The Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) has expressed skepticism about President Yoweri Museveni’s upcoming visit to the Busoga sub-region, suggesting that it is merely a campaign tactic ahead of the 2026 general elections.
President Museveni is set to visit the Busoga sub-region from January 22 to 25, 2025, as part of his ongoing nationwide Parish Development Model (PDM) tour. The President will conduct an end-line assessment on the effectiveness of the pivotal government program aimed at transforming household incomes in the region.
According to FDC Deputy Spokesperson Mr. Richard Muyombya, the long-serving Museveni has a history of introducing programs that promise to alleviate poverty but ultimately fail to deliver.
“It is just a waste of resources, and the Busoga sub-region should not expect much from President Yoweri Kaguta’s visit this week,” said Mr. Muyombya, speaking to the media on Monday evening.
The FDC spokesperson cited several examples, including Entandikwa (1996-1997), Bona Bagagawale (2001), the Poverty Eradication Action Plan (2006), Operation Wealth Creation (2011), Emyooga (2016), and the Parish Development Model (2021), which he described as ineffective for the common citizens of the country.
He argued that these initiatives have not significantly improved the lives of Ugandans, and that President Museveni’s visit to Busoga would be more of a farewell tour rather than a genuine attempt to address the region’s concerns.
“If he were coming to Busoga to say goodbye to the Basoga, it would make sense. But if he is purportedly coming for development, it is valueless. He would only come to thank Busoga for the support given to him over the 39 years he has been in power and to assure them that he is not coming back to contest in the 2026 general elections,” he stated.
Mr. Muyombya, who is also eyeing the Njeru Municipality parliamentary seat, advised President Museveni to allocate the funds intended for his tour to more pressing needs, such as renovating hospitals, secondary schools, and roads in the region.
The President embarked on this nationwide tour in 2024 to assess the program’s performance, engage stakeholders, and gain a hands-on understanding of the achievements and challenges. PDM aims to improve household incomes and enable inclusive, sustainable, and equitable socio-economic transformation of Ugandans.
The presidential tours are meant to foster accountability within Parish SACCOs that are beneficiaries of the initiative by listening to local leaders and other stakeholders.
The tour has since been criticized by opposition political actors, but government supporters, especially Resident District Commissioners (RDCs), have pointed out that the president will be able to realign areas that are performing poorly due to ignorance.
Engagements with beneficiaries and local leaders for feedback are a testament that provides the president valuable insights into SACCO performances, local leadership practices that hinder better implementation of the program, and ways it can be improved.
According to national data, the total number of PDM SACCOs is 10,589. During the financial year 2023/24, Shs 1.059 trillion was appropriated to the Ministry of Finance to capitalize these SACCOs. Shs 1.05875 trillion was transferred to all 10,589 PDM SACCOs, which means approximately Shs 200 million has been sent to each of these institutions across the country.
Cumulatively, the Parish Revolving Fund capitalization stands at Shs 2.197 trillion, while the disbursement of this money stands at Shs 1.968 trillion, translating into a 90% disbursement rate. Over 1.858 million Ugandans have so far benefitted from these PDM disbursements, according to the government.
