KOLOLO
President Museveni has issued a strong warning to government officials against receiving allowances without undertaking fieldwork, declaring a tougher stance on accountability and public sector performance.
Speaking during the State of the Nation address at Kololo Ceremonial Grounds on Thursday, Museveni criticised officials who remain in Kampala while drawing government field allowances.
“Those who get government allowances do not go to the field. I hear that many just stay in Kampala,” he said.
Museveni emphasised that the current administration would not tolerate underperformance.
“This is kisanja no more sleep. I am no longer interested in non performers,” he said.
Museveni further warned that leadership carries responsibility and moral consequences.
“Once you say that you are a leader, you are putting problems on yourself. If you are a bad leader, God will not be happy with you, I can assure you of that. Either you lead or you stay in your home,” he said.
Museveni referenced earlier government policy debates and agricultural transformation efforts, urging leaders to learn from practical experience.
“If you can make yourself humble to learn from small people like us, you will find that we argued with people to stop nomadic agriculture and focus on growing crops,” he said.
Museveni added that dairy farming is more efficient for small-scale farmers compared to large-scale beef ranching due to land requirements.
“Dairy farming was better for smaller scale farmers than beef ranching because beef ranching needs more land,” he said.
Museveni also highlighted concerns about misuse of government resources and entitlement attitudes among officials.
“When I hear of leaders talking about allowances, to reach their people and mobilise them against poverty, I get nauseous. Out of politeness, I’ve been keeping quiet but now I’m telling you. I’m sick and tired of parasitism and that’s why I said that this is kisanja no more sleep. This is a time to talk straight to everybody,” he said.
The President further questioned the need for operational allowances among local leaders.
“I don’t understand why Muluka Chiefs and Ggombolola Chiefs insist on motorcycles and fuel, saying they can’t work without them. Why not use bicycles instead? They would even stay healthier and live longer. For me, the only fuel I needed was keeping excess fat off my body. God has kept me alive, and now I am almost 82 years old,” he said.
Museveni cited Uganda’s progress in agro-processing and exports.
“Uganda used to import tinned condensed milk from as far as New Zealand. Uganda is now a big exporter of that. That’s our work,” he said.
According to Museveni, under the Parish Development Model (PDM), Government pledged Shs 100 million per parish annually to lift households out of subsistence farming.
By March 2026, Shs 3.63 trillion had been disbursed, although audit concerns remain.
The 2025/26 budget allocated Shs 1.86 trillion to agro-industrialisation, including irrigation, agro-processing, storage, fertilisers, and extension services.
Government commitments to improve marketing and tourism infrastructure contributed to increased performance, with tourism receipts rising to Shs 5.8 trillion in 2025 and international arrivals reaching 1.64 million.
The government’s push to end raw mineral exports includes development of gold refineries, a tin smelter in Mbarara, and Shs 500 billion allocated to the Uganda National Mining Company.
Plans for a 60,000 barrels-per-day refinery at Kabaale, Hoima, and a refined products pipeline to Mpigi remain pending despite signed agreements.
The East African Crude Oil Pipeline, spanning 1,443 kilometres from Hoima to Tanga, had reached 82 percent completion by April 2026.
The Standard Gauge Railway project, beginning with the 273-kilometre Malaba–Kampala line, has a contractor in place and preparatory works ongoing, but construction has not yet begun.
Road development includes 18 new projects, maintenance works, and strategic bridges such as Ssezibwa, Katonga, Lwera, and Kalandazi, although delays and arrears continue to affect delivery.
Government plans to increase electricity generation capacity from 2,052 megawatts to 12,074 megawatts include projects such as Ayago, Kiba, Oriang, and the Buyende nuclear plant.
However, no additional megawatts from these projects have yet been added to the grid.
The 2025/26 budget allocated Shs 5.87 trillion to health and Shs 5.04 trillion to education, focusing on hospitals, maternity wards, classrooms, seed schools, teachers, and science education.
Progress in these sectors is described as partial, with ongoing implementation.
President Museveni reaffirmed his administration’s focus on productivity, accountability, and economic transformation, while warning public officials against absenteeism and entitlement culture.
He reiterated that government performance will be judged by delivery on the ground rather than office-based reporting or allowances.
Full Speech
President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has today used the State of the Nation Address 2026 at Kololo Independence Grounds to issue a strong call to leaders and citizens to intensify efforts in Uganda’s economic transformation.
He warned against non-performance, corruption and diversion from productive work.
During the event, the President addressed Members of Parliament and senior government officials, as well as the nation through a hybrid format, saying Uganda’s progress depends on discipline in leadership and the full participation of citizens in the money economy through structured production and wealth creation.
He also thanked Ugandans for participating in the electoral process since January 15, 2026, and for their support to the ruling National Resistance Movement, before turning to what he described as the core challenge facing the country; the need to eliminate economic and leadership inefficiencies.
“Above all, I thank God for all these victories and for the peace in the Country in spite of so many evil people that have been plotting to disturb the peace.”
President Museveni further warned against tolerance of weak execution of mandate in both the government and communities, arguing that Uganda cannot achieve transformation if leaders fail to guide citizens into productive work.
He used his longstanding mobilisation message to reinforce this point, clarifying what he called distortions of his earlier remarks.
“During the presidential inauguration, I put forward a call for “no more sleep.” Some people are already distorting it as just “no sleep.” To clarify the message: it means no more sleep, no more corruption, no more diversions, no more politeness for non-performers who want leadership positions for ego and personal intentions,” he said.
The President said Uganda’s development path has always been about shifting people from subsistence living into structured economic participation, arguing that the biggest challenge has been moving households into the money economy.
He traced this thinking back to the early development debates of the 1960s, saying the country’s economic structure at the time was largely a subsistence system that kept citizens outside meaningful production for markets.
The President explained that by the mid-1960s, ideas on transformation had begun to crystallise, later forming part of the 10-point programme, whose fifth point focused on “building an independent, integrated, self-sustaining national economy.”
A significant part of the address focused on the cattle corridor, where the President said early mobilisation efforts aimed at transforming nomadic pastoralists into settled commercial farmers had yielded lasting results.
He also added his early personal experience in the cattle corridor, recalling that as a young student he moved through areas such as Ntungamo, Mbarara and Nyabushozi engaging communities and observing subsistence production systems.
He said this early exposure shaped his understanding of transformation from okukolera ekidda kyoonka [working only for the stomach] into a money economy.
He said those early engagements later evolved into structured mobilisation work, where communities were encouraged to shift from nomadism to enclosed farming and commercial production guided by calculation and profit, which he referred to as ekibaro.
The President recalled that “Between 1966 and 1986, in spite of the wars, we sensitized people about abandoning nomadism for sedentary agriculture.”
He noted that over time, households in areas such as Nyabushozi embraced commercial agriculture, particularly dairy farming, which has become a major driver of rural incomes.
He said milk production has increased from about 200 million litres in 1986 to 5.4 billion litres today, describing this as evidence of successful integration into the money economy.
“That was all. They converted their indigenous Ankole cattle into half-breeds with the Friesians (ebiihwa) and they took off.”
The President noted that this transformation did not happen without resistance, saying early scepticism from professionals questioned whether rural communities could shift from subsistence livelihoods to commercial production. However, he said results have since proven otherwise.
He reflected on early mobilisation efforts carried out with limited resources during the struggle period, saying that ideas rather than money, drove the movement that later shaped national policy direction.
President Museveni said these efforts eventually contributed to the formation of the National Resistance Movement, which he said was built on analysis of Uganda’s economic challenges and practical solutions rather than financial mobilisation.
Turning to implementation, the President said government programmes such as the Parish Development Model, Emyooga, NAADS and Operation Wealth Creation are designed to extend this transformation to all households, enabling citizens to participate in structured production.
He said these programmes are meant to support households in entering the money economy, but stressed that their success depends on discipline, proper implementation and responsible leadership at all levels.
The President also highlighted the importance of infrastructure development, including roads, electricity and transport systems, saying these are essential foundations for industrialisation and market access.
He said Uganda’s electricity generation has increased from about 60 megawatts in 1986 to over 2,000 megawatts today, describing this as a key enabler of production and industrial growth.
On economic performance, the President said Uganda has recorded significant progress in GDP growth, poverty reduction, improved life expectancy and expansion of exports, noting that the country has transitioned into a lower middle-income economy.
He said Uganda’s economy has undergone what he described as multiple phases of transformation, driven by recovery, expansion, diversification, value addition and movement into knowledge-based production.
The President further emphasized the need for broader markets, arguing that Uganda’s internal market alone is insufficient to sustain long-term growth, and calling for deeper regional and continental economic integration.
He said Africa’s economic future depends on integration, adding that expanded markets are necessary to absorb increasing production and support sustained prosperity.
To non-performers, President Museveni warned that if they cannot fulfil their mandate, they should leave leadership.
“Either you lead or you stay in your home. I hear of leaders talking about allowances, to reach their people and mobilise them against poverty, I get nauseous. Out of politeness, I’ve been keeping quiet but now I’m telling you. All non-performers must leave leadership,” he said.
“This is the time to talk straight to everyone. Why should a Muluka chief (a local-level administrative leader) ask for a motorcycle to do his work? Let him ride a bicycle, it is better for him and he will live longer. I’m really sick and tired of parasitism and that’s why I said; in this kisanja no more sleep.”
The President concluded his address by reinforcing the central message of discipline, productivity and accountability in leadership, urging leaders to ensure that government programmes deliver real results at household level and contribute to Uganda’s long-term economic transformation.
On his part, the Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Jacob Oboth Oboth notified Members of Parliament of the President’s Constitutional obligation to hold the State of the Nation Address highlighting key national achievements, pressing challenges and drawing of Parliament’s legislative agenda as it commences its business.
He rallied MPs to ensure cohesion, hardwork and prioritize their electorate as they undertake their mandate with guidance from the President’s State of the Nation Address to Parliament.
The Speaker also affirmed Parliament’s focus and alignment of its undertakings towards Uganda’s tenfold economic growth target of USD500 billion.
The event was also attended by the Vice President, H.E Jessica Alupo, Prime Minister, Rt. Hon. Robinah Nabbanja, Ministers, among other dignitaries.