By Fidel Boy Leon
President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has pledged to increase funding for ghetto-based wealth-creation programs, raising allocations from UGX 100 million to UGX 1 billion per parish structure annually across Kampala’s divisions.
The President made the announcement during a stopover in Bwaise II, Nabukalu Zone, Kawempe Division, as part of his Parish Development Model (PDM) and wealth creation tour. He called for what he described as “pro-poor budgeting” and more meaningful inclusion of ghetto communities in national development.
“Now here in the ghetto, because of the high population numbers, we can go from UGX 100 million to UGX 1 billion per parish per year for the ghetto structures alone,” Museveni told residents, some of whom had waited through heavy rains to hear him speak.
Kampala’s five divisions—Kawempe, Rubaga, Nakawa, Makindye, and Central—will each receive UGX 5 billion annually in new allocations targeting densely populated, economically marginalised neighbourhoods.
This funding comes in addition to existing PDM support. In Kawempe alone, the President noted, UGX 2.2 billion is already allocated annually across its 22 parishes.
President Museveni criticised current government expenditure patterns, describing them as bloated with administrative costs and politically motivated spending.
“Some of the expenditure is not productive; money is spent on salaries for district officials, new districts, and unnecessary administrative units. “This money should go to the poor,” he said, referencing past efforts in Ntungamo District to create more constituencies despite stagnant population growth.
Instead, he called for a refocus on education, health, and enterprise development in areas like Kawempe, which face serious deficits in infrastructure and public services.
Despite a torrential downpour, President Museveni made time to visit several micro-enterprises that were established under earlier rounds of ghetto youth funding. Amongst the initiatives he toured were goat-rearing projects, electrical repair shops, tailoring and design workshops, as well as bakery and printing businesses.
His visit served as a show of support for grassroots entrepreneurship and a way to assess the impact of previous government investments in urban informal settlements.
“You received UGX 500,000 and managed to start something. “That shows the potential when funds reach the right people,” the President said.
He emphasised that citizens must actively monitor government funds like the UGX 10 billion already disbursed to Kawempe through PDM, Emyooga, and other economic empowerment initiatives.
In a personal reflection, Museveni recalled his first visit to Katwe in 1968 as a university student involved in underground political organising.
“I went to Katwe and connected with Abas Kibazo and others. “That’s when I began understanding the plight of the abawejjere—urban poor who had been forgotten after independence,” he recounted.
Some of the youth from Katwe, he added, later joined the anti-Amin liberation struggle, contributing to key military missions across the region.
Mr. Sadam Kiggundu (aka Amigo) expressed gratitude for a previous UGX 140 million disbursement to his group and appealed for vocational training centres in tailoring, welding, and carpentry.
Mr. Sserunkuuma Nesta Sabiiti (aka Peace-Keeper) praised Museveni’s hands-on approach and pledged political support in the 2026 elections, noting urgent needs for drainage infrastructure, sanitation facilities and a community boxing gym to engage youth.
“It’s good that you’ve come in the rain; now you’ve seen how we live when it floods,” he said.
Real-life examples highlight the tangible impact of ghetto youth funding. With just UGX 500,000, Ms. Opicia Dorothy launched a broom-making business that now generates enough income to educate all seven of her children, turning a modest investment into a long-term opportunity.
In a similar success story, Mr. Mubiru Wilberforce and Oscar Ssematimba began goat rearing in 2024 with only two animals. By mid-2025, their herd had multiplied to 25, transforming a small initiative into a growing enterprise.
President Museveni’s renewed commitment to urban poor communities sends a clear message: inclusive development cannot exclude the ghetto. With structured, monitored funding and grassroots engagement, even the most marginalised can become active drivers of Uganda’s economic transformation.