Retired General and Senior Presidential adviser, Salim Saleh, has pushed back at accusations linking him to land‑grabbing, saying both the opposition and even certain figures within his own party, the National Resistance Movement (NRM), fail to understand the nature of his work.
Speaking at a meeting of CEOs at the Namunkekera Industrial Park in Nakaseke District on October 17, 2025, Saleh said that despite his efforts to support industrialisation and work with productive sectors, he feels misrepresented.
“I have a dilemma because NRM does not understand me, and NUP does not understand me,” he remarked, referring to the National Unity Platform (NUP) opposition party.
He took particular aim at opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu (also known as Bobi Wine), who had previously accused him of land grabbing.
Saleh refuted the claim, noting that while he once owned waterfront property at Garuga and sold it before relocating to Kapeeka, he believes Kyagulanyi may have more serious land disputes. “I’m not a land grabber, but I have well-studied ideas on land development. In Namunkekera, I converted land from being a liability into an asset, over 30 industries now,” the General said, appealing to the National Resistance Movement (NRM) supporters to defend him against blackmail from opposition and other people who do not understand his work.
On the larger scale, Saleh urged political leaders to move beyond rallies and attend to actual productive forces driving the economy. He contended that many leaders remain disconnected from both local government realities and the investment community.
“You should spend more time in productive work, not politicking,” he said.
He also pointed to unresolved land‑governance issues and delays in the so‑called “Chapa loan” scheme, which he says contribute to unrest in land matters. He called on the private sector to engage more deeply in national development and emphasised the need for efficient link‑ups between government programmes and economic actors.
The land question remains a thorny issue in Uganda: despite the Land Act and repeated calls for adherence, incidents of land grabbing and forced evictions persist. Saleh’s remarks add a layer of challenge to effective communication and trust between the government, ruling party, and opposition on this front.
