President Yoweri Museveni’s ability to win the presidency for his National Movement Movement party could not more pronounced that today when he was nominated for Presidentin the 2026 – 2031 term.
He outlined his 6 Priorities for the 2026 – 2031 term, and fronted several reasons he is contesting again.
“We want to create leaders and a party that understands and is committed to the need for a qualitative leap from the status of the lower middle income country of $66 billion by the end of June 2026 to a high middle income country of $500 billion in the next few years,” he said, to roaring applause from his supporters.
Museveni, who is the incumbent, and is seeking re-election said that his other priorities include maintaining peace, development, wealth, jobs, services, and markets.
After being seconded to hold the party flag in the presidential elections, Museveni said that another reason why he is coming forward was to respond to the millions of Ugandans who have been ordering him with a slogan ‘Tovaku main’ meaning, don’t leave the main electrical line.
“The reason I accept and the NRM supports, I’m sure, are two. Reason number one is to work with the NRM structures to clarify the importance of the six aspects that are very crucial in ensuring that Uganda, and other parts of Africa, do not again miss the bus of history as happened in the past when Europe transformed, and Africa stagnated and was enslaved,” he said.
He further pointed out that his other priority areas include peace (no war and control of crime), development (roads, electricity, schools and so on), wealth, jobs, services and markets.
Museveni noted that very home must have wealth. “Wealth is personal and private. So is poverty. We also need jobs, services and markets. Uganda is now a lower middle income country with the GDP per capita of US dollars 1,263 for its population of 46 million people. This means that Uganda is no longer a least developed country.”
He boasted that he is the on;y andidate that can help Uganda implement its ambitious development agenda known as “Vision 2040” with the aim of transforming Ugandan society from a peasant to a prosperous country by the year 2040.
He added that Uganda can achieve most of its aspirations before the set 2024 if it adds value to its raw materials.
“Why do I say this? It is because much of our US dollars 61 billion economy of today is raw materials. Our coffee brings in US dollars 2.5 per kilo. Yet the one who roasts, grinds, and packs the coffee earns from US Dollars 25 to $40 per kilo. That is how all the coffee growing countries of the world earn US dollars 25 billion out of the total value of US dollars 460 billion, and Germany, a non coffee growing country earns US Dollars 65 billion from coffee,” he said.
Museveni said that since Uganda has a wide spectrum of raw materials, of agriculture, minerals, fresh water resources and forest products, it has a huge potential if it adds value to all of them.
“By refining tin ore to 99.85%, we earn US dollars 33 per kg instead of US dollars 13 per kg for the unprocessed tin.” He said, adding: “When we purify gold to 99.9% purity instead of the way they have been exporting it, you process tin to 99.85% purity instead of the previous 75% purity, copper to 99.9% purity, we do not only earn more money from that commodity and create more jobs for our children, we also attract the jewelry makers to come to Uganda and make the jewelry here,” said Museveni.
