Museveni to address fellow presidential candidates on economy

President Yoweri Museveni has promised a forceful rebuttal to the criticism leveled against his government by fellow presidential candidates.

The incumbent stated he would soon "dismantle" his opponents' arguments regarding the country's economic management and social services.

A Critical Campaign Landscape

Presidential candidates, including Robert Kyagulanyi (Bobi Wine), Nathan Nandala Mafabi, and Mugisha Muntu, have been relentless on the campaign trail, chastising the long-serving leader for the perceived decline in vital social services such as health, transport, and education in rural Uganda.

The candidates have publicly accused the Museveni administration of failing to provide these essential services and, most notably, of "massaging hemorrhagic corruption" while overseeing the demise of crucial cooperative unions that once underpinned the rural economy.

The President’s Economic Defence

Addressing the press at Mbale State Lodge on Monday night, President Museveni hinted that his counter-attack would centre on his administration's achievements in transitioning Ugandans into the formal 'money economy'.

"When I look at these… what they call presidential candidates moving around… when I get time, I will really dismantle them about what they are talking about," he said.

He pointed out that 67% of the population is now participating in the money economy, a big jump from the 32% recorded before the introduction of his government’s flagship economic program, Operation Wealth Creation (OWC) in 2013.

Progress in Agricultural Production

Museveni also cited dramatic increases in key agricultural commodities as evidence of this success and the effective translation of OWC's efforts.

The President claimed Uganda’s coffee production has soared from 3 million bags to 12 million bags.

Similarly, milk production, he asserted, has reached 5 billion liters, and maize output stands at 5 million tonnes.

The President concluded his remarks on the economy by refocusing the narrative on his current priority: "The only challenge now is getting the other 33% who are still outside the money economy."