President Museveni has called on both ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) leaders and opposition politicians to take greater responsibility for monitoring government programmes and ensuring effective service delivery, warning that leaders who fail to oversee public initiatives should be held accountable.
The President made the remarks on Thursday during the reading of Uganda’s Shs84.4 trillion national budget for the Financial Year 2026/27 at Kololo Ceremonial Grounds.
Museveni said Uganda has made significant economic progress but noted that weaknesses in implementation and supervision continue to undermine government programmes.
“We are to demand performance from both the NRM and also the opposition. As long as you are getting money from the government, you must check what is happening on the ground,” he said.
The President argued that elected leaders, regardless of political affiliation, have a duty to monitor government projects in their constituencies and ensure public resources reach intended beneficiaries.
He cited persistent complaints about the theft of funds under the Parish Development Model (PDM), saying he encountered similar grievances during recent election campaigns in different parts of the country.
“People were complaining that their PDM money had been stolen. I found the same complaints in Maracha, Kween, Kampala, Kawempe and Buwambo. What are the Members of Parliament doing? What are local leaders doing?” he asked.
Museveni warned that government officials, local leaders and legislators who neglect their monitoring responsibilities would increasingly come under scrutiny.
“I will ask the Attorney General to see how I can deal with leaders who are paid to monitor but do not do their work,” he said.
The President stressed the need to move the remaining 33 percent of Ugandans who are still outside the money economy into productive economic activity, describing this as the country's most pressing development challenge despite the economic gains recorded over the years.
“For now, let all political leaders take the lead in getting 33 percent of our people who are outside the money economy to join the money economy,” he said.
Museveni traced Uganda’s economic journey from the colonial era, noting that by Independence in 1962, only about 9 percent of Ugandan households participated in the money economy, while 91 percent remained in subsistence production.
According to the President, participation in the money economy had risen to 32 percent by 2013 before increasing to the current 67 percent through interventions such as Operation Wealth Creation and the Parish Development Model.
“Although we have done well, we could have done much better. The challenge now is the 33 percent who are still outside the money economy,” he said.
The President directed ministers, Members of Parliament and local government leaders to actively monitor PDM implementation parish by parish to ensure funds are not stolen and beneficiaries are supported to generate sustainable incomes.
“The eyes of the dead body are the eyes of the one carrying it,” he said, invoking a Banyankore proverb to emphasise leadership responsibility.
Budget Anchored on Wealth Creation
Presenting the budget, Musasizi said the government remains committed to transforming household incomes and expanding economic participation across the country.
He revealed that over the last five years, the government has transferred Shs4.4 trillion in revolving capital to all 10,589 parishes under the Parish Development Model.
“To date, the government has invested close to Shs11 trillion directly into wealth-creation initiatives targeting households in the subsistence economy, farmers, youth, women and businesses,” Musasizi said.
The minister described the PDM as the government's flagship intervention for eliminating subsistence production and expanding participation in the money economy.