President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has held discussions with Gomba and Sembabule district leaders whom he hosted at his farm in Kisozi, Gomba District.  

The engagement, according to State House sought to outline how the nine villages from Gomba and Sembabule Districts have benefitted from the project given to them by the President in 2011 and to see how the remaining districts can be brought on board to benefit from the programme with the help of the leaders.  

President Museveni interacts with locals at Maddu trading centre Gomba District

During the meeting on Thursday President Museveni emphasized the need for leaders to prioritise household income of the communities they lead, explaining that once the issue is dealt with, the rest of the development can follow with ease.  

“The roads, electricity and other infrastructures are not the medicine for poverty. The medicine for poverty is household income or a good salary,” Museveni stressed according to a release from Presidential Press Unit.

In 2011, President Museveni donated cows, goats, coffee seedlings, pigs, and money, among others to households in nine villages in Gomba and Sembabule with the aim of generating income to improve their livelihoods. The villages which benefitted include Kirasi, Kisozi A, Kisozi B, Obutugu, Lutunku A, Lutunku B, Kajumilo, Kasozi and Kikuumadungu.  

President Museveni told his guests that from the 1960s, he has been fighting poverty, starting with Ankole region where he advised cattle keepers to stop nomadism, settle down, fence their lands and graze friesian cows for dairy farming. 

s Gomba District local leaders

He added that the Ankole people embraced his message of wealth creation adding that he wants the people of Gomba and Sembabule people to adopt the same practices.

“When I came here in the 1990s, I found all people here democratically poor; their only job during that time was to wait for me along the way and beg for money from me. They had no source of income,” the President said.  

“I invited some parents to come here and told them that I don't want a poor neighbourhood . We gave them entandikwa in the form of cows, coffee, pigs etc. We progressed steadily,” he added.  

President Museveni interacts with locals at Maddu trading centre Gomba District

President Museveni further informed the leaders that the project in the nine villages was a pilot study and since it has been successful, it should now be taken to the rest of the villages in Gomba and Sembabule Districts.  

He also assured the leaders of support to improve the livelihood of the people they lead but asked them to mobilise their people to embrace government programs such as the Parish Development Model (PDM) and Emyooga to fight poverty. 

The President also promised to support the project beneficiaries who have been able to ensure that the program is successful.  

“We are going to continue adding more resources to the project,” he said, before pledging to add more money in their SACCO.  

The Gomba West Member of Parliament, Robina Rwakoojo thanked the President for what  she described as " visionary leadership"  and will to change the lives of the people he leads.

President Museveni interacts with locals at Maddu trading centre Gomba District

 She added that as leaders, they are already preaching the President's message of increasing household income to the people through several government initiatives like PDM.  

Related Shartsi Musherure, the Member of Parliament for Mawogola North, thanked President Museveni for bringing forth the projects which are causing development in Gomba, Sembabule and the whole country.

 She assured the President that the people of Sembabule have embraced the PDM project and the money is being utilised well for the right cause.  

Gomba District Woman Member of Parliament, Sylvia Nayebale also commended President Museveni for being an exemplary leader who works towards improving the welfare of Ugandans. She also appreciated the President for the project that has improved the livelihoods of the people of Gomba and Sembabule.

These views were also echoed by Sembabule District Woman Member of Parliament, Mary Begumisa.

The Project Coordinator Ms. Sarah Nalwanga, told the President that his entandikwa scheme has done tremendous work in changing the lives of people in the nine villages. She added that people who started with one cow now have like eight cows and those who started with an acre of coffee have also been able to expand and now they are harvesting a lot, hence transforming their lives.  

“So far 2035 households have benefited,” she revealed.