President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has ordered both ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) and opposition politicians to strictly monitor government programs or face severe accountability sanctions for neglecting their oversight duties.
The President issued the directive on Thursday afternoon during the formal presentation of Uganda’s Shs84.4 trillion national budget for the Financial Year 2026/27 at the Kololo Ceremonial Grounds.
The Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, Hon. Henry Musasizi, read the record-breaking fiscal plan on behalf of the President. The budget explicitly aims to accelerate macro-economic growth to 10.2 percent by funding productive sectors. President Museveni emphasized that while the country's economic baseline has expanded, widespread corruption and monitoring failures among elected legislators continue to undermine local service delivery.
“We are to demand performance from both the NRM and also the opposition. As long as you are getting money from the government, you must check what is happening on the ground,” President Museveni stated.
The President expressed deep frustration over persistent corruption complaints regarding the Parish Development Model (PDM) revolving funds, which he encountered during recent nationwide political campaigns. He specifically named Maracha, Kween, Kampala, Kawempe, and Buwambo as hotspots where vulnerable beneficiaries reported that local administrators stole their structural allocations. To curb this trend, the President directed the Attorney General to draft legal frameworks to penalize legislators and local government leaders who fail to audit state-funded projects within their constituencies.
“People were complaining that their PDM money had been stolen," President Museveni noted. "I found the same complaints in Maracha, Kween, Kampala, Kawempe and Buwambo. What are the Members of Parliament doing? What are local leaders doing?”
The Head of State explained that the primary development hurdle facing the country is moving the remaining 33 percent of Ugandan households out of subsistence farming and into the commercial market. He traced this economic struggle to 1962, noting that only 9 percent of families participated in the formal cash economy at independence. While that figure has risen to 67 percent through historical initiatives like Operation Wealth Creation, the President emphasized that cabinet ministers and district chiefs must meticulously track PDM implementation parish by parish. He reinforced his message on administrative vigilance by citing a traditional Banyankore proverb.
“The eyes of the dead body are the eyes of the one carrying it,” the President added. “For now, let all political leaders take the lead in getting 33 percent of our people who are outside the money economy to join the money economy.”
Presenting the macroeconomic parameters, Hon. Henry Musasizi reported that the state has transferred Shs4.4 trillion directly to 10,589 parishes under the PDM framework over the last five years. Cumulatively, the government has injected close to Shs11 trillion into multi-sectoral wealth-creation initiatives to insulate small businesses from economic shocks. Musasizi announced that domestic revenue collection is projected to surge to Shs45.6 trillion in the next financial year, up from Shs35.7 trillion in the current cycle, representing 15.9 percent of the national GDP.
“To date, the government has invested close to Shs11 trillion directly into wealth-creation initiatives targeting households in the subsistence economy, farmers, youth, women and businesses,” Hon. Henry Musasizi explained.
The President also voiced immense optimism regarding upcoming petroleum revenues, projecting that Uganda will generate approximately $1.5 billion annually once commercial crude oil production commences. The state will channel a portion of these oil inflows into a dedicated sovereign wealth fund to secure future generations, while utilizing the remainder to finance cross-border standard gauge railway networks connecting Uganda to Kenya, Tanzania, the DRC, South Sudan, and Rwanda. Defending recent urban infrastructure policies, the President backed the eviction of informal traders from road reserves and the strict protection of fragile wetlands from commercial farming.
“The road is for vehicles. The sidewalks are for pedestrians. Markets are for selling goods,” President Museveni stressed. “The swamp is for water. It is not for rice, sweet potatoes or buildings.”
Turning to public health security, the President assured the international business community that the recent Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak remains entirely under control due to swift contact tracing. Uganda has logged 19 cumulative cases so far, comprising 14 Congolese nationals and five Ugandans, with two fatalities registered. Five patients have already recovered completely, and the country has recorded zero new infections over the last five days. The President concluded by stating that Uganda and the DRC are establishing joint screening and isolation facilities along shared border lines to completely eliminate cross-border viral transmission risks.
