By Mulengera ReportersPresident of the republic of Uganda, Yoweri Museveni has weighed in on the ongoing youth-led (Gen Z) protests in Kenya, warning that such unrest, driven by economic frustration and a sense of exclusion, could easily spill over into other African countries if governments do not address the root causes.
Speaking to army officers of both countries during a strategic engagement in Jinja, the Museveni drew parallels between the youthful demonstrations in Kenya and the broader issues across Africa, noting that the protests (largely driven by Gen Z) represent a convergence of five interconnected concerns (peace, development, wealth, employment and market access).
Museveni said the current unrest in Kenya should not be viewed in isolation but as part of a wider African challenge where the youths are increasingly demanding opportunities in economies that remain largely disconnected from them. He stressed that Uganda and other African countries must act fast to avoid a similar scenario.
According to him, Africa’s biggest problem is not lack of resources, but how to develop and utilize them. He pointed out that many countries, including Uganda and Congo, are endowed with natural wealth but continue to struggle because a large part of their populations still operate within the subsistence economy.
He noted that at independence, only about 4% of Ugandans were part of the money economy. Today, although that figure has grown to about 67%, a third of the population remains outside, relying on subsistence farming with little or no contribution to wealth creation.
Museveni argued that the challenge facing Gen Z is not just unemployment but the failure of entire societies to transition into fully commercialized economies, noting that in places where cotton or other crops are grown in large quantities, homesteads remain poor because the wealth from those resources is not retained or processed locally.
To tackle such structural problems, he urged for a deliberate focus on sectors that generate wealth, jobs, and sustainable growth, identifing four key sectors as critical (commercial agriculture, manufacturing, services and ICT).
He gave the example of Uganda’s textile plant in Jinja (NYTIL), which processes locally grown cotton through six value-added stages, from harvesting and ginning to spinning and tailoring. This, he said, creates a value chain that provides employment and retains wealth within the country.
However, Museveni warned that many African countries stop at the raw material stage (merely exporting unprocessed resources like cotton and coffee) thus donating their wealth to foreign markets. He noted, half-jokingly, that African countries should be considered the real donors in global economics because they provide raw materials for others’ industrial growth.
He explained that if wealth creation is prioritized at the household and national level, jobs will follow naturally. These jobs can then absorb the growing youth population, including Gen Z, who are now increasingly vocal across Africa.
He further pointed to the service sector, including tourism and hospitality, and ICT as emerging areas that African economies must tap into. Here, he gave the example of Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), where Ugandans could offer professional services like auditing to companies abroad using digital platforms, just like it is done in India.
But beyond creating jobs, Museveni stressed the importance of market access, observing that even if countries succeed in producing goods and creating wealth, without sufficient internal or regional markets, the cycle of poverty and frustration will persist.
He cited Uganda’s experience where products such as sugar, milk, maize and cement are now in surplus, thanks to deliberate support of local production. However, without access to larger regional markets, such as the East African Community and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), these surpluses can become economic burdens instead of opportunities.
According to the President, African countries must therefore push for deeper economic integration to allow producers to expand and absorb labour. In his view, integration is no longer a luxury but a necessity if the continent is to avoid the kind of youth unrest currently shaking Kenya.
While Museveni maintained that Uganda has made strides in avoiding economic collapse (which he described as some sort of waking up), he admitted that unless more families are supported to engage in wealth creation, and unless governments invest in common assets like roads, schools and electricity, the risk of instability remains high.
He differentiated between development and wealth, explaining that while roads and hospitals are important, they do not automatically translate into household incomes. Real economic transformation, he said, comes when families engage in commercial activity that generates income and employment.
Museveni also called on the military leadership to understand these dynamics and ensure they guide the nation in both stability and economic transformation, saying that true peace is not merely the absence of war but also the absence of economic exclusion and hopelessness among the population (especially the youths).
