PRESIDENT MUSEVENI VOWS TO UPLIFT VETERANS FROM POVERTY

President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has vowed to intensify efforts to improve the welfare of veterans who fought in Uganda’s liberation struggles, saying that it is unacceptable for those who risked their lives for the country’s freedom to languish in poverty. He made the remarks on Wednesday, 3rd September, 2025, while delivering a lecture of opportunity and officially closing the Transformational Leadership Course Intake 07/2025 for veteran cadres at State House, Entebbe, blending reflections on Uganda’s historical liberation journey, the ideological foundation of the National Resistance Movement (NRM), and practical measures to empower ex-servicemen economically. The President said “It’s not good to have the veterans in poverty. It’s not good at all,” President Museveni told a gathering of veterans drawn from Luwero, Wakiso, Nakasongola, Kiboga, Kyankwanzi, and Nakaseke districts The President emphasized that the sacrifices of the veterans, many of whom took part in the 1981–1986 liberation war, should not be betrayed by a life of deprivation. “The ones who are leaving now are going with better packages, but for those who sacrificed earlier, we must make up for the shortfalls. We shall do this through revolving funds, organized at the zone level,” he added, while encouraging veterans to organize themselves in structured associations and Savings and Credit Cooperative Organizations (SACCOs) through which the government can channel financial support. “We are giving money to the Kampala ghetto boys. Why can’t we give money to the SACCOs of veterans?” H.E. Museveni noted. President Museveni insisted that veterans must be integrated into the four key sectors of the modern economy—commercial agriculture, manufacturing, services, and ICT – to ensure sustainable income and prosperity. He stressed that veterans without land should not be left behind. Instead, they could embrace trade, artisanship, or small-scale manufacturing. “If you don’t have land, then your option is to have omwoga—an economic activity that is not based on land. You can do maize milling, tailoring, carpentry, or other trades that generate income,” he said. Reflecting on the early stages of Operation Wealth Creation (OWC) launched in 2013, President Museveni revealed that veterans were always intended to be the first beneficiaries. “I told General Saleh to first give seedlings to all the veteran families and those who supported us during the war. Only after that should others benefit. But I later heard some veterans missed out because they lacked land,” the President noted. President Museveni used the same platform to revisit the three historical missions of the NRM, which are anchored in four ideological principles: patriotism, pan-Africanism, socio-economic transformation, and democracy that shaped Uganda’s liberation struggle, beginning with prosperity for all. He explained that genuine prosperity comes from every individual or family producing goods and services for sale, not from dependency or handouts. To illustrate these principles, the President recounted how his father, Mzee Kaguta, sold cattle in cultural auction markets in Ntungamo to raise his school fees, with support from traders like Walusimbi Mpanga and Bukenya who were not of their tribe. This experience, he said, showed that prosperity relies not only on local communities but also on broader national and regional markets.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Our District is coming and Stella Imukutet is our first woman of parliament says Mr. Godfrey Otabongo

Image
The chairman NRM District Executive Committee [DEC] Tororo County Political district Revealed this during celebration to thank Hon Angura Fredrick, Member of Parliament for Tororo County South at Amoni Primary school Ground for contesting again and for successfully leading the County in the last 10 years.  Mr. Otabongo Godfrey thanked Hon Fredrick Angura for delivering the district to where it's today as a great leader and good soldier who learnt well from the elders and equally thanked Stella Imukutet for steering the district to the right direction during her time.  Otabongo later disclosed that the DEC of NRM Tororo County had decided that when Mukujju district kicks off soon, they won’t suffer looking for the first female woman member of parliament since they have Hon Stella Imukutet for NRM flag-bearer. As he praised her, as a great fighter for “Akoit” right from her days in the Councils with other Councilors from Tororo County and their target is to make her the fir...
Read more

An abridged history of Padhola, 1500 – 1999

Image
UGANDA HISTORY | Prof. P.G. Okoth & Dr. Yokana Ogolla |  The Jopadhola were part of migrant groups of Luo people who moved from Bar-El-Ghazel in South Sudan and eventually pressed their way southwards through Teso and Kaberamaido till they reached Budama in present Tororo district around 1500. Adhola moved with his brother Owiny who led a group through Tororo to western Kenya .The group that remained in Tororo under Adhola later constituted the present Jopadhola ethnic group which developed a distinct social, political and economic system that survived and served as their identity, and later realized unity and harmonious interaction with the environment. Jopadhola are found in present day Tororo district. By the time they arrived, the area was a mere geographical expression with sparse population. They finally settled in what came to be known as Budama region where they evolved into a society held together by common ethnic consciousness as the Jopadhola people, bound together u...
Read more

NRM Tororo to choose the Next Tororo Municipal Council Executive

Image
NRM LEADERSHIP TO CHOOSE THE NEXT TORORO MUNICIPAL COUNCIL EXECUTIVE The next Tororo Municipal Council executive for 2026 to 2031 will be debated and decided upon by the NRM Tororo district executive and not the Mayor as it has always been all these past years. This was disclosed by Hon Yeri Apollo Ofwono the chairman NRM Tororo District who doubles as MP Tororo Municipality and flag bearer to NRM Councilors and flag bearers for Tororo Municipality during a heated meeting at Sandra Apartment in Aragorn A North owned by business the Mr. Sam Omuga a businessman and Politician. Hon Yeri Apollo disowned the setting Mayor His worship Kenneth Orono Nyapidi as not their own since he won as an independent and not NRM leaning which forms the bases for not interfering in how political Management is done at the council.    The Area Member of Parliament equally cautioned Mr.Bernard Ochieng the Station Manager East fm and NRM flag bearer for Tororo municipality Mayoral Race in the next ...
Read more