The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
COMMENT | CAROLYNE MUYAMA | Forty years ago, Kampala was a very different place, quieter and more fearful than lively. Shaped more by fear than by business. Walking the streets in 1985 was dangerous, with the risk of being shot or kidnapped. The black market, known as “Magendo”, was essential for survival amid an economic collapse and widespread violence. On January 29, 1986, a young Yoweri Museveni spoke from the steps of Parliament, promising that this was not merely a “change of guard” but a “fundamental change,” a message that still resonates today.
Although many were sceptical because of past experience, the Museveni government showed it was serious when it began with the discipline of the gun. The National Resistance Army, now the UPDF, instilled a code in which soldiers were taught to be the people’s servants, not their masters. This security of person and property laid the groundwork for other sectors to gradually revive, moving the nation from a state of “survival” to “planning”.
By the early 90s, the focus shifted from the bush to the financial sector as the NRM government rebuilt a “suitcase economy” from scratch. To stabilise the shilling and pull the country back from the brink of bankruptcy, the government chose the difficult path of liberalization.
By opening the market to private players and selling off non-performing entities, the government invited competition and fresh investment. The private sector became the engine of growth, fuelling vibrant telecommunications, banking, and manufacturing sectors. This economic foresight helped turn Uganda into one of Africa’s fastest-growing economies, with GDP expanding significantly since the early stages of recovery.
Beyond growth, the government prioritized human capital, launching Universal Primary Education (UPE) in 1997 and later Universal Secondary Education (USE), ensuring that the children of the poor were no longer spectators in the classroom of progress. This has increased primary school enrolment in Uganda, which rose to over 8.8 million pupils as of 2018.
President Museveni’s leadership has also made Uganda a beacon of stability in a volatile region. His sustained push for women’s empowerment and affirmative action has brought more women into Parliament and the workforce than ever before. In health, his early and bold leadership in the fight against HIV/AIDS saved millions of lives and became a global case study in public health success.
More recently, the focus on infrastructure has led to the completion of massive projects such as the Isimba and Karuma power dams and to an expansive network of paved roads that now connect the corners of the country, from Kisoro to Kotido. These aren’t just roads; they are the lifeline of trade, enabling farmers to reach the market and entrepreneurs to reach the city.
As he starts another term in 2026, President Museveni continues to be an influential long-term African leader, acting as a regional mediator, ensuring security, and strongly backing Pan-Africanism and economic integration. Museveni has been a champion of the East African Community (EAC), emphasizing industrialization, infrastructure development, and reduced dependence on foreign aid, all aimed at creating a unified African market.
The decisive victory of President Museveni in the 2026 general election reflects the people’s desire for “Securing a Future,” a mandate grounded in the visible results of his tenure. Voters chose to consolidate gains in peace, the developing oil sector, and the expansion of the East African Community (EAC), where he now serves as chair.
This victory is a vote for steady hands as we enter the era of the National Development Plan IV, a strategy to grow the economy to $500 billion by 2040. For the ordinary Ugandan, this means shifting from “working for the stomach” to “working for the pocket” through agro-industrialization, tourism, and mineral development.
The NPDIV focuses on four pillars: shifting from exporting raw materials to building local factories; investing in people’s skills and health; developing engines of growth such as the Standard Gauge Railway and affordable internet; and ensuring good governance to fight corruption.
This transformation will not occur in boardrooms but in the gardens and workshops of ordinary citizens who use the Parish Development Model to expand their enterprises.
The past 40 years have been about recovery and laying foundations; the next five years under this new mandate are about speed and prosperity, using the roads and power dams already built to grow household wealth for all. As President Museveni takes office for his new term, the consensus is clear: the foundation is solid, the vision is set, and the journey toward a first-world Uganda is well underway.
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Carolyne Muyama works with the Uganda Media Centre
