By Mulengera Reporters
President Yoweri Museveni has issued a stern warning to government planners and politicians against the resurgence of what he called ‘okumemerera’, a reckless approach to budgeting that spreads national resources too thin and threatens to undo the country’s hard-earned progress.
In a lengthy national address laced with proverbs and personal reflections, the President cautioned against misplaced priorities such as increasing salaries, creating new administrative units, or expanding political structures before fully investing in the country’s core infrastructure and energy sectors.
“The house is on fire, and you’re preparing a bed?” he asked rhetorically, referring to civil servants and leaders pushing for luxuries while essential services remain underfunded.
Museveni likened Uganda’s success in overcoming electricity blackouts and poor road networks to the disciplined strategy used by the NRA/UPDF: focusing on a few key priorities at a time.
“Trying to be everywhere at once ends in being nowhere. That was the problem in past governments, and it’s creeping back,” he said.
He criticized past tendencies where officials prioritized personal benefits, such as posh cars and offices, over national service delivery.
Drawing on history, he recalled how Uganda’s dependence on donor funding left critical projects hanging, leading him to push for self-reliance starting in the mid-2000s. “By 2005, I put my foot down. We had to stop the scattering of resources. I said: electricity and roads first, the rest later,” Museveni said.
This strategic shift saw massive increases in infrastructure funding. The roads budget alone jumped from UGX 374 billion in 2005 to UGX 4.4 trillion by 2019, while funding for electricity surged similarly. As a result, Uganda connected nearly all districts to the national grid and developed high-quality road networks across the country.
Yet, Museveni warned that bad habits are re-emerging. “I thought people had understood this strategy. But now I hear stories of poor road maintenance and inflated costs creeping back,” he said, revealing that the Ministry of Works’ budget now stands at UGX 5.9 trillion, with some of it being diverted to less urgent projects.
He emphasized the need to stick to the principles that brought Uganda this far, focus, discipline, and proper sequencing of development efforts. “Owabiinga ibiri, imutsiga, you chase two animals at once, and both will escape. Focus on one and succeed,” he urged.
President Museveni concluded with a directive to all ministries: prioritize roads, electricity, wealth creation, and security before anything else. “Let’s not go back to the old mistakes. Stay focused. That’s how we built this country, and that’s how we shall secure its future,” he said.
