Uganda’s President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has expressed frustration over the growing number of citizen demands, many of which he says are not aligned with the government’s current budget or priorities.
The President made remarks while addressing residents of Kamwenge District on Sunday afternoon, during his ongoing Parish Development Model (PDM) zonal tour.
The President likened the situation to a driver being distracted by passengers mid-journey. He cautioned Ugandans against overwhelming him with endless requests for infrastructure and services, warning that such pressure could derail the government’s broader development agenda.
“I don’t want you to keep disturbing me. Stop shouting at me while I’m on the wheel driving. I am in the driver’s seat, but there are so many voices behind me, telling me what to do and how to drive. You will make me lose control. Let me drive you to your destination. Don’t make me cause an accident,” the President said.
Museveni’s comments came after a long list of local leaders raised concerns about the poor state of several roads in the district, notably the Fort Portal–Kijura road and the Kyenjojo–Kahungye–Kamwenge road. Officials noted that rehabilitating both roads would require approximately Shs 77 billion.
The President acknowledged the importance of road infrastructure but maintained that the government is currently prioritising poverty eradication efforts through initiatives such as the PDM and Emyooga programmes.
He stressed that while road works will be undertaken in due course, the more urgent task is uplifting rural Ugandans who are still stuck in subsistence livelihoods.
“I understand that these roads need to be worked on, but we are spending money on other important programmes such as PDM and Emyooga, which are taking Shs 1.5 trillion. We want to reach out to people in rural areas who are trapped in poverty. Should we abandon them because you people want tarmacked roads? We are going to work on all roads, but we also have to take a step back and help the poorest,” he added.
