KYANKWANZI, UGANDA – President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has officially opened the Leaders’ Retreat for newly elected National Resistance Movement (NRM) Members of Parliament and party-leaning Independents at the National Leadership Institute, Kyankwanzi.
In his address on Wednesday, the President congratulated the legislators on their victory and acknowledged the NRM’s strong overall performance in the recent elections. However, he quickly pivoted to a sobering message: the party must address its weaknesses to perform even better in the future.
Museveni emphasized that the new MPs are no longer simply campaigners but leaders who must deepen their understanding of ideology, philosophy, and strategy.
“You must be able to diagnose society’s problems and prescribe solutions,” he told the gathering.
The President challenged this generation of leaders to take on the core mission of ending poverty across Uganda.
In characteristically direct language, Museveni laid down a clear economic principle for the incoming legislators.
“End poverty by creating prosperity through production, not begging or corruption,” he stated firmly.
He further stressed that every adult Ugandan must earn a living from producing a good or a service—an outcome he expects NRM leaders to drive at the grassroots level.
“Every adult must earn from producing a good or a service,” the President reiterated.
Museveni expressed optimism about the week-long retreat, saying he looks forward to deep engagements with the new MPs. The sessions are expected to cover ideological grounding, legislative strategy, and practical steps for accelerating household income generation across the country.
“I look forward to the engagements of the week ahead,” he concluded.
The Kyankwanzi retreat is a long-standing tradition for NRM lawmakers, designed to align them with the party’s core principles and development agenda. This year’s intake includes a mix of seasoned returnees and fresh faces, all of whom will be expected to champion wealth creation at the constituency level.
For the new MPs, the message was clear: deliver prosperity through production, or risk failing the very people they have been elected to serve.
