President Yoweri Museveni has tasked leaders at all levels to preach the gospel of household income generation to the masses in order to uplift communities.

The Presidenet who was hosting a group of exemplary farmers from the nine villages of Gomba and Sembabule Districts at his Kisozi farm on Tuesday, 2nd April, 2024 underscored the importance of prioritising household income as a catalyst for development.

Museveni emphasised the critical role of leaders in fostering prosperity at the grassroot level as he highlighted the success of the Greater Kisozi Model Villages project initiated in 2011.

“People should work for both the stomach and the pocket and here you should work for the pocket with “ekibaro”. This has been our message since the 1960s,” the President said.

“I don’t know why our leaders emphasise the issue of roads, electricity and other infrastructure more and forget the main aspect of household income. We can have good infrastructure but with poverty in place and we can create wealth without good infrastructure,” he added.

In 2011, President Museveni donated cows, goats, coffee seedlings, pigs, money, among other agricultural products to households in nine villages in Gomba and Sembabule with the aim of helping them to fight poverty and generate incomes to improve their livelihoods.

The villages which benefitted include Kirasi, Kisozi A, Kisozi B, Obutugu, Lutunku A, Lutunku B, Kajumilo, Kasozi and Kikuumadungu.

Beneficiaries Speak Out

James Kalanda, a resident of Kirasi village, Gomba District, once struggling to make ends meet, now stands as a testimony to the power of opportunity.

“I was given mango seedlings which I planted. Now, I sell each mango at sh500, earning a remarkable sh300,000 per week,” Kalanda said.

With this newfound income, Kalanda has not only supported his child’s education but also invested in three motorcycles to transport his produce to neighbouring markets.

Similarly, Josephine Namusisi, also a resident of Kirasi Village in Gomba District, expressed her gratitude to the President for the project.

“What I am today is because of you, Mr.  President. I was so poor, I lived in an unpleasant grass thatched house.”

With support from the initiative, Ms. Namusisi said she received essential tools like hoes and pangas, enabling her to embark on a journey of self-sufficiency.

Embracing cleanliness and innovative farming techniques, she now cultivates food and utilises organic fertilisers, thus enhancing both her livelihood and health.

Another success story came from George Ssabagabo, also a resident of Kirasi village, who credited the President for being behind his prosperity.

“I have 20 Friesian cows. With your guidance, I now sell three jerrycans of milk per day, earning sh4,2000 from each jerrycan,” he noted.

Through diversifying his agricultural ventures, including banana growing, Ssabagabo informed the President that he has been able to secure a stable income, allowing him to construct a new home and break free from the poverty’s grip.