Museveni to deliver State of Nation address, public call for action

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President Yoweri Museveni is today, June 5, 2025, set to deliver the State of the Nation Address, with Ugandans urging him to confront pressing national concerns including human rights violations, economic hardships, family welfare and social cohesion.

On Wednesday June 4, 2025, New Vision Online spoke with several individuals who shared their expectations for the address.

Human rights and wage concerns

Enid Nambuya, a human rights lawyer and activist: I call for a more decisive approach to social and economic justice. The minimum and living wages remain unresolved. Many Ugandans are not benefitting from economic policies. Human rights abuses are rampant and the state is ignoring citizens’ basic freedoms.

The government's lack of transparency in dealing with domestic arrears, which has driven many businesses into bankruptcy. Are foreign investments truly benefiting ordinary Ugandans.

I urge the President to address the deteriorating human rights situation. The Police and state agencies must operate within the law. NRM came to power in 1986 on promises of the rule of law and separation of powers how have those been fulfilled.

Tackle climate finance, youth unemployment, and rising debt

Advocates Coalition for Development and Environment (ACODE) executive director Dr Arthur Bainomugisha: President Yoweri Museveni should address three critical national issues in his upcoming State of the Nation Address: Climate change financing, youth unemployment and public debt management.

Although the economy is showing signs of resilience, its long-term stability is under threat from the growing impacts of climate change. Our economy is agro-based. Failure to finance climate resilience could reverse the gains we’ve made. There are prolonged rains and El Niño patterns, infrastructure such as roads could be washed away, putting both the economy and key sectors like tourism at risk. Many of our roads lead to protected areas that support tourism. If these are damaged, the consequences will be serious.

The ministry of finance has a climate change unit, most ministries, departments and agencies have yet to integrate climate financing and climate-responsive programming into their budget framework papers.

There is urgent need for government-led action on youth unemployment. We need to be intentional about skilling the youth this cannot be left to the private sector alone. I propose a transformation of the informal bodaboda economy by equipping young people with vocational skills in areas such as carpentry, fabrication and road construction. A young, poor and hungry population can become a source of insecurity. While programmes like the Parish Development Model (PDM) and EMYOOGA exist, they are not sufficient. More targeted efforts are needed.”

Unless youth unemployment is addressed comprehensively, Uganda risks turning its growing youth population into a “demographic curse” rather than a demographic dividend.

There is concern over Uganda’s growing debt burden. Although the finance ministry says we are within acceptable debt thresholds, nearly shillings 30 trillion of our annual budget goes to debt servicing. The Government’s “borrowing appetite,” is big. There is the problem of idle loans borrowed funds that remain unused while accruing interest. This must be better managed.

The Government’s failure to pay local suppliers has weakened the private sector. The Government owes local suppliers over shillings 12 trillion, yet only shillings one trillion is allocated to settle this. Many businesses have collapsed as a result. We cannot grow the private sector this way.

John Baptist Nambeshe (Opposition chief whip, MP Manjiya County)

The unconditional release of political prisoners who have been victims of torture. Torture which is unconstitutional, honestly. Even the diplomatic rows between Uganda and other countries, particularly Germany, locate their basis on the gross human rights violations.

I would expect the president to win the hearts of even opposition with the unconditional release of prisoners, majority of whom are victims of the gross human rights violations.

James Kakooza (EALA MP, former Kabula county lawmaker)

The president needs to assure the country on security matters. Because we are surrounded by war torn countries like Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and South Sudan and most recently, the suspected terrorist bomb blast in Munyonyo on Martyrs Day.

His words will embolden citizens to participate in the election without any fear. Secondly, he needs to give us an update on the economy and how its performing. Which strategies can we take to bridge donor funding that has been drastically cut by Trump for instance and then infrastructure development.

Martin Ojara Mapenduzi (Layibi-Bardege division, Public Service and Local Government Committee chairperson)

First, we need to acknowledge that, to this day, many Ugandans are struggling. The economy is doing bad, and so that should be a key focus. Ugandans are struggling with life. The business people are struggling. Many people are getting out of business. There are lots of taxes, but business is not going on well.

So that is an area, that the president, will have to pay a lot of attention to, because the strength of the economy rests on the shoulders of the private sector. And so when the private sector is not doing well, when you don't have a vibrant private sector, then you are in trouble.

Expectations of Museveni state of nation address 2024

Museveni said wealth creators needed to get serious with production of goods and services because the internal market was no longer enough.

“We need the East African market, we need the African market and we need the global market, The answer for all these questions is that, it is, mainly, East and Central Africa that are buying the surplus” he said.

The correct philosophy, ideology and strategy of the NRM, have enabled the economy and society of Uganda to go through five phases since 1986. These phases are:

(i) The minimum economic recovery phase of restoring aspects of the small, colonial enclave money economy of the 3Cs and 3Ts (cotton, coffee, copper, tea, tobacco and tourism); 

(ii) Expanding that enclave with the more production of coffee, tea, etc. 

(iii) The diversification of the enclave economy by commercializing the production of bananas, cassava, milk, fruits, palm oil, cocoa, fish, beef, etc.; 

(iv) Adding value to some of these raw–materials such as cotton, fruits, milk, tea, timber, sugar, etc.

(v) The knowledge economy, through the production of vaccines, the auto-mobile industry, etc.

These measures, have enabled the economy to grow from $1.5bn in 1986 to now $55bn by the forex exchange method and $180.29b by the Purchasing Power Party method. With $1,182 per capita, Uganda has entered the lower middle-income status.

There are, however, still some trade barriers in the EAC. These are really roadblocks to our prosperity. All the East Africans, should work to remove these bottlenecks by implementing fully the common market protocols, the Customs Union protocols, so that the fragmented markets of Africa, become one market.

With a more united African market, we can, then, be able to negotiate with other countries for market access – European Union, United States of America (USA), China, Russia, the Gulf, - India, etc.

Internally, we have guided our people that the social-economic transformation can be realized through bonna basome (education of all) and bonna bagaggawale (prosperity for all) by joining the four money making sectors of: Commercial Agriculture; Manufacturing; Services; and ICT. The Government has provided grants or soft loans, for wealth creators to use in joining these sectors in case they do not have their own capital. These funds are: OWC, NAADS, PMA, Entandikwa, Parish Development Model Emyooga, the Youth Fund, the Women Fund, GROW Money, etc.

These funds are, mainly, for the low-income people. The actors that are more empowered, should borrow from the Uganda Development Bank for agriculture, for manufacturing and some of the services, such as tourism.

African countries or, indeed, other countries in the World, may be prosperous economically. Strategically speaking, however, they may still be vulnerable vis a vis other global actors. In the 2nd World War, the first victims of German aggression, were the developed countries of Denmark, Holland, Belgium, etc.

Therefore, there is something about size. Indeed, the small countries of Europe, were rescued by the mighty Soviet Union that defeated Hitler’s Army at Moscow, Byelorussia, Stalingrad, Kursk, etc., and were, later on, in 1944, joined by the Americans and the British. As we speak today, only four countries have been able to land on the moon namely, US, China, India and Russia. Why? Size and development, matter.

Uganda, even when it becomes a developed country, cannot have an over ambitious space programme. We are working on implementing a limited space programme for overhead observation and communication (broadcasting and telephone communication). We shall have an overhead imaging satellite at an altitude of 600-700kms in space and another one for communication and internet at 36,000 kms in space, that we shall share with the other East African countries.

While we always aim at creating a continental common market for the whole of Africa, we also aim at creating regional political Federations where possible. While it is possible and desirable to create a continental common market, a political federation, which represents a maximum form of integration, should only be for peoples who are either similar or compatible and, preferably, with a common language. This is how East Africa has always been the best candidate for political integration.

The first task of the Ugandan wealth creators, is to ensure that all the adults engage in wealth creation in the four sectors of commercial agriculture with ekibaro (cura, otita, aimar, profitability assessment), manufacturing and artisanship, services and ICT, using the provided funds of PDM, Emyooga, GROW, UDB loans, etc.

Public servants and political leaders that steal government money are corrupt and will be crushed. There are, however, other actors, that get bribes from foreigners to work for foreign interests. These are both corrupt and traitors and we are monitoring their activities. If they do not stop; and with evidence, we shall deal with them. As part of fighting corruption, it is crucial to save the amateurish political actors who come into politics without knowing that leading people does not mean carrying them on your head.

It means that you show them the way. The situation of the inexperienced, careerist minded leaders who do not listen to the advice of the NRM, is further complicated by the blood thirsty parasites in the form of the unregulated money lenders who charge extortionate interest rates from these desperate political actors when they come to borrow money for un-useful expenditures. 

I have already directed the Minister of Finance to cap the interest rates chargeable by money lenders. The inflation rate in Uganda is 3%. Why should the commercial Banks charge 20% interest? How about the money lenders charging 36% or more? This is pure extortion. 

The PDM and Emyooga funds are going to become the poor people’s banks, able to lend at 12% or less after 24 months. I have already directed the Attorney – General to guide the Minister of Finance as to how he can criminalize this extortion. The other source of corruption has been the fund raising that is born mainly by the opportunistic politicians, over anxious to please parts of their electorate, by pledging money for those fund-raisings that they do not have.