish farming, we shall buy equipment. Bukedi had a problem with enterprise selection. Fish farming will do miracles here,” he said, expressing confidence that the new approach would significantly cut poverty levels.
Museveni also voiced concern over the rising number of NRM-leaning independents competing against officially endorsed party flag bearers, warning that such behaviour undermines party cohesion.
“If I believe in the seven points and find someone who believes in the same, why should I compete with him? Some people now care about themselves and jobs, not our principles,” he said.
He defended his refusal to back NRM independents, insisting that the party’s internal structures had provided ample opportunity for resolving nomination disputes.
As Bukedi becomes a focal point in the government’s renewed rural wealth-creation strategy, Museveni stressed that meaningful economic change in the region will depend on residents adopting enterprises with sustainable income potential rather than clinging to crops that no longer guarantee prosperity.