President Yoweri Museveni has warned incoming cabinet ministers and government officials that they risk losing their positions if they fail to help communities overcome poverty.
Speaking after the election of Jacob Marksons Oboth-Oboth as Speaker and Thomas Tayebwa as Deputy Speaker of Uganda’s 12th Parliament at Kololo Ceremonial Grounds, Museveni said he would no longer tolerate leaders who seek political office without improving the lives of citizens.
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“Enough is enough,” the President said, adding that he was in a “very bad mood” over the persistence of poverty despite government spending on wealth-creation programmes.
Museveni said the government had over the years introduced several initiatives aimed at improving household incomes, including Entandikwa, Operation Wealth Creation and the Parish Development Model (PDM).
According to the President, leaders can no longer claim they lack the resources or programmes needed to transform their communities.
“In the past, I’ve been polite. I talk, talk as if I’m a preacher like John the Baptist. Please, please, please. But now, as President of Uganda and chairman of the NRM, I will be very, very rough with people who want titles but don’t want to help, who betray the people they lead,” he said.
Museveni highlighted the Parish Development Model as a key government intervention, saying parishes now have access to revolving funds intended to support income-generating activities at household level.
He warned that ministers would increasingly be judged by the economic progress of the people they represent.
“If I come to your area and I find that you have not helped your people, I will sack you,” Museveni said. “Why should I care about leaders who don’t care about their own people?”
The President also criticised what he described as misplaced priorities among some politicians, questioning why leaders spend time celebrating foreign football clubs while poverty remains widespread in their communities.
“How can you be celebrating European clubs when your people don’t have jobs and are living in poverty?” he asked.
During the address, Museveni repeatedly referred to examples of individuals who had benefited from government-backed programmes to establish successful agricultural businesses, arguing that poverty could be reduced if leaders actively mobilised citizens to participate in state initiatives.
Although the President did not directly mention former Speaker Anita Among, his remarks come amid heightened political scrutiny surrounding several senior officials and growing public debate about accountability and government expenditure.
Among recently withdrew from the race for Speaker ahead of the opening of the 12th Parliament after months of speculation over her political future.
Museveni’s comments were broadly directed at ministers, MPs and National Resistance Movement leaders whom he accused of failing to ensure that government programmes benefit ordinary citizens.
It remains unclear whether the President’s tougher rhetoric will lead to dismissals or major changes within government.
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