Speaking during the State of the Nation Address at Kololo, Museveni said discussions about poverty should also recognize the increasing number of Ugandans who have improved their livelihoods through participation in productive economic activities.
“There is poverty in Uganda, but there is also wealth because those wealthy people are Ugandans,” the President said.
To illustrate his point, Museveni recounted the experience of a Ugandan returnee who was recently seeking to purchase a high-end apartment in Kampala.
According to the President, the returnee was surprised to find that a flat she was interested in purchasing was being sold for USD 1.2 million. Before she could mobilize the funds, the property had already been bought by another Ugandan resident.
“She was amazed that while she was still trying to raise the money, local Ugandans had already paid for the apartment,” Museveni said.
The President argued that such examples demonstrate the emergence of a growing middle class and increasing wealth creation among Ugandans.
However, he stressed that the country needs a productive middle class that contributes to national development through sectors such as commercial agriculture, information and communications technology, manufacturing, and other wealth-generating enterprises.
“The middle class is coming up. The question is what kind of middle class is emerging—one that builds the country's productive capacity through commercial farming, ICT and other sectors, or one driven by foreign interests,” he said.
Museveni reflected on his earlier visits to his farm in Kisozi in Gomba district where he said many residents were trapped in subsistence lifestyles and lacked meaningful economic engagement.
“When I used to go to Kisozi to look after my animals, many people would simply spend their time at trading centres. They were all equally poor,” he said.
The President expressed satisfaction that many of these since embraced commercial agriculture and joined the money economy.
“As of today, 2048 homesteads have joined money economy with coffee, bananas, goat rearing and poultry
He reiterated his commitment to government programmes aimed at wealth creation, saying he does not want to see communities remaining comfortable with poverty when opportunities for economic transformation exist.
“I do not want to be in a parish where people remain poor and are content with their situation. I am glad that many who were poor have now moved into the money economy,” Museveni said.
The President's remarks come as government continues to implement initiatives such as the Parish Development Model (PDM), aimed at increasing household incomes and accelerating Uganda’s socio-economic transformation.
Museveni made a case for Ugandans investing in commercial agriculture as a magic bullet to becoming wealthy.
He however said leaders ought to guide the population on how they can ably make use of government programs to get out of poverty.
“When I hear leaders saying they need allowances to reach their people and help them get out of poverty, I feel like vomiting,” Museveni said.
He accused some officials of remaining in Kampala despite receiving facilitation intended to enable them to engage with communities in the field.
“Out of politeness, I have been keeping quiet, hoping people would learn. But now I must speak plainly. Even those who receive government allowances do not go to the field; they stay in Kampala. You hear people saying a parish chief needs a motorcycle. For what? Let him ride a bicycle. It is healthy for him. Even a sub-county chief can ride a bicycle; the sub-county is not that big,” he said.
The President described the dependence on allowances and facilitation as “parasitism” and said the time had come to confront the issue directly.
“I am sick and tired of this parasitic culture. I have been polite and avoided speaking about it, hoping people would change. Now it is time to talk straight to everybody,” he said.