Buganda Kingdom has unveiled an ambitious Shs305 billion budget for the 2025/2026 financial year, its largest yet marking a bold step in its mission to transform livelihoods and deepen grassroots development across the region.
The budget, which represents an 18% increase from last year’s Shs257 billion allocation, was unanimously approved by the Buganda Parliament (Lukiiko) on Monday.
The move underscores the kingdom’s growing financial muscle and a clear intent to play a bigger role in shaping the economic future of its people.
Delivering the budget speech at Bulange, Mengo, Buganda’s Finance Minister Robert Waggwa Nsibirwa announced that the kingdom had exceeded its revenue targets last year, collecting Shs7 billion more than anticipated.
“This surplus demonstrates our improving financial management and gives us confidence to pursue even bigger goals,” Nsibirwa said.
At the heart of the new budget is a renewed push to empower Buganda’s youth—a demographic the kingdom views as the cornerstone of its long-term prosperity.
Nsibirwa outlined plans to scale up investment in training programs targeting technology, agriculture, and vocational sectors, positioning them as high-potential engines for job creation and self-employment.
“If we equip our youth with marketable skills, they will become drivers of economic growth rather than dependents. An empowered young population means a more prosperous Buganda,” he emphasized.
The kingdom will actively track the impact of these programs to ensure that the intended outcomes youth self-sufficiency and economic resilience are achieved.
Beyond youth initiatives, the Shs305 billion budget features a strong focus on education, with allocations for early childhood development and support to institutions of higher learning.
It also strengthens support for SACCOs and cooperative groups that are providing crucial financial services to rural populations.
Health is another major pillar in the plan, with Buganda committing to improved medical services and exploring the rollout of community-based health insurance schemes.
The budget continues backing for the Mmwanyi Terimba initiative—an agro-industrial drive promoting coffee farming as a means of wealth creation. Meanwhile, cultural preservation and environmental stewardship remain prominent.
Funds have been set aside to protect heritage sites, promote tourism, and implement sustainable land conservation strategies.
Despite a turbulent global economic environment, Buganda’s leadership is confident in meeting its targets, pointing to enhanced tax collection systems and increased income from kingdom assets and enterprises as key drivers of the kingdom’s resilience.
During Monday’s session, Lukiiko members praised the budget for its wide-reaching vision and inclusive priorities.
“This budget shows we’re listening to our people’s needs,” one Lukiiko member said. “When we invest in our youth and farmers, we’re building Buganda’s future from the ground up.”
The kingdom’s financial blueprint arrives at a time when cultural institutions are assuming greater responsibility in Uganda’s local development agenda.
In attendance of the budget presentation, was the Katikkiro of Buganda Charles Peter Mayiga among others members of the Lukiiko and ministers of the Kingdom
