President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has told the National Resistance Movement (NRM) Parliamentary Caucus members to spend more time engaging with voters, understanding their challengesto find solutions while also following up on the implementation of government programmes in their constituencies.
Museveni, who is also the NRM National Chairman, made the call while addressing the party’s parliamentary caucus at Kololo Independence Grounds Friday, where he emphasised the importance of direct engagement between leaders and the communities they represent.
He said Members of Parliament should not remain distant from their constituents but should regularly listen to their concerns, particularly those relating to poverty, crime, household incomes and access to government services.
The President challenged legislators to strengthen their oversight of poverty alleviation initiatives, particularly the Parish Development Model (PDM), to ensure that resources reach the intended beneficiaries and are invested in productive activities.
He urged MPs to identify households that have benefited from the programme and those that are yet to be reached, noting that effective implementation could help more families transition from subsistence production into the money economy.
Museveni cited the example of a woman who invested in piggery and improved her household income, saying such enterprises demonstrate how targeted financial support can transform livelihoods.
He also urged leaders to promote agricultural productivity through irrigation, improved farming methods and value addition, noting that reliance on rainfall exposes farmers to unstable yields.
“Without irrigation, you cannot have stability in your yields,” he said, citing a government farm partnership where production reportedly reached 53 tonnes per hectare, compared with about five tonnes in other areas.
Museveni said Uganda must also reduce its dependence on exporting raw agricultural commodities by investing in local processing and manufacturing.
He noted that processing products such as coffee and cotton locally would retain more value in the country, create employment and expand the industrial base.
The President further urged leaders to protect wetlands, which he described as essential for sustaining water systems, while exploring alternative livelihoods, including fish farming, for communities that depend on wetland cultivation.
On security, Museveni called on MPs to maintain close contact with citizens and understand local challenges, including cattle theft, coffee theft and other forms of crime.
He also highlighted investments in nuclear energy, railway development and petroleum processing in Hoima as part of efforts to expand Uganda’s productive capacity.
Museveni said regional economic integration was equally important in expanding markets, facilitating trade and creating opportunities for employment.
He urged MPs to ensure that government policies and programmes translate into tangible improvements in people’s livelihoods through sustained community engagement, accountability and effective service delivery.
