MUSEVENI BOOSTS GHETTO YOUTH FUNDING TO UGX 1 BILLION PER DIVISION

On a rainy afternoon in Kawempe, as crowds gathered at Mbogo Grounds to hear from President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, the atmosphere was filled with anticipation not just for promises, but for proof that the ghetto was finally being seen. Not just visited, but truly understood.

What came next was more than another presidential speech. It was a vow of commitment. A declaration that the President would not rest until the youth in Uganda’s urban ghettos are fully empowered, fully engaged, and fully transformed.

“We are increasing the money for the ghetto youth,” Museveni announced firmly, his voice cutting through the hum of the crowd. “From UGX 100 million per division to UGX 1 billion. This is just the beginning. I will not stop until the youth in these areas are organised, working, and out of poverty.”

President Museveni’s determination is not new. Over the years, his message has been consistent: peace, development, and wealth creation must reach every household.

But in Kampala’s informal settlements commonly referred to as the “ghetto” the struggle is different. Here, unemployment, drug abuse, and lack of opportunity have long plagued the youth. Yet, with limited resources, many have shown resilience, finding ways to survive through hustle and innovation.

Museveni has seen this resilience. And now, he says, it is time to reward it with structure and support.

“We have already built roads, provided electricity, and connected internet,” he told the gathering. “But a tarmacked road doesn’t feed your family. At the end of the day, you go back home. If that home is poor, then our work is not yet done.”

Museveni’s message is not just about shillings and coins. It’s about dignity. It's about visibility. And it’s about justice.

He called for national budgeting that focuses on the poor and cautioned against government waste. “We don’t need more districts or embassies. We need money that gets to the youth, to the women, to the street-level entrepreneur. That’s what brings transformation.”

Even as he shared moments of laughter with comedian Teacher Mpamire, who mimicked him to the delight of the crowd, Museveni remained laser-focused. “This money is not for consumption. It is capital. Use it well, and we shall expand it,” he said.

In the past, “ghetto” was a word often associated with crime, drugs, and despair. But now, under Museveni’s watch, it’s becoming a space of rebirth a space where skills are being taught, businesses launched, and dreams reignited.

The UGX 1 billion per division pledge marks a major shift. It's a signal that the ghetto is no longer invisible in Uganda's development plans.

According to Major Emmanuel Kutesa, head of the ghetto youth structures, more than 12 SACCOs have been formed across Kampala since 2022, with over 10,000 active savers and 40,000 members. The goal, he says, is to “organize the ghetto” and link youth to real economic opportunities.

Last year each of the 12 Saccos received UGX100 million each totaling to UGX1.2bn

“The President’s support is changing lives. But what’s more important is his focus he is not doing this as a one-off. He’s building a system that will last,” Kutesa said.

Among the crowd stood Dorothy Opicia, a soft-spoken woman from Bwaise who now runs a broom-making business. In 2024, she received UGX 500,000 through the Kawempe North Ghetto Cooperative Society, which was among the first SACCOs supported under the President’s ghetto youth programme.

“With that money, I expanded my business. I now sell improved brooms for UGX 3,000 and was able to send my daughter to nursing school,” she said proudly.

Hamuza Kyagulanyi, a graphic designer and T-shirt printer, is another testament to the programme’s impact. “This is no longer just the ghetto where people waste away,” he said. “It’s now a place of creativity, of business, of transformation.”

For the President, transforming the ghetto is not a political talking point it is a mission. And judging by the thousands of voices cheering in Kawempe, it is a mission many are ready to walk with him.

By Geofrey Mutegeki Araali

Communication and Media Relations Officer