President Museveni rang the bells of anti-corruption yesterday as he officially launched a 9-day leadership retreat for the newly sworn-in Cabinet Ministers.
Mr Museveni reminded the Ministers about their cardinal roles, which he said will be best done if they turn corruption into their main enemy.
‘Leadership is not all about occupying offices, but discovering your responsibility to the people. Ugandans expect tangible results rather than empty promises,’ he said.
The president’s remarks were hinged on the fight against corruption, which he said undermines the efforts of Uganda’s development agenda.
Uganda, according to the Ombudsman’s June 2024 annual report, loses Shs10 trillion to corruption, which is almost half of its domestic revenue collection.
The report, which covered the periods of July to December 2023 and January to June 2024, calculates that Shs9.144 trillion has slipped through the cracks in the public purse.
Leakages, the report said, are most noticeable via the loss of environmental resources (Shs2.28 trillion), loss of education hours to students (Shs1.46 trillion), and corruption in contract royalties (Shs859.2b). Just as disturbing is the cost of bribing judges (Shs762.90b) and the cost of corruption in procurement (Shs614.41b).
President Museveni reminded ministers that the historical role of his ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) government and post-Independence African leadership is socio-economic transformation.
‘We cannot continue to have people trapped in subsistence production. Our mission is to move every household into the money economy through commercial agriculture, manufacturing, services and ICT. Leaders must guide the people towards wealth creation, value addition, and prosperity. We must build a middle class and a skilled working class. That is the benchmark by which leadership should be judged,’ he said.
Mr Museveni on May 26 named an 83-member Cabinet which he intends to drive the country with in this particular term.
NRM is set to implement a new manifesto under the theme: Protecting the gains as we make a qualitative leap into a high middle-income status.
The manifesto focuses on seven key pillars, including infrastructure development (expansion of roads, electricity, railways, air transport, schools, and health centres), wealth creation (Parish Development Model, Operation Wealth Creation, Emyooga, among others), creation of jobs (factories, commercial agriculture, service sector),
Others are: creation of markets (internal, regional, continental, and international), service delivery (provision of health, education, and security services), and unity and political stability (fighting against internal conflicts, divisive politics, among others).
The manifesto is in line with the ambitious Tenfold Growth Strategy, a transformative economic plan which was launched in 2023, to expand the country’s GDP from roughly $50 billion (Shs187.1 trillion) to $500 billion (Shs1,871.6 trillion) by 2040.
To realise this development, the government zeroed its focus on four key sectors code-named ATMS, including Agro-industrialisation, Tourism, Mineral development, and Science/Technology innovation.
In order to achieve the Tenfold Growth Strategy, the government has been developing its budgets and other development plans in line with these key priority areas.
For instance, the fourth National Development Plan (NDPIV), launched last year and running between FY2025/26 and FY2029/30, aims at accelerating the socio-economic transformation of the country.
This particular development plan was designed to deliver tenfold economic growth, which is expected to be achieved by doubling the size of the economy every five years.
Key objectives of the plan are to: enhance value addition in key growth opportunities; strengthen the private sector to create jobs; consolidate and increase the stock and quality of productive infrastructure; enhance the productivity and social well-being of the population; and strengthen the role of the state in guiding and facilitating development.
Uganda in the FY2025/26 attained the lower-middle-income status after its Gross National Income (GNI) per capita surpassed the $1,136 (Shs4.2 million) threshold, and this, according to the World Bank, was achieved through strong growth in industry, manufacturing, and agriculture, reaching a per capita GDP of roughly $1,306 (Shs4.9 million).
Speaking at the same retreat, the Vice President, Maj (rtd) Jessica Alupo, reiterated the Government’s stance on zero tolerance for corruption, inefficiency, and delays in implementation, noting that Cabinet is committed to ensuring the timely delivery of programmes and Presidential directives.
She highlighted the Government’s commitment to the National Development Plan and the 2026-2031 development framework, aimed at accelerating Uganda’s transition to upper middle-income status and achieving sustainable economic growth.
She further highlighted priority areas including agro-industrialisation, tourism development, science, technology and innovation, as well as value addition, export promotion and import substitution.