Celebrating Independence through the manifesto lens
A country is not truly free while millions of its households remain in the subsistence economy, producing only for the stomach. That is why the Manifesto keeps wealth creation at its centre.
Celebrating Independence through the manifesto lens
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On Friday, Ugandans marked 64 years since the Union Jack was lowered at Kololo on October 09, 1962, under the theme "Embracing our sovereignty with hope and visionary leadership". The flags, parades and speeches matter. But the most fitting way to honour the day is to ask a harder question: what is independence for, and is it reaching the household?
The founders of our nation did not seek self-rule merely to change the colour of the flag. They wanted Ugandans to own their land, their labour and their future. Political independence was the first step; economic independence, the capacity of a nation and its families to provide for themselves, was always the destination. Seen this way, the NRM Manifesto 2026–2031 gives the hope in this year's theme a concrete form: a plan for completing the independence project.
Independence begins in the home
A country is not truly free while millions of its households remain in the subsistence economy, producing only for the stomach. That is why the Manifesto keeps wealth creation at its centre. Through the Parish Development Model, Government will continue to provide sh100 million per parish, and sh300 million per ward or parish in the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area, alongside Emyooga, the Uganda Development Bank and other funds. Every shilling that turns a subsistence farmer into a commercial producer is a small declaration of independence.
Independence means adding value at home
For too long we have exported raw coffee, raw minerals and raw talent, and imported finished goods at many times the price. The Manifesto commits Government to industrial parks, agro-processing, the quantification and value addition of our minerals, the national oil refinery and the Kabalega petrochemical park. When Ugandan hands process Ugandan raw materials, the jobs and the profits stay here.
Self-reliance is hard for a landlocked country that pays too much to move its goods. Completing the Standard Gauge Railway from Kampala to Malaba, rehabilitating the metre-gauge lines, developing our lake ports and expanding electricity and internet access are not luxuries; they are the arteries of an independent economy.
Independence rests on healthy, skilled people
A nation that cannot educate and heal its own children depends on others. The Manifesto's commitments on free education, technical and vocational skilling, health centre IIIs in sub-counties without them, and specialised hospitals are investments in our most important resource: Ugandans themselves.
Independence must be protected
Sovereignty is only as secure as the peace that guards it. The security Ugandans have enjoyed for four decades is the foundation on which every farm, factory and school stands. It must be guarded jealously, alongside the fight against corruption, which robs ordinary citizens of the fruits of their independence.
Our forefathers understood that Uganda's freedom was bound up with the freedom of the continent. Deeper integration in the East African Community, wider use of Kiswahili and the African Continental Free Trade Area all enlarge the market for what Ugandans produce.
Promises, however, are not independence; delivery is
That is why Government has translated the Manifesto into a Results Framework of 293 commitments and 596 measurable indicators, each assigned to a responsible Ministry, Department or Agency. Accounting Officers are now expected to show how their budgets align to these commitments, so that every shilling appropriated can be traced to a promise made to the people. The Manifesto Implementation Unit will track that progress and report on it.
Citizens have a part to play too
Independence is not something the State hands out; it is something each of us practises: by working productively, by saving and investing, by paying taxes, by protecting public property, and by holding leaders accountable for what was promised.
So, as we raise the flag, let us celebrate the courage of 1962. But let us also commit to the work of 2026. To embrace our sovereignty with hope and visionary leadership is to turn political freedom into prosperity in every parish. That is how we make independence real.
The writer is Director, Manifesto Implementation Unit, Office of the President.