{"id":2450,"date":"2026-01-04T10:09:11","date_gmt":"2026-01-04T10:09:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/2450\/"},"modified":"2026-01-04T10:09:11","modified_gmt":"2026-01-04T10:09:11","slug":"museveni-speaks-on-minimum-wage-says-govt-must-first-lower-cost-of-doing-business","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/2450\/","title":{"rendered":"Museveni Speaks on Minimum Wage, Says Gov\u2019t Must First Lower Cost of Doing Business"},"content":{"rendered":"

President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has assured Ugandans that the long-awaited minimum wage will be established once the government completes key interventions aimed at enabling investors to operate sustainably and profitably.<\/p>\n

Speaking on Saturday, 3rd January 2026, during a campaign rally in Lugazi Municipality, Buikwe District, President Museveni said the government is deliberately sequencing reforms to avoid harming businesses and job creation.<\/p>\n

President Museveni, who is also the National Resistance Movement (NRM) flagbearer for the 2026 general elections, was accompanied by the First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, Maama Janet Kataaha Museveni, as he addressed thousands of supporters who braved a heavy downpour to attend the rally.<\/p>\n

The President acknowledged growing public concern over low wages, especially among workers in factories, farms, and service industries, but emphasised that introducing a minimum wage prematurely could backfire. \u201cWe are still handling the issues of salaries, and we have not concluded. Why? It is because we are still organising the manufacturing sector, and our job has been to attract more investors,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He explained that Uganda\u2019s strategy has focused on first creating conditions that reduce the cost of production, allowing investors to remain competitive while paying workers better in the long run. \u201cThese different forms of wealth \u2014 commercial agriculture, factories, hotels, and ICT \u2014 have created jobs and wealth for our people, but there is the issue of wages or salaries for workers,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

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President Museveni cited peace and regional market access as the foundation of Uganda\u2019s industrial growth, noting that the East African Community (EAC) market provides a ready destination for locally manufactured goods. \u201cFirst of all, we created peace. Secondly, we created the East African Community market so that when we produce, we have somewhere to sell,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Lowering production costs:<\/p>\n

The President outlined three major areas the government is prioritising before implementing a minimum wage: electricity costs, transport infrastructure, and access to affordable credit. \u201cOne of the things we must do is to get enough electricity so that investors can have low electricity costs,\u201d President Museveni said, adding that energy affordability remains a key determinant of factory profitability.<\/p>\n

He also pointed to transport costs, particularly the movement of goods between Uganda and the Kenyan port of Mombasa. \u201cThat\u2019s why our solution is the railway, which has lower transport costs than road transport,\u201d he said, noting that cheaper logistics would allow manufacturers to save costs and improve worker pay.<\/p>\n

On access to finance, President Museveni said the government is working to reduce interest rates so that businesses can borrow at affordable terms. \u201cThe cost of money in the banks must come down so that investors can borrow at a low interest rate,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

According to President Museveni, once these structural challenges are addressed, the government will proceed with setting and enforcing a minimum wage. \u201cWhen you hear people talking about the minimum wage, we are planning for it, but we have not implemented it because we still have assignments on our side,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The NRM candidate cautioned that imposing wage regulations too early could push investors out of the country. \u201cIf we become harsh on them now, they will make losses and take their business elsewhere or collapse and go away from Uganda,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The President also clarified the division of responsibility between the government and investors. \u201cThe assignment of the investor is to set up the factory using their money and create jobs. Ours is to make sure there is peace in the country, make electricity affordable, provide low-cost transport, and reduce the cost of money in the banks,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Drawing from his guerrilla warfare background, President Museveni likened the government\u2019s approach to military strategy. \u201cWe are guerrillas. While in Luwero, we did not attack Kampala immediately, even though it was very near. We could not do it until we were ready,\u201d he said, adding that patience and timing are critical in economic transformation.<\/p>\n

President Museveni also addressed land disputes, particularly on Mailo land, which have increasingly affected communities in central Uganda. He announced that Attorney General Kiryowa Kiwanuka would be tasked to clarify the matter publicly. \u201cI will ask the Attorney General to clarify the issue of land on TV so that people understand their rights,\u201d President Museveni said.<\/p>\n

Turning to the NRM\u2019s manifesto, President Museveni outlined what he described as the party\u2019s seven key contributions to Uganda over the last four decades. \u201cThe first one is peace. Development is the second \u2014 roads, health centres, schools, electricity, and water,\u201d he said, adding that government records demonstrate tangible progress in these areas.<\/p>\n

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\u00a0<\/p>\n

The third pillar, he said, is wealth creation at the household level. \u201cThe NRM insists on wealth per family and household. You don\u2019t sleep on the tarmac road; you sleep in your house,\u201d President Museveni said, revisiting the Four-Acre Model, first introduced in the 1996 NRM manifesto, which allocates land for coffee, fruits, pasture, and food crops, supported by backyard enterprises such as poultry, piggery, and fish farming.<\/p>\n

He cited success stories under the Parish Development Model (PDM), including that of Harriet Nampa from Mangaliba village in Mukono District. \u201cThis lady feared the Shs1 million PDM money because she had never touched one million in her entire life. She received Shs500,000 and invested in piggery,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

According to the President, Nampa\u2019s piggery business grew to over Shs4 million, enabling her to buy a cow and venture into dairy farming. \u201cThese are small-scale people who are just starting, and many more are doing well,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

President Museveni also cited large-scale agricultural success stories, including Kalera Phillip of Gomba District, who operates a demonstration farm that began in 2003.<\/p>\n

He said Kalera diversified into Friesian dairy cows, coffee on 50 acres, poultry, and other ventures after initially struggling with poor rearing methods. \u201cHe harvests coffee twice a year, earning between Shs18 million and Shs20 million per acre, and Shs9 million from matooke alone per harvest,\u201d President Museveni noted.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The farmer reportedly earns over Shs1.5 billion annually in profit. On employment, the President emphasised that jobs are generated through commercial agriculture, manufacturing\/artisanship, services, and ICT.<\/p>\n

He cited Johnson Basangwa of Jeka Poultry Farm in Kamuli District, who earns about Shs20 million daily from egg production and employs over 300 people. \u201cYou here in Lugazi have testimonies of sugar factories where many of your children are working,\u201d President Museveni said.<\/p>\n

He highlighted industrial parks such as Sino-Mbale, which hosts 75 factories employing about 12,000 workers, and Namanve Industrial Park, with 273 factories employing over 24,000 people. \u201cMukono also has many factories employing our youths,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

President Museveni urged citizens to actively monitor PDM funds to prevent misuse. \u201cAll of you should ask the SACCO committee where the PDM money is. You need to learn to follow up on what belongs to you,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He acknowledged past challenges with earlier programs such as Entandikwa, NAADS, and Operation Wealth Creation, which were criticised for benefiting a few individuals. \u201cThat\u2019s why we decided to work directly with the poor people at the parish level,\u201d President Museveni said.<\/p>\n

On her part, while addressing the crowd, the First Lady, Maama Janet, praised residents for enduring the rain to attend the rally.\u00a0 \u201cSometimes we stand in the sun, sometimes in the rain, to build Uganda,\u201d she said, crediting Uganda\u2019s progress to peace, stability, and unity, urging voters to renew NRM\u2019s mandate. \u201cWe must stretch out our hands and vote for NRM so that our children and grandchildren can be proud of the Uganda we are building,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

NRM Second National Vice Chairperson and Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Annet Anita Among informed the President that Buikwe District faces challenges of absentee landlords and alleged theft of PDM funds. She called for investigations into the misuse of public resources.<\/p>\n

The rally marked his final campaign stop in greater Mukono after canvassing Buvuma, Kayunga, and Mukono districts.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

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