President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has called on religious and cultural leaders to take an active role in Uganda’s fight against poverty, urging them to guide their communities beyond tradition and spirituality toward economic transformation.
Speaking in Ntoroko District at the start of his tour of the Rwenzori Sub-region, the President challenged spiritual and traditional leaders to provide practical solutions to the livelihoods of their people.
“People being poor in a country that has everything is a big mistake and it’s largely a failure in leadership,” Museveni said. “I’m not just talking about political leaders, but also religious and cultural ones. These should be like parents to the people.”
He questioned the moral authority of leaders who do not help their communities achieve financial independence. “How can you be a pastor or cultural leader when you can’t even feed the flock with real solutions?” he asked.
President Museveni visited Steven Kisembo, a 34-year-old resident of Kisungu II Cell in Kibuuku Town Council, who is benefiting from the Parish Development Model (PDM). Kisembo has grown his livestock project to 18 goats, which the President described as a success worth building upon.
“This country is easy to work in,” Museveni said. “Take goats, for example — they can produce two or even three kids in just six months.”
He emphasized the need to follow the economic message of the National Resistance Movement (NRM), warning that ignoring proven strategies would keep communities in poverty. “We started with just 27 guns and succeeded. We know what we are talking about,” he said.
Museveni shared that he began transforming communities in Ankole as early as 1966, helping pastoralists adopt modern dairy farming practices. He noted that by 1995, Nyabushozi had changed significantly.
He also explained the Four Acre Model introduced in the NRM manifesto in 1996. “One acre is for coffee, one for fruits like mangoes or citrus, one for pasture for livestock, and the fourth one for food crops. This is a sustainable way out of poverty,” he said.
The President added that programs such as Entandikwa were designed to give Ugandans a solid starting point.
“I am working for God. He gave me the blessing to lead, and if I mislead or fail to help the people, He can punish me,” Museveni said, describing his leadership as a divine responsibility.
He called on local leaders to ensure proper implementation of the PDM and pledged continued government support. He also donated Shs 10 million to Kisembo to help him acquire two acres of land and expand his goat project.
Kisembo thanked the President for the initiative, saying PDM had significantly improved the livelihoods of ordinary Ugandans.
