Museveni Doles Out Millions in Mpigi, Lwengo Masaka Market Vendor Cash Blitz

In what many are calling a calculated move to galvanize support ahead of the 2026 general elections, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has ramped up direct financial handouts to roadside market vendors along the Kampala-Masaka-Mbarara highway.

The President, through a high-level team from State House, is dishing out Shs100,000 to each vendor under a “business booster package” aimed at uplifting micro-enterprises—just months before the country heads to the polls.

For three years now, this initiative has been quietly unfolding, but it has gained renewed intensity in recent weeks.

From June 4th to 5th, 2025, a State House delegation led by Senior Presidential Advisor for the Elderly, Princess Pauline Nassolo, and the Special Presidential Assistant for Women Affairs, Ms. Flora Kabibi, visited nine bustling roadside markets across Lwengo, Masaka, and Mpigi districts—hand-delivering cash to 607 vendors.

Markets that benefited include Kyabagonya, Kabalungi, Kakinga, Kyabakuza, Kabale-Bugonzi, and Mbizzinya.

While the government frames the initiative as an empowerment effort targeting small business operators dealing in agricultural produce, muchomo, fast food, and beverages, the timing has raised eyebrows among political observers.

With elections on the horizon, this surge in direct cash transfers appears to be part of a broader charm offensive by the long-serving leader to shore up grassroots support, especially among informal traders.

Princess Nassolo was candid about the President’s intentions: “When we came here at first, we asked whether you had benefited from programs like the Parish Development Model or Emyooga. You said no. We took that message to the President, and he responded by sending this money. Use it wisely,” she urged the vendors.

She also issued a warning: “Mzee has trusted you with this money as business capital. Don’t misuse it. Invest it and reap the profits.”

Ms. Kabibi took it a notch higher, openly linking the support to political loyalty. “President Museveni has been exemplary. He cares for you—that’s why he sent this money. He supports you, and you should also support him and the NRM government,” she declared.

For many vendors, the message seemed to land. “I had only Shs30,000 left in my banana business,” said Ms. Nakigona Allen from Kyabagonya market. “I was almost collapsing. Now I have hope again. We will support the President in 2026.”

Market leaders across the region joined in the chorus of appreciation, portraying Museveni as a leader who listens and acts. “Thank you, Mzee, for this timely package. It will help us grow,” said Ms. Stella Nalwadda, Chairperson of Kakinga Market.

Others, like Mr. Baker Makumbi from Kyabakuza, expressed surprise at the follow-through. “They came, they registered us, and now they’ve returned with the money. We didn’t believe it, but it’s real.”

Still, the optics are unmistakable. With traditional poverty eradication programs like PDM and Emyooga failing to reach the last mile, Museveni has opted for direct cash incentives—an old but effective political tactic, especially in Uganda’s rural heartlands where small capital can have outsized impact.

As 2026 draws closer, and with political winds already blowing, this market-focused money tour is being interpreted as more than just economic empowerment—it’s an electoral strategy, wrapped in generosity and sealed with presidential flair.

Whether this grassroots cash campaign will translate into another term for Museveni remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: the race has already begun, and “Mzee” is not taking any chances.