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No more sleep: Museveni’s call for a nation ready to work
Creating wealth within Uganda is only one part of the equation. Sustaining that wealth requires larger regional and continental markets capable of absorbing Uganda’s expanding production.
Sandor Lyle Walusimbi. (Courtesy)
By: Admin ., Journalist @New Vision
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OPINION
By Sandor Lyle Walusimbi
When President Yoweri Museveni proclaimed “No More Sleep” during his inauguration and reinforced the message in this year’s State of the Nation Address, he was not introducing a slogan. He was issuing what is perhaps the most important governance challenge of Uganda’s next phase of development.
The President himself has had to clarify that the message is not “no sleep.” It is “no more sleep.” The distinction matters because he was speaking about a national mindset, not physical rest.
For the president, “sleep” represents complacency, corruption, laziness, poor leadership and the refusal to seize opportunities that Uganda has painstakingly created over the last four decades.
He expanded the phrase into a broader national doctrine: no more corruption; no more kukongola—leaning on one’s hoe while others are digging; no more kugumaaza or kuhuzya—diverting people from the real issues; no more kutuhenda—burdening those who work while others merely benefit; and no more tolerance for leaders who occupy office for prestige instead of performance.
This message cannot be understood without appreciating Mzee’s lifelong political journey.
Long before he became President, Mzee says his mission was to awaken Ugandans from what he describes as okukolera ekidda kyokka—working only for the stomach. As a young student in the early 1960s, he became convinced that subsistence production condemned millions of Ugandans to perpetual poverty. His solution was simple but revolutionary: transform households from subsistence into commercial production.
That philosophy later found expression in the National Resistance Movement’s Ten-Point Programme, particularly the commitment to building an independent, integrated and self-sustaining economy.
For the president, “sleep” represents complacency, corruption, laziness, poor leadership and the refusal to seize opportunities that Uganda has painstakingly created over the last four decades.
He expanded the phrase into a broader national doctrine: no more corruption; no more kukongola—leaning on one’s hoe while others are digging; no more kugumaaza or kuhuzya—diverting people from the real issues; no more kutuhenda—burdening those who work while others merely benefit; and no more tolerance for leaders who occupy office for prestige instead of performance.
This message cannot be understood without appreciating Mzee’s lifelong political journey.
Long before he became President, Mzee says his mission was to awaken Ugandans from what he describes as okukolera ekidda kyokka—working only for the stomach. As a young student in the early 1960s, he became convinced that subsistence production condemned millions of Ugandans to perpetual poverty. His solution was simple but revolutionary: transform households from subsistence into commercial production.
That philosophy later found expression in the National Resistance Movement’s Ten-Point Programme, particularly the commitment to building an independent, integrated and self-sustaining economy.
Today’s “No More Sleep” message is therefore not a new political slogan. It is the continuation of an idea that has shaped Museveni’s thinking for over six decades. The President illustrates this with perhaps his favourite example—the transformation of the cattle corridor.
He recalls travelling through Nyabushozi as a young activist in the late 1960s with virtually no money, encouraging pastoral communities to abandon nomadism, establish fenced farms, embrace commercial dairy farming and calculate production based on profit.(In the coming weeks, UBC, the national broadcaster, will share testimonies from men & women across the cattle corridor who embraced mzee’s message decades ago and today stand as living proof of its success, having successfully transitioned into the money economy).
Many experts dismissed the idea as impossible. Yet decades later, the same region has become one of Uganda’s greatest agricultural success stories.
Milk production has grown from just 200 million litres annually in 1986 to over 5.4 billion litres today. Nyabushozi alone now delivers more than one million litres of milk every day through over one hundred milk coolers and numerous processing facilities.
For the president, this is proof that ideas, discipline and persistence can transform communities more profoundly than handouts.
It also explains why he repeatedly criticises leaders who spend more time demanding allowances than mobilising their people. His argument is that leadership is not about distributing personal money or making endless promises. It is about diagnosing problems, offering practical solutions and inspiring people to create wealth for themselves.
The “No More Sleep” message equally applies to government institutions.
Uganda has established programmes such as the Parish Development Model, Emyooga, Operation Wealth Creation and affordable financing through the Uganda Development Bank. According to the President, the necessary policy framework largely exists. The remaining challenge is implementation.
Public funds must reach intended beneficiaries. Local leaders must mobilise households. Civil servants must deliver services efficiently. Anti-corruption institutions must become more effective. And political leaders must be judged by measurable results rather than rhetoric. This is why Mzee’s warning against “politeness to non-performers” stands out. It signals growing impatience with officials who frustrate government programmes while ordinary Ugandans wait for services.
The President also broadens the discussion beyond agriculture. He argues that Uganda’s future prosperity rests on four strategic sectors: commercial agriculture, manufacturing, services and ICT. As more Ugandans join the money economy, opportunities will increasingly shift towards industry, innovation, digital services and regional trade. This is where his Pan-African vision becomes relevant.
Creating wealth within Uganda is only one part of the equation. Sustaining that wealth requires larger regional and continental markets capable of absorbing Uganda’s expanding production.
Ultimately, the President’s “No More Sleep” message is not merely directed at politicians or civil servants. It challenges every Ugandan.
The farmer who refuses improved farming methods, the public officer who delays service delivery, the youth who ignores available opportunities, the entrepreneur reluctant to innovate, and the leader content with occupying office without delivering results all fall within its scope. Uganda, Mzee argues, has laid much of the foundation for transformation, peace, infrastructure, expanding electricity generation, access to capital and growing regional markets.
The question now is whether Ugandans will match these opportunities with discipline, productivity and accountability.
That, in essence, is the true meaning of “No More Sleep.” It is not a call to remain awake at night. It is a call for a nation to finally awaken to its full potential.
The writer is a Senior Press Secretary to H.E the President
He recalls travelling through Nyabushozi as a young activist in the late 1960s with virtually no money, encouraging pastoral communities to abandon nomadism, establish fenced farms, embrace commercial dairy farming and calculate production based on profit.(In the coming weeks, UBC, the national broadcaster, will share testimonies from men & women across the cattle corridor who embraced mzee’s message decades ago and today stand as living proof of its success, having successfully transitioned into the money economy).
Many experts dismissed the idea as impossible. Yet decades later, the same region has become one of Uganda’s greatest agricultural success stories.
Milk production has grown from just 200 million litres annually in 1986 to over 5.4 billion litres today. Nyabushozi alone now delivers more than one million litres of milk every day through over one hundred milk coolers and numerous processing facilities.
For the president, this is proof that ideas, discipline and persistence can transform communities more profoundly than handouts.
It also explains why he repeatedly criticises leaders who spend more time demanding allowances than mobilising their people. His argument is that leadership is not about distributing personal money or making endless promises. It is about diagnosing problems, offering practical solutions and inspiring people to create wealth for themselves.
The “No More Sleep” message equally applies to government institutions.
Uganda has established programmes such as the Parish Development Model, Emyooga, Operation Wealth Creation and affordable financing through the Uganda Development Bank. According to the President, the necessary policy framework largely exists. The remaining challenge is implementation.
Public funds must reach intended beneficiaries. Local leaders must mobilise households. Civil servants must deliver services efficiently. Anti-corruption institutions must become more effective. And political leaders must be judged by measurable results rather than rhetoric. This is why Mzee’s warning against “politeness to non-performers” stands out. It signals growing impatience with officials who frustrate government programmes while ordinary Ugandans wait for services.
The President also broadens the discussion beyond agriculture. He argues that Uganda’s future prosperity rests on four strategic sectors: commercial agriculture, manufacturing, services and ICT. As more Ugandans join the money economy, opportunities will increasingly shift towards industry, innovation, digital services and regional trade. This is where his Pan-African vision becomes relevant.
Creating wealth within Uganda is only one part of the equation. Sustaining that wealth requires larger regional and continental markets capable of absorbing Uganda’s expanding production.
Ultimately, the President’s “No More Sleep” message is not merely directed at politicians or civil servants. It challenges every Ugandan.
The farmer who refuses improved farming methods, the public officer who delays service delivery, the youth who ignores available opportunities, the entrepreneur reluctant to innovate, and the leader content with occupying office without delivering results all fall within its scope. Uganda, Mzee argues, has laid much of the foundation for transformation, peace, infrastructure, expanding electricity generation, access to capital and growing regional markets.
The question now is whether Ugandans will match these opportunities with discipline, productivity and accountability.
That, in essence, is the true meaning of “No More Sleep.” It is not a call to remain awake at night. It is a call for a nation to finally awaken to its full potential.
The writer is a Senior Press Secretary to H.E the President