MBALE – President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has urged youth mobilizers under the National Resistance Movement (NRM) to shift their energy from mere political excitement to pursuing genuine change that addresses the daily struggles of Ugandans, especially poverty.
Speaking during a meeting with NRM youth groups at the State Lodge in Mbale, the President cautioned that real political mobilization must be grounded in understanding people’s problems and offering practical solutions rather than relying on crowds and singing.
“When you talk of mobilization, you must ask, how are these people? Are they in a good situation or a bad situation, especially poverty? The real mobilization is to get people out of poverty,” Museveni said.
The engagement brought together mobilizers from groups including the Buganda Youth Caucus, the National Youth Council, Buganda Ku Museveni, the National Secretariat for Patriotism Corps, the Yellow Power Movement, and district-level NRM mobilizers. They were led by Ms. Hellen Seku, Commissioner of the National Secretariat for Patriotism Corps.
Museveni reminded the youth that excitement-driven crowds are fleeting, but lasting political support is built when communities see real progress in their lives.
“People should understand their problems and how to solve them instead of just moving around singing. They may support you for networking, but the impact is small,” he said.
The President linked the growing support at NRM rallies to the peace achieved after years of conflict and to the Parish Development Model (PDM), which he said is now directly benefiting households. He noted that previous programs often failed because they were run through intermediaries, which prompted him to halt Operation Wealth Creation.
Drawing lessons from the liberation struggle in Luweero, Museveni told the youth that genuine mobilization succeeds when leaders understand people’s needs and provide realistic solutions.
“This mobilization does not need a lot of money. The only money you may need is your own transport for fuel, not refund,” he added.
The President also revisited his long-standing “Four Acre Model” for household wealth creation — coffee, fruits, pasture for livestock, and food crops — calling it a tested approach to transforming rural livelihoods.
He urged mobilizers to understand Uganda’s socio-economic structure by studying the relationship between the people, their economy, and politics. Using the example of traditional Banyankole herders, he explained that transformation begins with changing people’s attitudes toward productivity and value creation.
“We had to find out what was stopping our people from joining the money economy. Real mobilization starts with diagnosing those problems,” Museveni emphasized.
Youth representatives including Mr. Henry Luzinda from Wakiso, Ms. Sawuya Nambatta from Buganda Ku Museveni, and Mr. Pauson Twinamatsiko thanked the President for initiatives like the Parish Development Model and the proposed Graduate Fund, saying they are already improving youth livelihoods.
“We commit to take this message village to village so that the youth who graduate and haven’t found a job can benefit from your initiative,” Luzinda said.