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Kampala, Uganda | NEWS CORRESPONDENT | As President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni opened his seventh elective term with a renewed call for wealth creation and economic discipline, attention is increasingly turning to how traditional structures could be drawn into the government’s mobilisation strategy.
Hours after the swearing-in ceremony at Kololo Ceremonial Grounds on Tuesday, Special Presidential Assistant on Bataka Affairs in Buganda, Henry Lutwama, said clan institutions would play a central role in advancing the government’s grassroots economic agenda.
Speaking shortly after President Museveni took the oath of office for another five-year term, Lutwama described the new administration as a “kisanja of action and accountability”, anchored on productivity, mobilisation and community-level engagement.
“This is not just another term,” Lutwama said in an interview after the inauguration. “His Excellency has made it clear that this is a period for work, discipline, and wealth creation. The Bataka institutions are ready to mobilise communities so that government programmes directly benefit ordinary people.”
President Museveni, 81, was sworn in by Chief Justice Flavian Zeija before thousands of supporters, regional leaders, and diplomats at a heavily guarded ceremony in Kampala.
Official results from the January 15 presidential election gave Museveni 71.65 per cent of the vote, extending his rule to 45 years and reinforcing his status among Africa’s longest-serving leaders.
But unlike previous inaugurations that leaned heavily on political rhetoric and security themes, Tuesday’s address focused overwhelmingly on economics.
Declaring the next five years a “kisanja of no more sleep”, Museveni urged Ugandans to abandon complacency and embrace what he described as the “medicine” for poverty: production, wealth creation and participation in the money economy.
“We know the medicine. The issue now is implementation,” the President told the crowd.
He identified commercial agriculture, manufacturing, services and information communication technology (ICT) as the sectors expected to drive Uganda’s next phase of growth.
At the centre of that strategy remains the Parish Development Model (PDM), the government’s flagship programme intended to transition households from subsistence farming into commercial production.
Museveni said the focus would now shift from disbursing funds to monitoring productivity and ensuring beneficiaries generate measurable income from government support.
For Lutwama, the president’s message presents an opportunity to integrate cultural institutions into national development efforts.
“Cultural leaders understand the realities of the grassroots,” he said. “They can help sensitise communities, encourage accountability and ensure that people embrace production instead of dependency.”
He revealed that his office is engaging investors and local leaders on a series of income-generating initiatives expected to involve clan structures across Buganda.
“We are interacting with different investors to attract business into the country while ensuring those investments benefit both communities and the nation,” Lutwama said.
Lutwama’s office has, in recent months, intensified mobilisation campaigns across Buganda, focusing on development, household income, and civic participation.
He said the growing visibility of the Office of the Presidential Assistant on Bataka Affairs reflects the State House’s broader effort to strengthen engagement with Buganda’s traditional governance networks, whose relationship with successive governments has historically fluctuated between cooperation and tension.
“Cultural heritage is not only about ceremonies,” he said. “It is also about how communities organise themselves for production and collective progress.”
The President further stressed the importance of regional markets, arguing that production without market access cannot generate sustainable wealth.
Among the regional leaders attending the ceremony was Évariste Ndayishimiye, who praised Museveni’s role in promoting peace and stability in the Great Lakes region.
The inauguration blended military display, cultural performances and political symbolism.
