President Museveni has warned that he will sack ministers whose areas continue to register high poverty levels despite the rollout of parish-based government funding programmes, saying leaders must take personal responsibility for transforming household incomes.
The warning comes at a time when Cabinet has already been dissolved following the expiry of its term, with a new team of ministers yet to be appointed.
Museveni’s remarks are therefore being interpreted as directed at incoming ministers and senior government officials expected to serve in the next administration.
The President said he would personally assess implementation of government programmes during field visits and take action against leaders who fail to ensure that public funds improve livelihoods.
“If you are a minister and I come to your village and people are still suffering, I will sack you,” Museveni said.
He said poverty should no longer exist in homesteads with access to land, especially in areas where government resources have already been channelled through parish-level development programmes.
“I don’t want to hear that there is poverty in homesteads that have land and yet money is there at parish level,” he said.
Museveni said government had consistently introduced wealth creation programmes over the years, but weak supervision and poor follow-up by leaders were undermining their effectiveness.
According to the President, parish-level funding was designed to support household enterprises and help communities transition from subsistence farming to commercial agriculture and small-scale industrial activity.
He said each parish currently receives about Shs800 million in low-cost capital intended to finance income-generating activities and support hundreds of households depending on population size and implementation efficiency.
Museveni directed Members of Parliament and local leaders to closely monitor how the funds are being utilised, insisting that accountability mechanisms must be strengthened at grassroots level.
He called on MPs to work closely with parish chiefs and local administrators to obtain detailed reports on the utilisation of the funds and the number of households benefiting from the programme.
The President warned that government would not tolerate leaders who fail to supervise implementation while continuing to hold public office.
He said funding allocations to parishes would increase in future phases of the programme to further expand household incomes and economic participation.
According to Museveni, sustained annual increases over a five-year period, combined with recovered and reinvested funds, would significantly raise the amount of capital available at parish level.
He said the long-term objective was to ensure that every household with access to productive land benefits from government wealth creation initiatives.
Museveni argued that poverty reduction depends on citizens actively participating in structured government programmes and productively utilising available capital.
The President also reiterated his long-held position that Uganda’s economic transformation depends on moving communities away from subsistence livelihoods toward commercial agriculture and value-added production.
He cited examples of communities that have embraced dairy farming and improved agricultural practices as evidence that the government’s development model can produce results when properly implemented.
Museveni said parish-level funding schemes and sub-county interest-free capital initiatives remain central to the government’s poverty eradication strategy.
However, he cautioned that poor supervision and weak accountability at local government level risk undermining the intended impact of the programmes.
He said ministers, MPs and local government officials would be expected to monitor performance indicators and ensure that intended beneficiaries are effectively reached.
Museveni urged leaders to take direct responsibility for development outcomes in their areas, insisting that public funds must translate into measurable improvements in household livelihoods rather than remain reflected only in reports and official records.