President Museveni Urges Leaders to Avoid Money Politics

On Sunday, September 15, 2024, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni celebrated his 80th birthday at the Presidential Demonstration Farm in Kawumu. Speaking at the event, Museveni delivered a message to the National Resistance Movement (NRM) leaders, cautioning them against the use of money in politics—a practice that contradicts the party’s principle of democracy.

“With Principle No. 4 of democracy, we must remove the pollution of using money in politics,” Museveni emphasized. “Let all leaders of NRM concentrate on implementing the mass line and leading our people in using government programs to join the four sectors: Commercial Agriculture, Manufacturing, Services, and ICT.”

Museveni, accompanied by First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, Janet Museveni, celebrated the development milestones achieved by the NRM, particularly in the Luwero Triangle. Formerly a war-torn zone, it has now become a hub of commercial agriculture and industrialization.

“Kapeeka Industrial Park now employs 3,828 people and when fully developed, it will employ 20,000 people,” Museveni highlighted, praising the transformation of regions like Kawanda-Matuga and Ngoma, where industrial and agricultural progress is evident. “Those who agreed to grow coffee are benefitting.”

The President called upon NRM cadres to counteract those who discourage Ugandans from embracing development, specifically pointing to past incidents where critics had dismissed initiatives such as the distribution of coffee seedlings under Operation Wealth Creation. “Those people are now regretting because those who listened are now benefitting,” Museveni remarked.

Reflecting on his 80 years, Museveni expressed gratitude to God and his family for their unwavering support throughout his life and the political struggle. He credited his belief in God as one of the reasons behind NRM’s continued success. “I am a strong believer, and it is these attitudes that I brought into our struggles,” Museveni shared.

First Lady Janet Museveni paid tribute to the President’s patience and resilience, attributes she believes have been essential to his achievements. “He is truly blessed with patience, and he has told me many stories of how patience leads to success,” she said.

Several guests, including Vice President Jessica Alupo and Speaker of Parliament Anita Among, joined the Museveni family in celebrating the President’s life and leadership. General Ivan Koreta, one of the surviving original freedom fighters, praised Museveni’s strategic leadership and his pivotal role in transforming Uganda’s socio-economic and security landscape. “Uganda is much better in terms of social economy, security, and personal freedoms than it was in the 1970s. Thanks to President Museveni’s leadership,” Gen. Koreta asserted.

As Museveni reflected on his decades-long struggle for Uganda’s liberation, he encouraged Ugandans to uphold the NRM's four principles of Patriotism, Pan-Africanism, Socio-Economic Transformation, and Democracy, emphasizing that the country is now well-positioned to achieve prosperity.

“We have been in the trenches of resistance for most of my 80 years,” Museveni concluded. “This celebration is not just about me, but about all the resistance fighters—past and present—who have done Uganda and Africa proud.”

The event, which included a museum tour led by First Daughter Natasha Museveni Karugire, showcased Uganda’s liberation history and the NRM government’s transformative achievements over the years.