A unified Uganda is possible, and it starts with rejecting tribalism. At a campaign stop in Kagadi District, President Museveni urged residents to look past tribal and religious divisions, reminding voters that progress depends on collective effort and access to markets that help families thrive.
“Steer clear of tribalism and sectarian rivalry. They do not serve us,” Museveni asserted. “As the NRM, we judge people by the value they bring, not by their tribe or faith. Sectarian thinking makes no sense.” He used an everyday example: as someone who keeps cattle and farms, he asked who would buy his milk, beef, and matooke if he were trapped by tribal loyalties.
The president’s remarks echoed a call from Anita Among, the Speaker of Parliament and NRM’s Second National Vice Chairperson, who warned that Kagadi’s people risk letting tribal and religious loyalties overshadow national unity.
In response, Museveni argued that tribalism cannot build the country. He invoked the parable of the good Samaritan from the Bible, noting that the helper came from outside the attacked man’s community, while intimates from his own group did not intervene. “A true good Samaritan benefits the country,” he said.
Museveni highlighted what he framed as the NRM’s foundational achievement: peace, which he credits for enabling development. He pointed to new infrastructure—tarmac roads, electricity, and hospitals—that he attributes to NRM leadership, arguing that peace made these gains possible.
He distinguished between development and wealth, stressing that while roads, electricity, and healthcare uplift society, wealth determines a household’s well-being. “Development is for everyone, but wealth or poverty is an individual matter. Each person must pursue wealth creation,” he explained, warning against complacency.
On agriculture, Museveni advocated a focus on intensive farming for smallholders within four-acre blocks that combine coffee, fruit trees, pasture, and staple crops, along with poultry for eggs and pig farming for non-Muslim households, plus fish farming near wetlands. Larger landowners, he suggested, should pursue extensive crops like tea, ranching, cotton, tobacco, and sugarcane.
He also announced plans to upgrade infrastructure in Kagadi, including tarmacking the Kagadi–Ndaiga Road, and to establish a new skills hub in Kagadi to train young people for the job market.
In short, Museveni framed unity and pragmatic development as the pillars for Uganda’s progress, urging citizens to focus on shared opportunity rather than division. Would you agree that wealth creation should be the central goal of development efforts, even if it means rethinking certain traditional divides? Share your thoughts in the comments.
