President Museveni has called on Members of Parliament (MPs) to mobilize Ugandans to participate in wealth creation initiatives aimed at stabilizing household incomes.
Speaking during a regional parliamentary sitting at Kaunda Grounds in Gulu City on Thursday, Museveni stressed the importance of increasing homestead income to foster development.
“I have been telling you since the 1960s that if you want people to develop, start with the homestead incomes,” Museveni said.
He emphasized the need for MPs to encourage people to adopt the four-acre farming model, which he said could significantly improve wealth and job creation.
“In 2018, I toured the country and distributed a booklet explaining the four-acre model as a rescue plan for areas where land is already fragmented. The model includes seven activities: growing coffee, fruits, dairy pasture, food crops, poultry, piggery, and fish farming for those near wetlands,” he noted, adding that even small-scale implementation of these activities could generate millions of shillings.
For those with larger land holdings, Museveni recommended extensive agriculture. He also announced the removal of an 18% tax on locally produced starch and the imposition of a higher import duty on imported starch.
Museveni urged MPs to support his stance on free education in government schools, highlighting that many children are out of school due to fees. “Push for free education in government schools. If you truly care about your people, support my position. If not, remain silent and let the children suffer,” he stated.
The President thanked the MPs for passing a motion recognizing the Uganda People’s Defence Force (UPDF) and the National Resistance Movement (NRM) government for their role in pacifying Northern Uganda and the entire country. He attributed the UPDF’s success to “ideology, discipline, and effective planning.”
The Speaker of Parliament, Anita Among, hailed the regional sitting as a milestone in Uganda’s legislative history, describing it as “a significant move towards a transformed, independent, and people-centered parliament.”
Among also dismissed criticisms that the regional sittings were costly, clarifying that they are legally grounded in Article 95 (2) of the 1995 Constitution of Uganda and Rule 17 of the Parliamentary Rules of Procedure.
During the session, Parliament paid tribute to President Museveni for his leadership in enabling the UPDF to maintain peace and security in regions like Acholi, Lango, West Nile, and Karamoja. Kazo County MP Dan Kimosho presented a motion acknowledging the UPDF’s efforts in ending the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) conflict, which caused widespread human rights violations between 1986 and 2007.
