President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has called on Ugandans, particularly residents of the Bunyoro sub-region, to take a more proactive role in demanding accountability from local officials handling the Parish Development Model (PDM) funds and public health services.
Presiding over the National Youth Day celebrations held at Masindi Golf Course Grounds, the president said his government had fulfilled its responsibility by sourcing and disbursing funds to support socio-economic transformation. It was now up to citizens to monitor their leaders and ensure proper implementation.
“Don’t get me tired. I lobbied for the money, and it was sent to your parishes. Now it’s your job to demand it from those responsible. Confront your local leaders and the people handling PDM. If there is corruption, and I find out, I will come in and arrest the culprits,” Museveni said.
The president expressed frustration over repeated public complaints about mismanagement of PDM funds and missing medicines from government health facilities. He urged citizens to stop directing their complaints solely to him, and instead question the specific individuals responsible for delivery at the grassroots.
“Government sends medicines to health centres, but we are not sure where they end up. Communities must be empowered to go to these facilities and ask how the drugs are being used,” he said.
He added that while immunization programmes have made significant progress—contributing to Uganda's youthful population—challenges persist in curative healthcare due to theft and mismanagement of medical supplies.
On security, President Museveni praised the enduring peace and stability maintained by the NRM government, stating that no force could successfully wage war in Uganda again. However, he voiced concern over the rising crime rate and accused the police of poor investigations and corruption.
“NRM has fought wars. Nobody can bring war to Uganda and win. But now we have an issue of rising crime—because some police officers are taking bribes and doing poor investigations. I will tell you what we are going to do about it,” he added.
Addressing the growing emphasis on digital solutions, Museveni advised young people not to view digital technology as a stand-alone solution to economic transformation. Instead, he stressed that agriculture remains the cornerstone of Uganda’s economy, with digital tools acting as enablers.
“I hear many people talking about digital, digital — but the real deal for Uganda is agriculture and commercialization. Digital is just an enabler. The wealthy should access support through UDB [Uganda Development Bank], while the poor can benefit from the PDM,” he said.
Minister of Gender, Labour and Social Development, Betty Among, also addressed the gathering, highlighting the government’s ongoing efforts to create employment opportunities for young people, particularly in the digital space.
“Fintech has already created jobs for many youth. We have also partnered with 13 universities to train young innovators and build their capacity. We believe the digital sector holds great potential for tackling youth unemployment,” she said.
This year’s National Youth Day was celebrated under the theme: “Youth Advancing Socio-Economic Transformation Through Technology and Partnerships.”
Uganda has one of the youngest populations globally, with over 73% of citizens under the age of 30, according to the 2024 National Census.