Museveni Urges Busoga Families to Turn Small Landholdings into Wealth-Creation Opportunities

BUYENDE — September 24, 2026: President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has urged people in Busoga to embrace wealth-creation programmes and adopt productive agricultural enterprises suited to the size of their landholdings as a pathway to improving household incomes.

The President made the call on Wednesday, September 23, while officiating at a thanksgiving ceremony for the Minister for the Presidency and Budiope West Member of Parliament, Hon. Babirye Milly Babalanda, held at Iringa Township Primary School in Nkondo Sub-county, Buyende District.

President Museveni said land fragmentation remains one of the key challenges affecting household incomes in Busoga, where successive generations often inherit increasingly smaller portions of land. He encouraged families to respond by choosing enterprises that can generate higher returns from the land available to them.

He said the Government has promoted approaches such as the Four-Acre Model to help households maximise income from limited land through a combination of productive enterprises. “Even if you do not do all the seven activities, as long as what you are doing is taking you out of poverty and you are doing it with calculation—ekibaaro—you can succeed,” President Museveni said.

The President encouraged farmers with small pieces of land to consider intensive enterprises such as dairy farming, poultry and fish farming, while those with larger landholdings can undertake more extensive agricultural production. He cited examples of farmers whom he said have built substantial incomes from relatively small areas of land. Among them was George Matongo of Ngoma in Nakaseke District, whom he said produces about 900 litres of milk daily and earns more than Shs21 million per month. He also cited Johnson Basangwa of Kamuli, whom he said operates a poultry enterprise on a small piece of land and earns about Shs20 million per day.

President Museveni further urged residents to use Parish Development Model (PDM) funds for productive enterprises capable of generating sustainable household incomes rather than consumption. He said the Four-Acre Model should not be understood as restricting farmers to a fixed list of enterprises, pointing to Namubiru Rashida of Butambala, who rears goats, as an example of a farmer benefiting from an enterprise outside the commonly highlighted activities. The President also encouraged communities to explore opportunities presented by wetlands and other natural resources within the law. He specifically promoted fish farming around suitable wetland areas and said two fish ponds on one acre could potentially generate significant income.

At the same time, he cautioned residents against depending excessively on sugarcane, rice and tobacco on small plots where the returns may not be sufficient to significantly transform household incomes. Museveni reiterated that Ugandans can participate in four broad areas of wealth creation and economic transformation: commercial agriculture, manufacturing, services and ICT. The same four sectors have featured prominently in his recent national wealth-creation messaging.

On natural resources, the President explained that minerals and water bodies are national resources regulated by Government, while communities living near them can benefit through lawful and regulated activities.

He said Government would continue regulating fishing on lakes to address congestion and promote sustainable utilisation of fisheries resources, while supporting communities to invest in fish farming.

President Museveni also pledged to provide a milk tank and cooling facility to support dairy production in Buyende District. Sarah Kasadha Elevated to Full RDC During the ceremony, President Museveni also elevated Ms. Sarah Kasadha from Deputy Resident District Commissioner to full Resident District Commissioner.

Kasadha, who currently serves in Namayingo District, is the daughter of the late Samuel Kasadha, who served as a FRONASA coordinator for Busoga.

The Third Deputy Prime Minister and Minister without Portfolio, Rt. Hon. Rukia Isanga Nakadama, thanked the President for the Parish Development Model, saying it was helping young people and other Ugandans engage in income-generating activities.

Babalanda said the thanksgiving ceremony was organised to thank God for the gift of life, appreciate President Museveni for entrusting her with ministerial responsibilities and renew her commitment to serving the people of Budiope West.

She commended Government development initiatives in Buyende, including improvements in the road network and the new ferry, which she said had eased water transport. Babalanda also called for the establishment of a technical institute in Buyende to equip young people with practical skills and enable them to create employment opportunities.

The Buyende District Woman Member of Parliament, Hon. Sarah Namulondo, thanked the President for peace and stability in the district, while also raising concerns about compensation for residents affected by the planned nuclear project in Bukungu.

She said uncertainty over possible displacement had made some residents reluctant to make long-term investments on their land. Religious leaders at the ceremony also commended Government efforts in security, fighting corruption and improving sanitation.

Speaking on behalf of NRM chairpersons in Busoga, Iganga District NRM Chairperson Hajji Abubakar Walubi commended the wealth-creation approach but noted that limited land remains a significant challenge for many households in the region.

He called for additional interventions tailored to Busoga, including community-based irrigation projects that benefit wider communities rather than individual beneficiaries. The thanksgiving ceremony brought together religious leaders, political leaders, Government officials, Members of Parliament and residents from Buyende and the wider Busoga dub region.