President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has urged residents of Busoga to embrace wealth-creation programmes and adopt productive agricultural enterprises suited to the size of their landholdings to improve household incomes.
Museveni made the call on Thursday while officiating at a thanksgiving ceremony for Minister for the Presidency and Budiope West MP Milly Babalanda at Iringa Township Primary School in Nkondo Sub-county, Buyende District.
The President said land fragmentation remains one of the major challenges affecting household incomes in Busoga, as successive generations inherit increasingly smaller portions of land.
He said the NRM Government has, since the 1996 manifesto, promoted approaches such as the Four-Acre Model to help households maximise income from limited land through a combination of productive enterprises.
Museveni urged farmers to choose enterprises according to the land available, saying those with small plots should focus on intensive agriculture, while those with larger landholdings can undertake extensive production.
He cited dairy farming, poultry and fish farming as examples of enterprises that can generate substantial incomes from relatively small areas of land.
The President cited George Matongo of Ngoma in Nakaseke District, whom he said produces about 900 litres of milk daily and earns more than Shs21 million per month.
He also cited Johnson Basangwa of Kamuli, who he said operates a poultry enterprise on a small piece of land and earns about Shs20 million per day.
“Even if you do not do all the seven activities, as long as what you are doing is taking you out of poverty and you are doing it with calculation—ekibaaro—you can succeed,” Museveni said.
He urged residents to make proper use of Parish Development Model (PDM) funds by investing them in enterprises capable of generating sustainable household incomes.
Museveni said the Four-Acre Model should not be interpreted as restricting farmers to particular enterprises, citing Namubiru Rashida of Butambala, who rears goats, as an example of a farmer succeeding through an enterprise outside the model’s commonly highlighted activities.
The President also encouraged residents to explore economic opportunities associated with wetlands and other natural resources within the law, including fish farming around wetlands.
He said fish farming can generate significant income from relatively small pieces of land, citing an example of two fish ponds on one acre potentially generating up to Shs140 million.
Museveni cautioned residents against relying excessively on sugarcane, rice and tobacco growing on small pieces of land where returns may not be sufficient to significantly improve household incomes.
He reminded Ugandans that Government has identified four broad sectors through which citizens can participate in wealth creation and economic transformation: commercial agriculture, services, ICT and manufacturing.
He urged residents to identify opportunities within the sectors according to their circumstances and available resources.
On natural resources, Museveni said minerals and water bodies are national resources regulated by Government, while communities living near such resources can benefit within the established legal and regulatory framework.
He said Government would continue regulating fishing on lakes to address congestion and ensure sustainable utilisation of fisheries resources, while supporting local communities to engage in fish farming.
The President also pledged to provide a milk tank and cooling facility to support milk production in Buyende District.
Kasadha promoted to RDC
At the same event, Museveni elevated Sarah Kasadha from Deputy Resident District Commissioner to full Resident District Commissioner.
Kasadha, who currently serves in Namayingo District, is the daughter of the late Samuel Kasadha, who was a FRONASA coordinator for Busoga.
Third Deputy Prime Minister and Minister without Portfolio Rukia Isanga Nakadama thanked Museveni for the Parish Development Model, saying the programme was helping young people and other Ugandans engage in income-generating activities.
Babalanda said the thanksgiving ceremony was organised to thank God for the gift of life, appreciate Museveni for entrusting her with ministerial responsibilities and renew her commitment to serving the people of Budiope West.
She commended the President for development in Buyende, including improvements in the road network and the new ferry, which she said had eased water transport.
Babalanda also called for the establishment of a technical institute in Buyende to equip young people with practical skills and enable them to create employment opportunities.
Buyende District Woman MP Sarah Namulondo thanked Museveni for what she described as peace and stability in the district, which she attributed to the presence of the UPDF and Police.
She also raised concerns over the planned nuclear project in Bukungu, calling on Government to expedite compensation for affected residents.
Namulondo said uncertainty over possible displacement was making some residents reluctant to undertake long-term investments on their land.
Pastor Jimmy Kajura of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church in Buyende thanked Museveni for providing security during the recent elections in the Busoga sub-region.
Pastor Samuel Kajoba also commended the President for his efforts against corruption and said he had remained committed to the pledges contained in the NRM manifesto.
Kajoba welcomed the establishment of National Cleaning Day, saying improved sanitation would help reduce disease, and thanked the President for accommodating the religious observances of the Seventh-Day Adventist community on the designated day.
Speaking on behalf of NRM chairpersons in the Busoga sub-region, Iganga District NRM Chairperson Hajji Abubakar Walubi commended Museveni for promoting wealth creation through the Four-Acre Model.
However, Walubi said limited land remains a major challenge affecting household incomes in Busoga and called for additional interventions tailored to the region’s circumstances.
He also called for community-based irrigation projects, arguing that irrigation interventions should benefit communities rather than individual beneficiaries alone.
The thanksgiving ceremony brought together religious leaders, political leaders, Government officials, Members of Parliament and residents from Buyende and the wider Busoga sub-region.