SPEECH BY H.E. YOWERI KAGUTA MUSEVENI AT THE SWEARING – IN CEREMONY 2026
Your Excellencies, the visiting Heads of State;
Heads of Government and Heads of Delegations;
Her Excellency the Vice-President of the Republic of Uganda;
All the other Leaders of Uganda;
All the Wanainchi, especially the Bazzukulu.
Habari nzuri Woote? Mungu asifiwe (apoyo Rubanga, yebazibwe Katonda). Congratulations on the series of elections that we have been having ever since the 15th of January, 2026. These were: the Presidential, the Parliamentary, District Chairpersons, District Councillors, Sub-County Chairpersons and Sub-County Councillors.
I especially congratulate our party, the NRM, for winning all those elections with big majorities. I also congratulate the other parties such as the DP, UPC, etc., that participated in the elections without using violence unlike the Party of NUP and some few elements of FDC, that were using violence.
The parties under IPOD should clearly lay out agreed guidelines on the dos and don’ts of election management, according to the laws and the constitution of Uganda.
This Kisanja should be regarded as a Kisanja (term) of “no more sleep for all Ugandans.’’ With the advent of the NRM ever since 1986, the families that cared to listen to our message got out of poverty.
Do you want proof? Look at the real estate in Kampala before 1986 and after.
Look at the real estate explosion around the Kampala-Entebbe area, even before you go to the other parts of Uganda.
In the last elections, I reminded you of the matafaari (emigaanda, contributions) that the NRM has put on the house of Uganda in the last 40 years. These were:
a) Peace brought about by the NRM ideology of rejecting the politics of sectarianism caused by reliance on identity politics instead of focusing on wealth creation.
b) Development in the form of economic infrastructure such as roads, electricity, piped water, railways, airports, telephones, and social infrastructure such as schools and health centres.
c) The wealth of individuals, families, and companies that use peace and infrastructure to build wealth in the four sectors of Uganda’s economy: commercial agriculture, manufacturing or artisanship, services, and ICT.
d) It is the wealth of individuals, families, and companies that creates jobs. Without wealth creation, there will be no appreciable number of jobs.
e) The NRM Government has brought services to the people in the form of law and order, justice, education, administration, and health. These services support wealth creation.
f) The issue of markets: internal, regional, continental, and international markets, hence the need for economic and political integration where feasible.
g) Political integration leading to the Federation of East Africa, dealing with markets and strategic security in land forces, air forces, navy, and space.
The NRM has been telling you that there is peace, infrastructure, service delivery, and markets in Uganda, the East African Community, COMESA, and the Continental Free Trade Area, on top of international markets.
The NRM is also providing cheap capital in the form of PDM, Emyooga, Uganda Development Bank money, and grants such as coffee seedlings, fruit seedlings, and breeding stock under Operation Wealth Creation.
This is where Kisanja “No more sleep” comes in. With all these contributions by Government, you must do your part in wealth creation and jobs creation.
During the campaigns, I showed you many examples. Today I will mention only a few due to time.
These are Basangwa of Kamuli, Ijala of Serere, and the Industrial Park of Mbale.
I have also shown you the example of Nyakaana, who uses 1.3 acres to earn net 240 million shillings per year and employs 15 people.
I have reminded you that Uganda has 40 million acres of arable land. If only 7 million acres were used the Nyakaana way, we would create millions of jobs in small-scale commercial agriculture alone.
This is before large-scale agriculture such as Madhvani, who employs thousands at Kakira, or manufacturers employing over 1.5 million Ugandans, or service industries such as hotels like Sheraton and Speke Resort Munyonyo.
The issue is for all of you to wake up. It is a shame for Ugandans to go abroad looking for jobs when jobs are available here.
The four sectors—commercial agriculture, manufacturing, services, and ICT—have both low-skilled and high-skilled jobs.
In Uganda, the proportion of households in the money economy has increased from 9.4% at Independence, to 32% in 2013, and now to about 67%. The remaining 33% must also join the money economy.
When all Ugandans join the money economy, there will be enough jobs even for refugees and migrant workers.
With value addition in agriculture, minerals, forestry, and knowledge industries such as automobiles, vaccines, pharmaceuticals, and electronics, manufacturing and services will grow more than agriculture.
We must retune our education system to focus on skills needed in the labour market. Some courses should be clearly understood as interest-based and not job-oriented.
Exporting raw materials without value addition is a strategic mistake many African countries have made for over 70 years.
For example, raw gold fetches far less value than refined gold, and the refining jobs are lost to foreign countries.
Africa’s economy remains small despite its resources and population. This must change through value addition and integration.
Uganda has already banned export of unprocessed minerals and promotes local processing.
Africa’s GDP should be much higher than it is today if we stop exporting raw materials and instead add value locally.
We must ensure both vertical and horizontal integration of our economies.
As a capitalist, I want more people to have money so they can buy what I produce, including milk. That is why we are working to reduce poverty and increase purchasing power.
Uganda has historically attracted labour from neighbouring countries due to job opportunities.
We must solve irrigation and water access for households to support small-scale agriculture and zero-grazing farming.
Innovative models using solar-powered water systems should be expanded, including for borehole areas.
Fish farming and wetland protection must be strengthened, replacing harmful cultivation in swamps.
We must restore wetlands and forests for water, rain, and ecological balance.
Citizens should join SACCOs and actively participate in Parish Development Model structures.
Corruption and mismanagement of funds should be addressed at local levels through accountability.
Education must support practical skills and national development goals.
We thank all guests from Africa and beyond for attending this occasion.
God bless Africa. God bless Uganda. Let there be peace and justice in the world.
Yoweri Kaguta Museveni
President of the Republic of Uganda
Do you have a story in your community or an opinion to share with us: Email us at Submit an Article
