Updated by HICGI News Agency at 1352 EAT on Tuesday 26 May 2026

President Yoweri Museveni has warned yet-to-be-appointed cabinet officials that they risk dismissal if they fail to use their offices to help lift citizens out of poverty.

Speaking shortly after the election of Jacob Marksons Oboth-Oboth as Speaker and Thomas Tayebwa as Deputy Speaker of the 12th Parliament at Kololo Ceremonial Grounds on Monday, Museveni said he would no longer tolerate leaders who seek positions of authority while neglecting the welfare of the people they represent.

“Enough is enough,” Museveni declared, adding that he was now in a “very bad mood” over the persistence of poverty in communities despite billions of shillings invested in government programmes.

The President argued that after decades of rolling out wealth-creation initiatives — ranging from Entandikwa and Operation Wealth Creation to the Parish Development Model (PDM) — leaders can no longer claim they lack the tools needed to transform the lives of their constituents.

“In the past, I’ve been polite. I talk, talk as if I’m a preacher like John the Baptist. Please, please, please. But now, as President of Uganda and chairman of the NRM, I will be very, very rough with people who want titles but don’t want to help, who betray the people they lead,” he said.

Museveni pointed to the Parish Development Model (PDM) as evidence that government has already provided the resources necessary to fight household poverty. According to the President, each parish now has access to hundreds of millions of shillings in revolving funds aimed at supporting income-generating activities at the household level.

He warned that ministers would increasingly be judged by the economic conditions and living standards of the people they represent, stressing that leadership must translate into tangible improvements in citizens’ livelihoods.

“If I come to your area and find that you have not helped your people, I will sack you,” Yoweri Museveni said. “Why should I care about leaders who do not care about their own people?”
The President also criticised what he described as misplaced priorities among some leaders, questioning why politicians spend time celebrating European football clubs while communities around them remain trapped in poverty.

“How can you be celebrating European clubs when your people do not have jobs and are living in poverty?” he asked, in an apparent reference to recent celebrations by supporters of Arsenal F.C..

Throughout his address, Museveni repeatedly cited examples of beneficiaries of government programmes who had used small amounts of capital to establish profitable agricultural enterprises. He argued that poverty can be defeated if leaders actively mobilise communities to participate in government wealth-creation initiatives.

Although Museveni did not mention former Speaker Anita Annet Among by name, his remarks are likely to fuel speculation over whether some of his comments were directed at senior leaders who have recently faced public criticism.

Among withdrew from the race for Speaker ahead of the opening of the 12th Parliament, ending months of uncertainty surrounding her political future. Her tenure had been overshadowed by growing public scrutiny over Parliament’s expenditure, issues that contributed to wider national debates on accountability and public spending

Museveni’s repeated criticism of leaders seeking “titles” without serving the people, coupled with his warning that he would no longer shield underperforming officials from consequences, may be interpreted by some observers as part of a broader message to the political establishment, including leaders who have recently faced reputational challenges.

However, there was no direct indication in the speech that the President was specifically targeting Among. His remarks were broadly framed around ministers, Members of Parliament and NRM leaders whom he accused of failing to ensure that government programmes reach intended beneficiaries.

Whether Museveni’s tougher rhetoric will translate into actual dismissals of underperforming officials remains to be seen.

-Observer

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